It's nice when you have a choice of positives.

With the teenager, the RI might be nice - more privacy for all. (Can't help with personal experience of this one, though.)

The Manhattan Beach is OK. We've actually used it on a stopover from HNL before. There's a shuttle, but it seemed a very long ride, as tired as we were. (I'd also think about the shuttle ride back to the airport if you have an early flight.) There are umpty restaurants within a few blocks - many higher end chains (Wolfgang Puck's, McCormick & Schmick's, etc) - but we found such long waits at them ALL when we wanted to eat that we finally gave up and ate at the hotel (uninspired but edible, it was, and fairly cheap, too).

We've stayed at the LAX Marriott many times. I think it's OK. We've often copped a suite upgrade there - if you're a PM and in for just one night, no matter how cheap your rate, there seems to be a good chance. They also have scattered "executive" rooms that are very large and would fit 3 comfortably. Once or twice when we've been in one of those exec. rooms, we've had to go back to the desk and get our key "fixed" for the Concierge Lounge floor, but that's about the extent of the problems we've ever had at that hotel.

It is a big impersonal hotel, and if you don't have Gold or Platinum status, I dunno how it would be.

We've also stayed at the Hilton, although not since I've had status with them. It was OK, but we found their restaurant to be not a bit better than the Marriott's, food-wise, worse for service, and pricier, comparing the Hilton cheaper restaurant to the Marriott's cheaper restaurant.

*IDEA* My favorite place to go around LAX is the wonderful "theme restaurant" in the famous central airport building - the Jetsons one. (I'm told that Flyertalk's own PremEx had a hand some of the new design, btw.) This place is TOO wonderful. If you haven't been, you really shouldn't miss the chance to go.

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