The location -- close to CalTech and Pasadena City College -- is idea for walking around a nice neighborhood to explore the beautiful local architecture and tree-lined streets, ideal for young (and older!) world travelers who want to get the taste and feel of a place they might not otherwise visit -- namely, the lovely city of Pasadena.
The area is residential but its main streets also have beautiful old commercial buildings, built several decades ago but well-maintained, as this area is also rather upscale. On thhe afternoon of my arrival, I drank some of the best coffee I've ever tasted at the Boy and A Bear Cafe (about 15 minutes walk, west along Green Street) and followed that with some outstanding ice cream served at a beautiful converted old gas station whose red petrol pumps evoke the earliest days of California car-driving.
As other reviewers have said, this is not the "ritz" hotel, it's an ordinary apartment that's become popular among travelers. (I could hear the people in the apartment above me stomping on the floor around when I went to bed, but, the noise stopped and I enjoyed a long deep sleep).
Stay here for a good budget-priced option!