Boyd is a professional host who works hard to make the room comfortable for everyone. The rules are enforced to the letter. The toilet broke once, and he was able to get it fixed the same day. He placed a drying rack outside for me when I needed somewhere to hang sweaty workout clothes.
The location is convenient for someone who is a visiting student or employee. You are a 5-7 minute walk from the CalTrain and bus stations. The public transportation is mostly reliable. I was able to go to Stanford campus, East and south Palo Alto, Redwood City, and San Francisco without using a car. Trader Joe’s and Safeway are just under 20 min away by walking. Downtown Palo Alto has plenty of restaurants and coffee shops.
A few notes: The internet is fast and reliable. Boyd does the laundry for you, always within 24 hours of when you request it. You may want to bring a foam pad to give your back extra support when sleeping. You share the space with others, and you must be mindful of this fact. There is a small fridge and freezer split between everyone, in which there was enough space for me to store roughly 1 bag of spinach, a pack of sliced cheese, a pack of sliced meat, two small jars, and a small carton of milk in the fridge. I stored 3-4 bags of frozen rice in the freezer. I was able to store quite a bit of dry goods in the cabinet space. I went to the grocery store about every 4-5 days, and I ate out a few days a week.