Marriott Bonvoy hotels in Los Angeles area
Apr 3, 2019, 8:22 pm
#151
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Programs: UA 1K 1MMer & LT UC (when flying UA); Hyatt Credit Cardist; HHonors Diamond; Marriott Gold via UA 1K
Posts: 6,956
Reading the reviews in here, it seems roughly evenly split between W West Bevery Hills, Marriott Beverly Hills and the SLS... for the nights I'm interested in, the latter are virtually identical in price. Platinum so I'll get Lounge (Marriott) or Restaurant Breakfast (SLS) access. This would be just for one night between visiting Universal and going to the airport and we'll be staying at the Universal Sheraton the night before to avoid traffic in the morning - then in the evening go to "to be decided" restaurant, spend most of the next day hopefully around the location (hence the appeal of beverly hills) and then head to the airport for a late afternoon/evening flight.
That said, SLS or Marriott? Late evening drinks at the Marriott lounge sounds appealing, but I REALLY don't know the area around the two hotels to decide what's better for local strolling and window shopping/relaxing.
That said, SLS or Marriott? Late evening drinks at the Marriott lounge sounds appealing, but I REALLY don't know the area around the two hotels to decide what's better for local strolling and window shopping/relaxing.
May 5, 2019, 6:11 pm
#152
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: SJC
Programs: Does it matter any more?
Posts: 2,149
I need to stay 3 nights in the Pasadena area. I've stayed at the Courtyard on Fair Oaks and found the property dated. The Sheraton in Pasadena seems to be undergoing renovations and reports on TripAdvisor make me wary. I did call them and they said they would be done with those by end of May. Any recommendations on other Marriott properties in the area or the Sheraton itself?
May 5, 2019, 11:45 pm
#153
Join Date: Sep 2018
Posts: 73
I need to stay 3 nights in the Pasadena area. I've stayed at the Courtyard on Fair Oaks and found the property dated. The Sheraton in Pasadena seems to be undergoing renovations and reports on TripAdvisor make me wary. I did call them and they said they would be done with those by end of May. Any recommendations on other Marriott properties in the area or the Sheraton itself?
In my opinion, the best feature of this hotel is the location as it is adjacent to the convention and walking distance to restaurants, shops, nightlife, etc.
May 6, 2019, 1:35 pm
#154
Suspended
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: YYJ
Posts: 2,230
I need to stay 3 nights in the Pasadena area. I've stayed at the Courtyard on Fair Oaks and found the property dated. The Sheraton in Pasadena seems to be undergoing renovations and reports on TripAdvisor make me wary. I did call them and they said they would be done with those by end of May. Any recommendations on other Marriott properties in the area or the Sheraton itself?
May 6, 2019, 2:54 pm
#155
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: SFO
Programs: Marriott Ti/LTP
Posts: 1,329
I stayed at the Sheraton Pasadena about a month ago. Everything I saw was newly renovated and it was a nice stay. Lounge was decent. Felt more like a Westin than a traditional Sheraton. Have also stayed at the Westin a few years back and I think the renovated Sheraton is very comparable but with a newer feel.
May 20, 2019, 6:33 pm
#157
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Redondo Beach, CA USA
Programs: UA 1KMM, Bonvoy LTE+A, HH D, Nat'l EE, Hertz Plat, Avis PC
Posts: 3,710
I see you're from New York. What would you tell a first time visitor who asked you the same about your city? Most likely you'd say, "Come on, man! That's way too vague for me to be able to answer!"
There are far too many variables at play, so we'll need more info to give any kind of decent answer. How many people in your party? Are they family or friends? Will you have a car? Do you want beach access, downtown central, walking distance to nice restaurants, museums, performing arts, theme parks??? Los Angeles is an incredibly diverse and geographically spread-out place. You'll have to give us more to work with.
There are far too many variables at play, so we'll need more info to give any kind of decent answer. How many people in your party? Are they family or friends? Will you have a car? Do you want beach access, downtown central, walking distance to nice restaurants, museums, performing arts, theme parks??? Los Angeles is an incredibly diverse and geographically spread-out place. You'll have to give us more to work with.
May 20, 2019, 7:24 pm
#158
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: IAH
Programs: Delta Platinum & 2MM, Marriott Lifetime TIT, Hertz Pres Club, IHG Gold, *A Gold
Posts: 1,253
I need to stay 3 nights in the Pasadena area. I've stayed at the Courtyard on Fair Oaks and found the property dated. The Sheraton in Pasadena seems to be undergoing renovations and reports on TripAdvisor make me wary. I did call them and they said they would be done with those by end of May. Any recommendations on other Marriott properties in the area or the Sheraton itself?
