holtju2

FYI Hyatt Century Plaza get very lackluster review from WSJ where they tested five US hotels with Club floors and lounges. Basically the lounge was closed, although they sold Club rooms with club access. Front desk had admitted that the lounge was closed because not enough club rooms had been sold. Also the club room was very average and the gym was not free.

Overall very bad publicity.

holtju2

BTW there is also a link to he article.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1190...s_us_nonsub_pj

The first thing we learned about the club lounge when we checked into our club-floor room at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles was that it was closed. The desk clerk first said the lounge was shuttered for repairs, but later said it was closed because there weren't enough people staying on the lounge floor to justify opening it....

We appreciated the gesture, but it did us little good, as we had skipped lunch -- planning instead to grab a light snack and drinks at the lounge before a late dinner. "We should have made an earlier decision to close the club and notified the customer, of course," said David Horowitz, the hotel's general manager. We did stop by the lounge on a day it was open, and it was serene and bright with flat-screen television sets and several computers. Club-floor rooms, however, were the very definition of standard: Comfortable, tasteful and unremarkable.

MIABarry

Comfortable, tasteful, and remarkable are too kind. The hotel is an embarrassment that hopes to cater to conventioners and group meetings.

In the WSJ articles, it certainly came out badly and it rubs off on other Hyatt properties.

Anyone long for the old days with the Park Hyatt LA?

Tummy

I think the article is flawed. They should look at comparing hotels in the same area and that cater to the same types of travelers.

The best result was from the Ritz Carlton Buckhead and if they compared it to the Grand Hyatt Buckhead, they would find it much more similar. All the hotels in Buckhead appear to have similar amenities and is probably due to the high prices in the area and all the competition.

The Century Plaza does appear to need a lot of help though.

nhwiki

Stayed there last Sunday night. Nothing to recommend about this place.
The room was noisy (street noise all night long), it was the first time I was asked for my AAA card (not that I mind it, but looking at the other reviews, it only seems to confirm others' suspicions about the managment there. And then . . .

I have a feeling my stay will not be credited (I'm curious about this so I'm waiting the 2 weeks before I call CP), I got a very non-standard looking bill on my way out - not the usual Hyatt bill but just some paper off the printer.

The $30 parking is a joke, the RC was "closed," and they charge $20 bucks for the gym.

Not staying there again.

shinbal

If you're a Diamond, your gym access is free. Sometimes it shows up on your bill - since that's a function of the Equinox staff not following procedure in checking you in to the gym for complimentary access. A simple call or visit to the front desk corrects this.

I will say that the hotel has issues with GP posting. Managers have admitted this to me, and are taking steps to correct it. A call to a manager will have your points posted within a day if you don't want to wait the 2 weeks for Gold Passport.

meducate

There really is no comparison between the two. I LOVED the PH, from the friendly reception staff that remembered me by name to the more intimate (and sometimes star-studded) lobby environment.

The Century Plaza looks, feels (and I'll bet tastes) like a big-a$$ convention hotel that somehow wound up in LALA land. I deal with it, but don't look forward to it.

Explore

I'd say that that the CP is improving slowly. Just stayed there for the first time since March. Actually got to sample the RC this time, since I forfeited my right to a Century Suite as a Diamond. It was even open on Saturday night, providing two computer terminals plus a private FastBoard airline checkin screen. RC staff was friendly, though some guys restocking supplies were a little crude, and breakfast supplies ran out until I notified them. The evening hors d'oeuvres and continental breakfast times were fine: marinated vegetables, cold meats (I think), great desserts including an edible yule log in the evening, and cold salmon, hard-boiled eggs etc. in the morning. Egg nog and brownies were served in the early afternoon. Several newspapers were available.

RC staff still needs more training, and management oversight, to ensure that food and utensil supplies are always adequate - and all hotel employees need to practice appropriate behavior while in the RC. Furthermore, TV programs should be turned down low, and must be programs suitable for a broad mix of domestic and international hotel guests, not certain U.S. ethnic groups.

I like the balconies and the proximity to the Century City shopping center. But you must face west. The eastern exposure is to really ugly office buildings and nothing more.

Construction continues on a new lobby lounge, one year after Hyatt announced a made-over hotel and invited members to sample it (whoops!). Perhaps the promised "international newsstand" is part of the current construction?

shinbal

More than a year into my "Park Hyatt LA refugee" status, I can say that I had a good 2007 with the CP. I stayed there 7 times. We had a few bumps in the road with service, but I did meet a couple members of management who took my concerns very seriously.

Truth be told, this is a big, fat convention and event hotel. It's always going to be loud and crowded in the lobby in the evening, and there will be a number of reasons why "Joe Diamond" just won't get the penthouse suite upgrade.

