My husband and I stayed at the Biltmore on our wedding night. We booked this as a special treat to ourselves because we could not afford a honeymoon since we are both graduate students. Since we are both history buffs, we booked the Biltmore for its historical value and it seemed like the closest we could get to European grandeur without having to go to Europe (or Vegas, heaven forbid).
Like others have stated, the entrance of the hotel is spectacular and the pictures speak for themselves. We booked a standard room but we were hoping to get a free room upgrade as most similar-class hotels provide this service for new bride and grooms. In fact, nearly all of our friends received free room upgrades and complimentary champagne and strawberries on their wedding nights in similar hotels in the area such as the hilton, westin, intercontinental, and the hyatt.
We walked in with our full wedding attire and received many congratulations from random people. However, we were only met with rudeness with the concierge. The service was curt, there was no mention of congratulation, and when we asked if any kind of upgrades or services were available, the front desk person seemed appalled that we should even ask. When we mentioned our friends who had received this service at the Omni recently, they said, "Well then maybe you should have booked at the Omni."
We were not expecting or demanding any kind of upgrade; we just inquired based upon the experiences of our other married friends. The fact that we were rebuffed in such a rude way was a major sore spot on our wedding night. The room we did end up staying in was almost offensive for the price we paid- we have even stayed in nicer hostels in Europe for a fraction of the price.
My husband felt sorry that we had to spend our wedding night like this and we were very close to getting another room at the Bonaventure just down the street. We have stayed in their rooms and although they are small, the furnishings and decor are up to par with a 4 star hotel. We even called the Bonaventure from our Biltmore hotel room to inquire about room availabilities, and when we asked about services for new bride and grooms, the concierge replied professionally and guaranteed that yes, the Bonaventure always provides room upgrades for bride and grooms based on room availability, and we would have definitely received a suite if we had booked that evening. We ultimately decided not to book since we were so exhausted from the wedding and we didn't want to have to pay another $35 for valet parking on top of a wasted hotel night fee.
The grand days of the BIltmore are certainly behind it. Judging by the service, you can tell that the hotel is struggling as it cannot keep up with its competitors in standard measures of hospitality. Downtown Los Angeles is rapidly developing and ironically, the once swanky and fashionable Biltmore will not be able to keep up with its gentrifying surroundings.
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