Last edited by CO-PLAT; May 21, 2019 at 9:54 pm
Jul 17, 2019, 11:28 pm
#159
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: LAS
Posts: 211
Plat Newb - Advice for LA area
Apologies if there is any existing thread this should go in.
This is is my first and likely only year as Plat and I have a couple questions/looking for advice. Thank you so much for any input and sorry for the long post!
I typically stay at lower end in the Starriott portfolios (residence inn, element, Fairfield, etc) so my experience with plat amenities has been quite limited, but I have a couple stays coming up in higher end and want to make sure I make use of the benefits.
First - have a one night stay at Marriott Burbank Airport on Saturday. Looks to me from the lounge thread that it will be open for breakfast on Sunday and that I get access as Plat. Do I need to request access at check in or should they proactively tell me?
For room upgrades - should I specifically ask if there are any suites available for an upgrade when I check in? Even if they proactively tell me they upgraded me to a room with a view or something, should I still ask about suite availability?
This is just a one night solo so I am not super concerned, but the trip I am more concerned about is the following week. I am attending events at the Ace Hotel and at the Angel City Brewery and have narrowed my hotel choices to 3, but need some help picking.
-Sheraton Grand Los Angeles
-Westin Bonaventure
-JW Marriott LA Live
My goal is to walk to the venues - I work in downtown Las Vegas so am familiar with being around a sizeable homeless population - I may Lyft home each night but there will be two of us, so while I am not hugely concerned, are any closer to particularly worse parts of DTLA?
Any pros and cons of any of the three that people want to share? The price is within $30/night for all of them. During the day both my partner and I will be working remotely so having space to set up our laptops will be desirable. Any better for that?
Looks like Sheraton and Westin I can choose breakfast in the restaurant as my amenity, and that JW Marriott lounge is open on weekends for breakfast, so I think they all cover my morning meal.
For JW the resort fee indicates it comes with a $20 daily dining credit - this is in addition to my lounge access I assume? And the rate I booked also includes a $50 daily credit. I assume this all stacks and that I will actually have a $70 daily credit. Does that sound accurate?
Are any of the properties worth splurging and trying to use SNAs on? I posted in the SNA thread the other week and I know I was given the advice to not use one at Sheraton as their suites are all right by the elevator. I was really hoping to save my SNAs for a nice getaway with my partner, but I’m not sure we are going to be able to make that happen, so trying to decide if I should attempt to use or save them in case fall travel works out.
Thank you everyone!
This is is my first and likely only year as Plat and I have a couple questions/looking for advice. Thank you so much for any input and sorry for the long post!
I typically stay at lower end in the Starriott portfolios (residence inn, element, Fairfield, etc) so my experience with plat amenities has been quite limited, but I have a couple stays coming up in higher end and want to make sure I make use of the benefits.
First - have a one night stay at Marriott Burbank Airport on Saturday. Looks to me from the lounge thread that it will be open for breakfast on Sunday and that I get access as Plat. Do I need to request access at check in or should they proactively tell me?
For room upgrades - should I specifically ask if there are any suites available for an upgrade when I check in? Even if they proactively tell me they upgraded me to a room with a view or something, should I still ask about suite availability?
This is just a one night solo so I am not super concerned, but the trip I am more concerned about is the following week. I am attending events at the Ace Hotel and at the Angel City Brewery and have narrowed my hotel choices to 3, but need some help picking.
-Sheraton Grand Los Angeles
-Westin Bonaventure
-JW Marriott LA Live
My goal is to walk to the venues - I work in downtown Las Vegas so am familiar with being around a sizeable homeless population - I may Lyft home each night but there will be two of us, so while I am not hugely concerned, are any closer to particularly worse parts of DTLA?
Any pros and cons of any of the three that people want to share? The price is within $30/night for all of them. During the day both my partner and I will be working remotely so having space to set up our laptops will be desirable. Any better for that?
Looks like Sheraton and Westin I can choose breakfast in the restaurant as my amenity, and that JW Marriott lounge is open on weekends for breakfast, so I think they all cover my morning meal.
For JW the resort fee indicates it comes with a $20 daily dining credit - this is in addition to my lounge access I assume? And the rate I booked also includes a $50 daily credit. I assume this all stacks and that I will actually have a $70 daily credit. Does that sound accurate?
