While trying to locate my CC certs on the website, I managed to resurrect a cert from a booking originally made pre-Covid and cancelled due to Covid. Much to my surprise, I was able to get a booking at the Bonaventure for a busy Saturday night last weekend in DTLA with the lowly 35k AMEX cert from 2020. I had only stayed here once, well over a decade ago, and I did not remember it fondly. However, I have to say I was quite pleasantly surprised by this property. The common areas are much more architecturally interesting than I remembered, and I was happy to have the opportunity to leisurely stroll through the 6-floor common area a few different times. The 6th floor entrance/exit to Hope St via the YMCA came in quite handy, but the main entrance on Figueroa was locked, with signs directing guests to the Flower St entrance. As to be expected, there are a lot of empty retail/restaurant spaces in the atrium, and most of the remaining restaurants are closed on the weekend. The location was perfect for me, since I was attending a concert a couple blocks away. It is an easy walk to two different subway stations, and the Silver Line express buses stop just outside. The area is actually fairly quite and clean by downtown LA standards, as the freeway creates a bit of a buffer zone.

The recently remodeled room was pleasant and functional, with a rainforest/hand-wand-combo showerhead and a very comfortable bed. My room was right next to the elevator, but I did not hear anything all night long. I never received my digital key, which was a blessing as they provided me with free breakfast certificate at the check-in desk, in spite of my lowly Gold status. The breakfast buffet was surprisingly good, with eggs Benedict, scrambled egg whites, and a few other less common items, supplementing the usual suspects of scrambled eggs, bacon, and mass-produced pancakes. Despite the website stating that the pool was only open from 10am to 8pm, the signage on the pool and in the lobby stated it was open from 6am to 10pm. Since I much prefer my pools to be empty, a 6am swim in the large heated pool was perfect for me. This hotel also does not charge for dogs and they have a large grassy area next to the pool. All in all, I was pleasantly surprised with my stay here and I would definitely return on a future staycation in DTLA, especially if I can use my AMEX cert.