SpencerC11

Anyone have any recent experience at this hotel? My wife pricelined and it came back with this property. She said that she got the room for $75/night. Is that good? Thanks

obscure2k

Are you specifically looking for a hotel in downtown Los Angeles?

SpencerC11

yes...have a conference and downtown would be preferred.

obscure2k

The Biltmore was once the Grand Dame of Los Angeles hotels. I understand that it has been nicely renovated. $75.00 sounds like a great rate. It's a nice location if one has to be in downtown Los Angeles. Possible from there to walk (hike) to the Music Center, Disney Hall. Enjoy your stay in L.A.

number_6

The hotel is fine and you'll be happy staying there if you are happy with the location. As for the rate being good, it depends on the date; for most of July/August the Westin Bonaventure has been available for USD 99 direct rate (not priceline) ... I guess business is slow in downtown LA for the summer. I'd expect priceline to be circa USD 50 for those dates. Rather strangely rates are down this summer in parts of LA (while they are up in almost every other city in the US, and up by LAX). Supply and demand at work, I suppose.

pgtravel

I've always looked at the Biltmore like obscure2k, but I had a friend stay there recently who said it was really nice inside. They must have done some remodeling. Ask to get a room off the street if possible though. My friend's only complaint was that there was a lot of street noise. Must not have double paned windows.

txrus

I did a site visit there for a conference we're hosting in Oct-it's an older 'historic' hotel, so be prepared for smaller rooms that you might be used to, difficult cell reception (due to the thickness of the walls, which the sales staff admitted had been a problem in trying to install wi-fi in the guest rooms), but the Biltmore Bowl, the grand ballroom which was the original home of the Oscars, has to be the most beautiful ballroom I've ever seen in my life!! The biggest drawback, for me though, was the almost complete lack of walking distance dinner options, w/the exception of the hotel's own restaurant. There are plenty of 'lunch' places around it, but from what I saw walking the area, once the normal business day was over, pretty much everything closed up.

kef0913

The Biltmore underwent a large renovation a couple of years ago. It is an older hotel but it is very nice inside and the standards are definitely 4*. Although it is larger I would compare it more closely with Checkers downtown rather than the Bonaventure, which is a modern highrise. Weekend rates at the Biltmore are running in the low $100's, which I would consider a good price for the hotel, and weekday rates are currently in the high $100's-low $200's. $75 seems excellent to me.

Enjoy your stay.

kef0913

Well, the Water Grill, consistently one of the best restaurants in L.A. is right next door. And there are several restaurant options in the Bonaventure. There is also Ciudad and the Pacific Grill nearby. A couple of blocks away there is California Pizza Kitchen and Patina is at the Library Building. I think you must have looked in the wrong direction.

SkiAdcock

I agree w/ kef0913 on the restaurant recommendations. Enjoy your stay & the hotel. Cheers.

mbstone

My favorite place for lunch near the Biltmore is the open employee cafeteria at The Gas Company, across the street.

ksu

I'm stopping over for one night in LA on my way to a meeting in San Diego next May, specifically to see the LA Opera production of Porgy and Bess. I will see a matinee the next day as well. Both the downtown SPG (Bonaventure and Sheraton) appear to be fully booked (a convention going on?) and availability appears low and prices generally high. A got an acceptable (rebookable) rate at the Biltmore: prepay around USD including all taxes. Is the Biltmore a good choice locationwise? Is the Dorothy Chandler walkable from there (i.e. reasonably safe for fit, forbidding looking Norwegian in his thirties used to walking)?

My schedule looks something like this:

Day one: arrival LAX at 1.47 PM, then to hotel. 6PM ticket pick-up, after that Opera, then to the hotel.
Day two: some sightseeing, 1PM matinee at the opera (Merry Widow), then 5PM or 7PM Amtrak to San Diego.

Any better choices for the DCP for May 18? Can't book non-refundable rates yet, due to some unsecurity about travelling.

Non-NonRev

The Biltmore is a few blocks away from Dorothy's Barn, but it is up a rather steep hill.

An even better choice would be the Omni, which is closer to the DCP and doesn't requires climbing the hill - it's a nicer hotel, as well (IMHO).

If you do end up at the Bonaventure, you can walk over by taking an outdoor skywalk from the upper lobby level (maybe the 6th or 8th floor) - this will deposit you on the elevated street level, so the walk over to the DCP does not involve climbing the hill.

kef0913

Yes, it is perfectly safe during the day. At night one should exercise caution, but it is not unsafe. If you are unsure when returning from the DCP you can get a cab for a few dollars to the Biltmore (almost not worth it IMHO, but then again, I live here).

Ambitious and busy but totally do-able. There is also a Marriott downtown caddy corner from the Bonaventure and the Hilton Checkers is near the Biltmore. Also, the LA Athletic Club is a ~90 year old gentleman's club that also has sports facilities that has some nice rooms. They go through phases of renting/not renting to the general public. Currently they are renting.

ksu

Thanks to both of you! I'll keep an eye out for the hotels you mention, but now I have the ease of mind that Biltmore is an acceptable choice to fall back on!