Standard Warning: I don’t spend much time in full-service hotels, so I tend to think they’re all great and overlook “flaws”.

I’m in Week Two of three at the LA Hotel.

Location and Arrival: There’s now some sort of Hyatt banner hanging over the circular drive entrance. So I suppose they’re close to rebranding. I walked in, so no parking experience or advise. Location is on the periphery of Downtown, across from the Bonaventure. It’s a manageable walk from the necessities and fairly close (four blocks) to the major bus line on Wilshire Blvd and subway (four/five blocks). When I arrived at 5:00PM, there was one person at the front desk. But there was only one customer and I was helped promptly. When another guest arrived, another front desk agent appeared. I was recognized and thanked for my Hyatt loyalty. I chose points over an amenity. I was given vouchers (on very substantial, quality-feeling paper) for breakfast, plated or full buffet.

Room: I was placed on a high floor (my preference), mid-hallway, standard room. It was reasonably sized with a king bed, comfy chair and desk/chair combo. Single-serving coffee maker and half-sized refrigerator. Room safe in the closet. I like the décor – some wood-y feels and stone in the bathroom. Big shower and single sink; no tub. The bed was, in my experience, fairly standard full-service Hyatt…which means “good” to me. Everything was clean and functioned properly. I struggled for a moment to find light switches for the covered wall lighting (behind wooden panels) controlled by small rocker switches. One clear sign that the conversion to Hyatt is not complete: no toothpaste!

Breakfast: Very good (in my distorted opinion). I’m vegetarian, so my choices were fruit and cereal (sans milk). There was also bread, bacon, sausage, eggs with cheese and ???? mixed in, and real oatmeal (uncontaminated by milk or sugar). They left me a small carafe of coffee. According to the voucher, a gratuity of 15% was included; I left a few bucks extra.

Fitness Center: This is why I’m cancelling my third week. Confession: I’m a gym snob. This gym had enough equipment and the lighting was good other than on the edges of the room and everything I tried “worked”…but they have yet to upgrade to U.S. Hyatt standard of Precor or Life Fitness cardio equipment. For me (again “snob”), StarTrac equipment is just too junky. (Example: the arm pieces on elliptical trainers have several inches of “free play”, so they “clunk” with every rotation. Treadmills stutter on startup, speed change and slow down. If this doesn’t bother you, you’re “golden” here.) There are windows. Other minor bummers: the place really wasn’t clean, with towels scattered on the floor, loose equipment here and there. I’ve never seen anyone cleaning, and there were scraps and plastic wrap from earbuds on most of the equipment.

Other stuff: USA Today available on each floor, not at your door (which is fine) and Wall Street Journals here and there. The lobby feels cavernous – spacious and empty and dark and the outside circular drive/entrance certainly doesn’t have any “Hollywood flash”, so you won’t be dazzling anyone who comes to visit.