Starwood Preferred Guest - Longbeach California area *wood advice

Good day everyone. Hoping to get some advice here...
I've a 2 day workshop in October to got to in Longbeach, in fact, right across the street from the Westin as I understand it... However, Westin is showing $720 USD / nt - NOT in the budget...
So, in order to stay *wood, I guess I am looking at:
Sheraton Cerritos (familiar with this property and the distance to Longbeach)
Sheraton Anahiem
4pts Anahiem
Sheraton Culver City

My questions are: What is the drive time / traffic between each and LongBeach convention area - any things to specifically avoid?

Any specific negative comments on these props? I won't be in the room much, just a bed to sleep...

Any other comments/suggestions appreciated!
(even non-*wood ideas closer!)
Thanks!

Cerritos is probably your best bet for a *wood property- the others will take a lot longer to drive to Long Beach, especially w/ so cal traffic.

In Long Beach itself, the Hilton is quite nice- they just did a renovation in Jan of this year. It's only a couple of blocks from the Westin so if its available at a reasonable price, I'd try that. Alternatively, there's a regional chain of hotels called Ayres Hotels, which are typically 3 star properties with a quite nice decor and feel, though no restaurant. There's one in Seal Beach, which is a pretty short drive (20 mins max) on surface streets to downtown long beach.

Hope that helps.

No availability at the Sheraton in San Pedro? Just a few minutes from Ocean Blvd & down town Long Beach.

Sheraton San Pedro dropped out of *W on July 1, either 2004 or 2005.

Sheraton San Pedro dropped out of *W on July 1, either 2004 or 2005.

Dropped out or Thrown out?

Depends on whom you ask.....YMMV.

I stayed there a few times and it was an adequate property, especially for the rates. Nice staff, free parking, and more-than-adequate upgrades.

Not the nicest hotel, but I've certainly stayed at worse. And, if they were still *W, I'd have booked there a few times recently.

Even the Sheraton Cerritos could be a lengthy commute for you.

For non-*W, I'd opt for the Hyatt first and the Renaissance second. Both are well-situated (next to or across from convention center), convenient to the local dining and nightlife (Pine Ave, Pike, Rainbow Harbor, Shoreline Village) as well as attractions (Aquarium of the Pacific, Queen Mary).

Here's a good map of downtown Long Beach with hotel locations:
http://www.visitlongbeach.com/maps/downtownlongbeach.htm

Appreciate the comments... sounds like I'm either driving a fair bit, or non-starwood... :o