Overall, for a property with over 800 rooms, they've done a good job keeping it semi-personal.

There is a continuing problem for Diamonds who use the Equinox facility. While it's great that they comp it for Diamonds, it will still show up on bills about 50% of the time.

They won my business for 2008.

shinbal

Just an update - on a 3 night stay here right now. The lobby renovation here is 99% complete. It looks fantastic, as do all the updates to the outside pool and bar area.

The RC spread in the evening is interesting with some creative fare - no dried out egg rolls and such. Its not a "meal" spread, but there are some nice, creative canapes.

Service is good.

thc

I stayed here for three nights last week, and had a pleasant stay for the most part, but found some faults with the customer service.

I love the architecture and interior design of this hotel. I had heard that the lobby was recently renovated and it looks great now. This is a very busy hotel and seemed to be near full occupancy for the days that I was there.

The location is a little isolated, but since LA is a driving city, it doesn't really matter too much. The hotel is pretty convenient to Westwood/UCLA as well as access to I-405. Valet parking is $31/day, which unfortunately is the norm in LA. Self-parking is $20/day, with NO in-and-out privileges.

Check-in was done by a guy who seemed totally uninterested in his job and didn't really give me a welcoming feeling that I usually get at any hotel. I had to remind him about my Diamond status and he handed me some breakfast coupons. I asked about the club, but he said the club was closed for "renovation". I also asked about an upgrade, but he said there were no suites available. So far, not a good start.

The room was pleasant and comfortable. But the weird thing is that not only was their no coffee maker, but there were no cups! As a previous poster stated, you have to call down and ask for a coffee maker, but apparently you have to ask for cups too. I called "Guest Request", and the service rep confirmed that you have to ask for them. So I did, and after about 45 min, they finally arrived with two measly PLASTIC cups. I was too lazy to get into a big argument about this and just took them.

The pool and outdoor hot tub are also very relaxing. The Equinox gym is great, but the front desk representative didn't tell me that it is free for Diamonds. I had to ask specifically about that (and then later have a charge taken off my folio)

The breakfast certificate is good for coffee, juice & a pastry at Breeze restaurant or $10 of anything you want at the Starbucks. I just used it at the Starbucks. I also did walk by the Regency Club. Outside a sign was posted saying, "Closed for Renovation March 16-22". Who renovates for a week? Seemed suspicious to me.

Overall, it was a barely above average stay. Don't think I'll come back though to this property. It doesn't seem worth the price.

westcoastman

Access to the health club is one of the best features in North America. I never expect any kind of upgrade at this hotel. I just hope not to get scolded when I am checking in. Well that does not happen so much anymore.
Now if can just get a chance to use those $25 gift cards they mail to me. I have another expiring at the end of the month.

brendamc

Stayed the weekend on points. Warm welcome from Door Man as usual, and actual warm welcome from front desk staff - surprise! Sent us to an odd #room and advised due to convention, every single suite was booked for the week. There were a lot of people there & a lot of hospitality suites, but first time we haven't gotten a suite upgrade. Given a xeroxed info sheet on the Regency Club hours & offerings that looked very slapped together, but oh well.

I'd forgotten about the odd/even room # thing, assuming we'd get a suite & any view would be fine. Odd room was smaller & faced 2000 Building on Century Blvd - pretty lousy view. Requested & were changed to an even room - at least we had the pool & ocean in the distance.

Were told it was a RC room, but, as others have noted:
no robes
3 bath towels
no coffee maker
2 styrofoam cups with a note to call for real glassware if we desired
the usual teeny little soap, shampoo, conditioner & lotion
no shower cap, cotton balls, Q-tips, etc

Called to get all this stuff & it came pretty quickly, with the exception of more towels & still no glassware, and the amenities

Called for a champagne bucket with ice & glasses, as ice bucket too small to chill anything. They brought up nice champagne bucket and the ice and 2 water glasses - ????

Spent 45 mins on phone with IT who could not get my husband online

Visited the RC, which was very nice, but didn't spend much time there

Had a delicious lunch at the pool bar with great service

For once, I feel like the service here has really stepped up - everyone was gracious and helpful, including the Concierge, but the amenities are slipping rapidly.

Had an AWESOME dinner at Craft, across the street - sat at the bar, as no table reservations for weeks, and will go back in a heartbeat.

bigguyinpasadena

Absurd parking-bordering on fraud.Very Noisy Room(slept poorly)made even noisier by the dance music thumping outof a tent set up in front for a dance competition.No coffee maker in room.Service people in the guest elevators.Less than lovely furnishings and a very worn/small shower/toilet room

No reason to return-ever.

meducate

I actually like this hotel, and spend a lot of time there...

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...764,full.story