I'm not sure either. In this case, from the info jpow5 and Deb aka Resume Lady posted, it sounds like they were just using the room to party. If they lived in Folsom, why did they need a hotel room?
they were heating cocaine in a pan in the kitchen, so they were doing some sort of processing. maybe they took coke, cut it with something and then boiled the water out of it to powder it again. obviously not quite the sharpest tacks. the article said he was a resident of Folsom too, so he obviously didn't to do it in his own home.
sounds like he was high to the point of passing out in the lobby. what an idiot! and then they had the door wedged open. what's up with that? so he could let himself back in? not america's smartest criminals.