Cajon Pass Inn

Clean rooms, laundry on site, and a nice pool area, though I didn't get a chance to use it. I stopped for a night while hiking the PCT, and the location worked out really well, right next to the gas station. It's independently owned and they had a hiker box. Great spot for PCT hikers or anyone passing through. Highly recommend.

The room smelled so strongly of cigarette smoke that we left without staying. I'd booked a non-smoking room through Booking.com, and we had even called ahead to confirm the reservation. We were driving from San Diego to visit family for Thanksgiving and reached the hotel around midnight after holiday traffic. I felt bad about arriving so late, but the owner barely acknowledged me and just held out his hand for my ID and card. It felt rude and uncomfortable, though I let that go at first. When we asked for the room I'd reserved, the owner got angry and argued that the system showed a smoking room. His wife and he both saw our Booking.com confirmation clearly marked non-smoking, but said they couldn't do anything. They wouldn't offer a refund either, and told us to contact Booking.com, even though the platform directs customers to the property for issues like this. We were shocked by the lack of help or kindness, especially on Thanksgiving. I wouldn't recommend the place based on what happened.

The couple managing the place were nice and clearly tried, but the stay was rough. We were there five nights and got just one room refresh. The room had mold painted over that started seeping through, and on night four they admitted the room next door had been closed because of mold. The freeway noise was bad, especially with big gaps around the room door facing it. The lobby closed before 9 every night, so I had to ring the bell and shout through the little "ticket office" hole. The hot tub only gets switched on if you ask an hour ahead, and after 8 p.m. you're out of luck. I made three trips to the office to find a plug that fit the tub so I could soak in my own room instead. The vending machine was empty and the ice was melty. Some sites give this hotel 2.5 stars, some 3, some 2. I don't know the official criteria, but this is no better than a crappy 1.5-star Motel 6. Maybe it used to be nice?

The rooms were adequate, though not very clean or modern, and the manager was generally unfriendly. We were especially disappointed to learn on Saturday morning that the pool was closed for "cleaning" during our one-night stay. It wasn't dirty and nobody was cleaning it. When we used the pool area after arriving Friday evening, the hot tub wasn't heated, so the manager had to turn it on. It was only maybe warm enough after an hour. Closing amenities over the weekend is a bad call. It's too bad, since this is the only hotel around and the location is convenient. We actually liked being close to the freeway and seeing trains pass by the pool. It's a great place to stop on the way to the high desert, with hiking, off-roading, and trainspotting nearby. Maybe new management could bring the place closer to its potential.