Are any of the properties worth splurging and trying to use SNAs on? I posted in the SNA thread the other week and I know I was given the advice to not use one at Sheraton as their suites are all right by the elevator. I was really hoping to save my SNAs for a nice getaway with my partner, but I’m not sure we are going to be able to make that happen, so trying to decide if I should attempt to use or save them in case fall travel works out.
Thank you everyone!
Jul 18, 2019, 12:02 am
#160
Join Date: Sep 2018
Posts: 73
If I'm not mistaken, the JW Marriott is the nicest of the three in Downtown Los Angeles. And although I have never stayed at any of those hotels, I am very familiar with the area and am commenting on logistics. Some may disagree, but I do not consider Angel City and any of those hotels to be walking distance. You are looking at 30 minutes plus of walking. The Ace Hotel to the Bonaventure or Sheraton Grand is doable, though. I really like the Ace Hotel and Angel City, so it sounds like a blast!
Jul 18, 2019, 12:10 am
#161
Join Date: Jun 2019
Programs: Marriott Titanium; WN A-list; UA Silver
Posts: 476
The Westin is a really cool hotel architecturally, but I would have a hard time recommending it if the price is the same. The lobby is beautiful, but the rooms are really dated. The most annoying thing is that even the plugs are worn out. You will have serious issues keeping a wall-wort plugged in anywhere it is completely annoying. They also don't have a lounge. I stay there because they are the most likely to have a government rate, but if I wasn't travelling for work, I wouldn't. Like it is a cool, historical, truly architecturally significant hotel, but staying there is a pain in the ....
I actually like the Burbank Marriott. It is a fairly bland property, but the staff are great. I tend to get upgraded to suites there without asking - I've never been the asking type -- but some people seem to get good results with that -- an have gotten full hospitality suites for multiple night stays and the like (note that I also tend to prefer a view to a larger room in most cases). I do think Titanium get better upgrades than plats even if not explicitly published. There are no room with "views" unless you like plane spotting at BUR (hey, another WN 737!). The lounge is also not that bad, the evening snacks can easily make a meal. Your card should automatically give you lounge access. Make sure you get the hours.
I have no issues walking in DTLA in the areas you are talking about. I am a 6'4" male who looks like he used to be an offensive line man with a huge beard so YMMV. It will be less terrifying than what these hotels charge for parking, that's for sure. I would uber the Angel City though
I actually like the Burbank Marriott. It is a fairly bland property, but the staff are great. I tend to get upgraded to suites there without asking - I've never been the asking type -- but some people seem to get good results with that -- an have gotten full hospitality suites for multiple night stays and the like (note that I also tend to prefer a view to a larger room in most cases). I do think Titanium get better upgrades than plats even if not explicitly published. There are no room with "views" unless you like plane spotting at BUR (hey, another WN 737!). The lounge is also not that bad, the evening snacks can easily make a meal. Your card should automatically give you lounge access. Make sure you get the hours.
I have no issues walking in DTLA in the areas you are talking about. I am a 6'4" male who looks like he used to be an offensive line man with a huge beard so YMMV. It will be less terrifying than what these hotels charge for parking, that's for sure. I would uber the Angel City though
Jul 18, 2019, 3:55 pm
#162
Join Date: Jan 2017
Programs: Some/Most/All
Posts: 235
First - have a one night stay at Marriott Burbank Airport on Saturday. Looks to me from the lounge thread that it will be open for breakfast on Sunday and that I get access as Plat. Do I need to request access at check in or should they proactively tell me?
For room upgrades - should I specifically ask if there are any suites available for an upgrade when I check in? Even if they proactively tell me they upgraded me to a room with a view or something, should I still ask about suite availability?
For room upgrades - should I specifically ask if there are any suites available for an upgrade when I check in? Even if they proactively tell me they upgraded me to a room with a view or something, should I still ask about suite availability?
If you don’t absolutely need the space, I wouldn’t stress over a suite for one night. Their suites are just the size of two regular rooms, some have a dividing wall, some don’t. (I think it depends on which tower they assign you to.) No elaborate floorplans or special decorations, just a couch and a small table.
The lounge can be tricky to find. It’s tucked away on the ground floor of the tower closest to the convention center down a hall. While the service is good, they very rigidly stick to their serving times, so don’t expect breakfast more than 5-10 minutes early. And they don’t put coffee out extremely early in the morning. I think it’s usually around 6:00am or so.
Jul 30, 2019, 6:34 pm
#163
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: LAS
Posts: 211
Closing the loop on my stays/choices.
