We have stayed at this hotel on a few occasions. Since we spend very little time in the hotel while in AC, we never like to spend much money on the room. As they always say, you get what you paid for. So long as the place is kept tidy and we have a bed and a fridge, we are happy. I have to say, however, that over the past few visits the place has DEFINATELY taken a turn for the worst. Supposedly the place is under new management, and they are in the process of taking an inventory of what needs to be improved. Lets just say that it would be easier to just start over. The only good things you can say about this place are:
1) It's close to the boardwalk and center of everything (right up the block from the SANDS) and the Jitney stops just up the block
2) The price is right--we paid $89 a night for Friday and Saturday of Easter weekend
3)The staff is very friendly and accommodating.

However, when we arrived we were given a room on the third floor (there is no elevator--so plan on packing light) that was absolutely horrible--the closet was no bigger than a broom closet, the fridge broken, and the little sink was dripping and dirty looking. We asked for a different room, and they did accommodate us.

Our new room had a king-size bed that needed to be retired since I felt as though I had slept on a cheap futon afterwards. The pillows were flat and the sheets would not stay on the bed, and I noticed that "THE SANDS" was imprinted in the corner. They were probably either old or imperfect sheets from the Sands casino. The wetbar area was clean, complete with sink, microwave, and decent sized fridge. (this is something we always request-- We save money by bringing our own liquor and mixes, as well as breakfast foods, juices and snacks.) The windows were covered by VERY broken blinds and very old curtains --circa 1970-something. The walls were BADLY in need of a paint job, and I was a bit nervous when we looked up at the ceiling above the bed and saw multiple deep cracks. This room had no closet—just a coat rack. The bathroom was far from high-class--and definitely needed to be remodeled--but was clean and that's all that really mattered to us.

The condition of the common areas was another story. The hallways smelled of old cigarettes, the windows were covered with old broken blinds, and when I tried to peak out I found them to be so dirty that you could hardly see out of them. Seems the staff only bothers to clean inside the rooms and lets the rest of the place go to hell.
So if u absolutely don't care about appearance, and just need a place to shower and crash, head to the surfside--the price is right. If not--hit HOJO or Best Western.