March 2010 Improved Experience, Excellent Choice for LAX Overnighter Because TA will allow only one review per hotel, this is a combo of two visits. I’ve criticized this hotel in previous review (below), based on an abundance of small, customer-unfriendly irritants and finding a room not ready (once). (See below for an earlier review and a message to third-party guests. Usually, I get rooms in this hotel via Priceline, and although it’s rated as 3.5 star, bidding for a 3-star will often return Crowne Plaza. Bid $50 or less.) Some of the caveats remain, but some things have improved:
NOTABLE: (I am now known by name, and am on a list of some kind at the hotel, so this may get me a level of treatment not given to all guests.) Checkin was swift and easy. I was placed on the 15th floor, reserved for CP “priority” guests, and given a room with a nameplate that identified it as a suite. It was different from other rooms in attractive but cosmetic ways: faux marble entry and bathroom floor; a lovely quiet-flush toilet, an attractive ice bucket and new furniture fixtures, a soft ceiling light next to the bed, and a bottle of water. An airport shuttle runs about every 20 minutes. Nearby competitors (Courtyard, Radisson) offer free wireless, so the $11 charge is an irritant, but the option to buy 2 hours @ $2 works and download speeds are nothing short of remarkable--500 KB/sec, twice what I get at home. Free wireless that doesn’t work, common in hotels, is a big marketing mistake.
BE WARNED: The shuttle is not announced inside the hotel lobby--you need to be outside. The stops are brief and you can fail to get a seat the shuttle because it is too crowded. (It’s run by a vendor, and also stops at Radisson.) Plan this possible delay into your trip. Another guest told me she missed two prior shuttles, and when she asked a bell desk employee, he was dismissive. In her words: Thirty seconds is not enough for me to get my luggage and myself outside. Announcing the shuttle’s arrival INSIDE the lobby is a small step that would help some slower-moving or hard-of-hearing guests a lot. A coupon given at check in for 50% off food and beverage used to help small eaters, but now applies to buffet only. The price of the buffet is high to begin with, so this is a big bonus for big eaters. Room doors still slam--hard. This is addressed by asking guests for quiet on the door tag, which clearly does not work. A fix would probably involve installing hardware closures, a big job. The hotel web site notes free local-area-shopping transportation but an inquiry to the concierge produced a referral to a taxi. The bus transit center is on 96th, a 1/4 mile walk. Know in advance the route you’re looking for, and have exact change for the fare.
January 2010 Exceptional Bedding, Many Customer-Unfriendly Irritations [This note to Priceline & other third-party guests precedes all my reviews of hotels I purchased through a 3rd party vendor] 3rd-party customers read reviews and arrive with expectations; high attentiveness to guest needs distinguishes one 2-3-4 star from others. Third-party prices fill rooms, and provide the business with opportunities to sell services and win future customers. My advice: pay attention to reviews, articulate needs clearly (both in advance and on arrival) and speak directly and immediately to management if your expectations are not met. If basic room needs are unmet, ask management for adjustment; if unresponsive, tell the 3rd-party vendor in writing; use snail mail to the company’s street address and direct to Customer Service VP. I’ve found them responsive. Talk to management directly and pleasantly: they value meaningful guest feedback and often can use information you provide to correct persistent problems. Whatever rate you paid, be courteous and civil to a fault: it never helps to be confrontational. Commend with care what is commendable.]
At almost any time of year, rooms can be had for LAX-friendly overnights at $40-50 on Priceline. If you are bidding on higher-star hotels, you may be rejected under $95. Don’t fail to adjust your bid DOWN if you drop star levels from 4 to 3.5. CP is treated as 3.5, but it can nearly always be had for under $50 on Priceline, and if you are bidding on 3-stars you may get it (3.5) instead, described by Priceline as an “upgrade.”
COMMENDABLE: Guest laundry, regular free airport shuttle, very nice bedding. Expensive but well-operating wireless internet, with 2-hour-at-$1.95, 4-hour at $4.95 (What??) and 24 hours at 10.95. Simple but good curtain closures. Reasonable heat and cool controls.
hotel reviews