The Burbank Airport Marriott was great for a one-nighter, super convenient to the airport, was able to talk to and from the terminal in just a few minutes. As described above, is fairly average, but they did upgrade me to a suite without prompting. Lounge is also open all weekend, soda/water/coffee most of the day, cheese and crackers for appetizer, honor bar in the evenings, and carrot cake and cookies for dessert. Breakfast was good - eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, etc - pretty standard continental.
Didn't end up picking any of my choices in DTLA - we decided to drive instead of fly so wanted a hotel with cheaper parking - settled on Sheraton San Gabriel. This hotel was quite nice for a cat 5 - it was definitely built with an upscale feel, you can tell it is only a couple years old as it is very modern. The lounge is big and prominent on the sixth (top) floor. For evening apps they usually had 1-2 hot dishes and then cheese, crackers, brownies, etc. No bar in the lounge. I chose breakfast for my amenity as I figured even though there was lounge breakfast, we would get more value from 3 meals over 1000pts. Did peek into lounge breakfast one morning - it looked pretty standard. Restuarant breakfast was buffet/continental, but had more hot dishes. Hotel is in Chinatown and very much catered towards Asian travelers - breakfast options included some dumplings, corn, and some type of stir fry noodles in addition to eggs, breakfast meats, pancakes, etc.. The Sheraton did not upgrade me and I did not ask - they did ask if I would need my late check out, but I declined as we would be getting on the road.
The Burbank Airport Marriott was great for a one-nighter, super convenient to the airport, was able to talk to and from the terminal in just a few minutes. As described above, is fairly average, but they did upgrade me to a suite without prompting. Lounge is also open all weekend, soda/water/coffee most of the day, cheese and crackers for appetizer, honor bar in the evenings, and carrot cake and cookies for dessert. Breakfast was good - eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, etc - pretty standard continental.
Didn't end up picking any of my choices in DTLA - we decided to drive instead of fly so wanted a hotel with cheaper parking - settled on Sheraton San Gabriel. This hotel was quite nice for a cat 5 - it was definitely built with an upscale feel, you can tell it is only a couple years old as it is very modern. The lounge is big and prominent on the sixth (top) floor. For evening apps they usually had 1-2 hot dishes and then cheese, crackers, brownies, etc. No bar in the lounge. I chose breakfast for my amenity as I figured even though there was lounge breakfast, we would get more value from 3 meals over 1000pts. Did peek into lounge breakfast one morning - it looked pretty standard. Restuarant breakfast was buffet/continental, but had more hot dishes. Hotel is in Chinatown and very much catered towards Asian travelers - breakfast options included some dumplings, corn, and some type of stir fry noodles in addition to eggs, breakfast meats, pancakes, etc.. The Sheraton did not upgrade me and I did not ask - they did ask if I would need my late check out, but I declined as we would be getting on the road.
Oct 9, 2019, 10:50 pm
#164
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: YYZ
Programs: Super Elite 100K, Mariott Ambassador Elite,
Posts: 231
Los Angeles Suggestions - JW Santa Monica? or is there somewhere better?
Hi All,
Thanks in advance for your suggestions.
I'm booking a trip in December with some friends who have never been to Los Angeles. I myself have been a fair amount of times for work, but haven't played tourist too much.
We will be primarily golfing during the day at various courses through the city.
Wondering if the JW Marriott in Santa Monica is the best choice for first timers to LA so they can be near the beach and pier?
From the reviews it seems to be over priced and not up to JW standards, but if you are stuck with a Marriott it's about the only reasonable choice? Would you agree?
Planning on using points for the rooms.
Thanks again for your thoughts and tips.
Thanks in advance for your suggestions.
I'm booking a trip in December with some friends who have never been to Los Angeles. I myself have been a fair amount of times for work, but haven't played tourist too much.
We will be primarily golfing during the day at various courses through the city.
Wondering if the JW Marriott in Santa Monica is the best choice for first timers to LA so they can be near the beach and pier?
From the reviews it seems to be over priced and not up to JW standards, but if you are stuck with a Marriott it's about the only reasonable choice? Would you agree?
Planning on using points for the rooms.
Thanks again for your thoughts and tips.
Oct 10, 2019, 1:53 am
#165
Join Date: Oct 2019
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 1
I've lived in Santa Monica for about 20 years before moving in 2017. I've never stayed at that Marriott however I can attest that this particular hotel is located at a prime location just steps from the beach and very close to shops and restaurants of nearby downtown Santa Monica.