This hotel has very recently been purchased by a developer that has plans within 1 - 2 years to tear it down and build a similar condo / time share monstrosity as the new one next door to it. I heard this from a man in a suit who was walking around the property taking measurements, as well as an employee of the hotel.
I usually stay at the near by comfort inn that is not on the beach when I am in town, but wanted some nostalgia & to stay right on the beach- if I'd have known the above I wouldn't have stayed there.
It is obvious that very little money is being put into it for repairs - the spot the soap dish had been in was replaced with a panel of fiberglass. Most of the balcony's are worn to the point of being a little scary. There are two direct passages from the hotel to the beach, however 1 is blocked by a bike rental operation and the one the employees suggest you use has no less than 6 trash can for the other building in it - smells terrible, is crowded & and dark.
The main positives to this place is the location is great & the maids do a great job - the room we were in was very clean & the carpet was newer & decent. The sheets used are flat hospital type & don't stay tucked in, not comfortable. I forgot my shampoo & asked the desk clerk for some & he told me to use the soap or go buy some, they don't supply it any more. If you get a room with a micro kitchen bring your own dishes if you plan to use it. A mis- match of forks, spoons & plastic cups are what you are supplied with. I'm not that picky, but the toaster & coffee maker (with no coffee or coffee cups provided in the room) were scary to the point I wouldn't use them.
It's a shame, but after the wear & tear it will get this summer, when I go back to VA Beach this Oct. you couldn't pay me to stay there.

my family and i just stayed here for two days this past week. Wasn't an overly extravagant hotel but had a spectacular view and was very well maintained. Excellent value for the money. management and desk staff were very courteous. Ran into just one unpleasant cleaning lady while there however, maybe she was just having a bad day. Just giving her the benefit of doubt. Would definitely stay here again and highly recommend it to others who are on a tight budget but still want to take there family on a nice vacation without having to sleep with rats!

Just stayed one night. Not a bad place, but I don't know that I would stay there again. The view is spectacular, but you can get that at any of VA Beach's ocean front hotels. Saturday service was much better than Sunday. When making the reservation, they neglected to tell me that there would be a parade on Atlantic Ave right in front of the hotel on Saturday. Luckily, we arrived just as the parade was ending and only had to kill about 20 minutes driving around. The room was ok, bigger "dorm fridge," HBO. No fan in the bathroom and LOW FLOW shower heads made the showering situation less than ideal. The elevator worked fine, but it's looks were quite "sketchy;" fit about 3 people comfortably and didn't have any escape hatches in the roof. Also, there was a button for the sixth floor, but the hotel is only 5 stories. This didn't detrach from the hotel and actually gave us a running joke during the stay. Pool was freezing for Oct 1. Location is good with restaurants and bars close enough to walk to, but far enough away for peace and quiet. Pizza and ice cream right across the street. Overall, not bad, but probably would stay somewhere else next time just to see what else is out there.

Our stay at the diplomat was very nice. Under the circumstances my brother-in-law went missing in the ocean. The owners of the hotel put the family up for free of charge. We did not know when we would find my brother-in-law or even if we would find him. The owner told us what ever we need just to let them know. They were so understanding and so very nice to us. We appericated all of there kindness and understanding. I would recomend this hotel to anyone. They are the kindess people you would ever want to meet. The hotel it self was very nice and the staff, was very sweet. And we did find my brother-in-law 3 days later.