I was on my own, having dropped my daughter off at college in LA, and wanted a day in a new wine country. It was price and location which dictated my choice of this hotel which is just off the 101 Fwy in the charming town of Santa Maria in central California (population about 100K).
I paid under $70 with taxes (Sunday night, holiday weekend) and this included breakfast (juice, coffee, self-made waffles and muffins). The room was large enough, clean, and included a secure Wi-Fi Internet connection. The three other hotels which I visited earlier had WiFi without passwords which meant that anyone near the hotel could theoretically hack into any hotel guest's Internet session. I don't know if it's a problem, but I felt better when I was given an ID and pw which was generated for just me.
The TV, though the old cathode-ray style, worked fine and was enclosed in a cabinet when not being viewed. The bed was comfortable; there was a separate mirror and counter outside the bathroom. The bathroom had one of the oldest and largest water tanks wasting a lot of water, but the shower compensated for this.
Unlike almost all new showers in America, this one had a valve which not only controlled temperature but water volume. I get annoyed every time I'm in a shower which only had one flow: excessive. Somewhere along the line someone must have gotten burned when he/she couldn't control the temperature and volume while showering, so now every new hotel in America has temperature control only. The result is an unconscionable amount of water wasted!
There was a pretty large, fully fenced-in pool; an ice machine and some vending machines. I was told there was a supermarket and several fast foot restaurants within two blocks in each direction.
The staff was friendly, but knew nothing about the surrounding wineries.
There was a brochure in the lobby mapping out the local wineries and that was helpful, though I have found the best way to map out a tour among the numerous wineries in any new area is to start with one at the start of the "trail" and get recommendations from the staff or other guests once you've made it clear what style of wines you prefer. I've found some gems that way.
It turns out that, though only an inch apart on the map, the wineries in Santa Maria were 5-10 miles apart on winding, beautiful vineyard covered low hills and valleys. I visited Kenneth Volk which is known for creating unusual wines from little heard-of varietals; I also visited Zaca Mesa. Though far from the beaten path, the wineries in this area have a good flow of visitors and I had fun meeting new wine-enthusiasts.
Santa Maria puts you near other fabulous wine areas, in order of my preference: Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo, Santa Maria, Santa Barbara ("Sideways" country). Further north is the Hearst Castle which is always worth a visit, but remember to reserve tour tickets (only way to see it) on the Internet before you go.