I just spent 2 different nights on 2 different stays at the W Los Angeles-West Beverly Hills. (They really need to adjust the name here, even though it is located in Westwood!)

My first stay was only myself on a Monday night for work. I was on a paid entry Wonderful Studio but was upgraded to a 2 bedroom Mega Suite...which was hilariously large but still lovely.

My second stay was with my husband and our dog on the following Saturday night for leisure (we had a party in LA and didn't want to drive back home afterward to Newport). I was on a comp'd stay to make up for a stay a year ago, and was supposed to be in a Fantastic Suite. They ended up letting us review several suites, and we ultimately chose the coldest/best air con in the WOW Suite.

Both stays were great, but not perfect. But this hotel has the perfect location and amenities for me in Los Angeles...and certainly has a team that tries very hard to please.

Check In

Check in for both stays took a little longer than I'd have expected--but there were 3 attendants at the 3 stations both times. It's just a very busy hotel, as you may imagine. I got early check-in at 2 pm for my first stay, and checked in around 3:30 pm for my second. People couldn't have been friendlier or more helpful...and they recognized me on the second stay.

Room

MEGA SUITE, Stay 1

For my first stay, I was in a 2 bedroom Mega Suite (upgraded with my SNA). It was a very nice suite, but the second bedroom was a bit strange in that it had only the bed and a lamp and no other furnishings. Otherwise, it was a classic W suite.

The living room was very spacious and nicely appointed in the W style.

There was a little bar area near the entry.

The bathroom was spacious and well appointed, but the tub was bit dingy in spots near the drain. A rarity in my experience with W.

The "second" or spare bedroom had only a bed and a lamp, along with a closet. It was a strange room.

The master bedroom was very spacious and well though out,actually. There also was plenty of closet space.

The shutters did not provide complete black out for me, which I find annoying. Traffic noise was a bit of an issue but that didn't really wake me as much as the light bleed from the shutters.

The air con never got the room below 69 F, but it was fine. I'd prefer it colder than that, but it is what it is. I asked for a fan, and they brough one quickly...and it really helped me be comfortable. I slept very well...only awakened by the annoying light bleed from the shutters.

WOW Suite, Stay 2

For my return with my husband and our big dog, the W kindly allowed us to inspect a few pre-air conditioned rooms. They took us first to a nice Fabulous Suite...but it wasn't particularly cold (71 F) and it was surprisingly dark (the windows looked out onto a small space and then another wing of the same buiding). Not appealing on any level, but would've sufficed other than the air con. They then took us to a beautiful two level "Presidential" suite, with a spiral staircase leading to the loft bedroom. The view from this suite was the best I'd seen at this property (it was the top floor). Unfortunately, our dog could never have navigated the spiral staircase...but the killer was the air con definitely not working well enough for me despite they having turned it on several hours in advance. It was 74 F when I inspected the room. 

Ultimately, they brought us back down to the room 615 WOW Suite. There wasn't much of a view, but we walked in and could tell it was substantially colder (69F). We asked for an engineer to help make it colder, and he came quickly and assured us it would get colder by night. (It did, getting down to 68 F, the coldest I've ever experienced at this hotel). We decided to stay in the WOW Suite.

The WOW Suite actually reminded me of the Mega Suite, except that BOTH bedrooms were wonderful, and there were 2 full bathrooms. We actually used the "second" bedroom with the less appealing bathroom since it got the coldest! 

The living room was very spacious and looks better appointed in the photos...but I concede to being a little underwhelmed with this particular WOW Suite decor. There was a separate dining table area, but the space was too tight for the table and 6 chairs they tried to squeeze in.

There was a bar area with refrigerator and dishware/silverware for dining.

The main bathroom was spacious and was about as nice as the bathroom I had in the Mega Suite. It doubled as the bathroom for the "main" bedroom, as well.

The "main" bedroom was at the end of the hall. It was a spacious room, not quite as spacious as the main bedroom in the Mega Suite, though. The only closet was in this bedroom, so my husband used it.

On the othe side of the hallway end was a very comfy looking office/study. We never spent any time in here, and we can't imagine who would unless staying for an extended period and needing a proper office, perhaps. But the lighting wasn't so good, so I doubt it could be effective.

Towards the entry end of the suite, was the "second" bedroom,which we used since it was the coldest room in the suite. The bedroom wasn't as spacious as the main bedroon, but it was more than sufficient.

There was a doorway into the smaller bath, which was oddly laid out with a single vanity and the toilet/shower area. 

Again, the shutters didn't provide complete black out even in the WOW Suite--a no, no, if you ask me, for any luxury level hotel. 

They brought a fan for me again so I could be sure to be cool enough...but I didn't even use it that night. 

Service

Service was very good. While there may be a few issues with the hard product because the building is an older conversion, the service was very good all-around. Everyone was helpful, friendly, and trying to please. I'd say the only service miscue was not showing us the coldest suite from the start.

Again, I find this hotel service to be very good. 

Dining

I ordered room service for breakfast on my first stay, and we ordered room service for dinner on our second stay. Room service was fantastic--delicious and prompt in all cases.

I had dinner with friends on my first stay at STK, and we had a fabulous meal. I've never had a bad steak dinner at this STK, to be honest.

We had Sunday brunch for our second stay at the open air Backyard restaurant on Sunday with my cousin and her boyfriend. It was unusually hot, but I still survived. There were umbrellas to provide sun protection--a big help! Food was very good, though service was a bit slow. Still we all enjoyed the classic outdoor LA restaurant experience, even if it was warmer than usual.

All in all, dining at the W is great. 

THE BAR

We had drinks at the bar before heading to our party. As expected, it's a very cool bar area:

That's actually a celebrity (unnamed) at the closer end of the bar. I ended up striking up a chat with him, and he couldn't have been friendlier. I told him I'd have flirted more if I had any though the might not be straight, and he laughed endlessly. Good sense of humor and a very nice fellow. 

You never know who you'll meet at a W, especially in this part of town!

Location

I find this location to be spectacular for my needs. My client is in Westwood, and other clients are in nearby Santa Monica/Brentwood. The party we attended was in West Hollywood, which turned out to be a 10 min $8 Uber ride each way. The Westwood village has tons of options for food, bars, clubs, grocery stores, drug stores, etc. UCLA is literally a block away. 

Freeway access is also very nice. The 405 is just 5-10 min. 

Overall

Overall, even with the continuing air con challenge I have (that most others will not) and the lack of proper black out shades, I continue to really like this property. The service and food and location are almost perfect for me. I now know to specify a certain room or two to get better air con...and I will probably bring up the black out issue before my next booking. Otherwise, the team couldn't be nicer and more helpful...and that level of service goes a long way for me/us.