LOL! It never ceases to amaze me how consistantly problematic ANY offer is at any Columbia Sussex franchised hotel. :td:

Ain't that the truth!

Ref: The FS Hartford Marriott Farmington (Ct.), a perfect example of what happens when a property is sold to Columbia Sussex and they take over property management from MI.

Edited to add: Following URL lists hotel properties under the Columbia Sussex flag:
http://www.columbiasussex.com/cscbybrand.lasso

Ocean View
 

Just a quick note to the lack of view mentioned earlier.

If you can get the 5th floor, northwest corner room, is has a very large patio AND a spectacular view! Sure there is a building off to the left, but from this room it is minor and the view includes the beach, the entire Santa Monica Pier (maybe 300 yards away) and beach all the way up past Malibu.

I was given this room as a Platinum without any special request.

A follow up note
 

As I am checking out today I wanted to add the following;

The room number I mentioned in the post above is 503. As far as I can tell it is probably the 2nd best (at least) room in the Hotel. There is a floor above with 1 visable patio oceanside, but even then it appears this room would have the superior view. I don't know of any better room as a certainty, hence 2nd best at least.

The room is NOT a suite but large and comfortable.

The hotel does offer most of the right touches, including overall attitude and treatment of Elite members (at least as a Platinum).

The only negative I found during my stay is the lack of a whirlpool, even in the Spa.

Since this has not been updated for a while, I thought I would add comments from my current stay:

Positives
* $199 rate was cheaper than Loews, Shutters, and other top hotels on Santa Monica Beach. $50 amazon gift cert promo on weekend rate ^

* Excellent staff throughout (quite rare) including valet, front desk, concierge.

* As silver was upgraded to 2nd floor balcony room ($350 rack) and later to 5th floor ocean view.

* Friday night valet car service was very quick.

* Nice thread count sheets and plush bathroom towels

* Nice 42" flat screen TV

* Can't beat location for walking to beach, restaurants, 3rd street promenade

Minuses

* Sinking mattress in first room (but firm in second room)

* 45min for ice delivery (had to call twice)

* Thin walls (more on this below)

* $11.95/day wireless internet (typical but annoying)

* $34 valet parking fee (also typical but still a rip as there is no street parking permitted 3-5am in this part of Santa Monica or permit only).

First night I suspected there would be trouble after family next door started slamming doors before dinner. Sure enough the noise started at 6:30am and continued intermittently for 3 hours as kids (in separate room) trudged back and forth to parents, loud in hallways, etc. So we were forced to change rooms today to maintain our sanity. Be forewarned there are a lot of families in this hotel with ill behaved kids (I say this as a parent).

Overall I was pleased with the value - this is the best property in the area that offers hotel points (compare with the vastly inferior Sheraton Delfina and Holiday Inn which aren't much cheaper) and is comparable to the far more expensive Shutters and Loews. Just wish they would divide into a family wing and no-kids wing :)

Thanks for the update.
Le Merigot is a nice boutiqueish property but, in my opinion, a significant step below Shutters and Loews. If prices are anywhere near comparable (which they usually aren't) and Marriott points or nights are not a must, the others would be a better choice, especially for a vacation or getaway. Glad to hear they finally put in the flat panels.

We're planning a vacation with our family (two boys 6 and 4). this is one of the places we are going to consider...the pictures on tripadvisor don't look so hot. Is this a good hotel with kids?
What are the amenities for Gold members at this hotel?

It's been a few years since I've stayed at the property, but when I was last there I thought the property upscale, but certain aspects of the rooms could have used a little freshening. As to children, I note that post # 50 mentions lots of families with "ill-behaved kids", although I don't remember that to be the case during my stays. As to location, I would think it would be great for children as the beach and the Santa Monica Pier, with its amusement park rides, are a short walk. As to elite amenities, when I stayed there the property gave a credit towards breakfast in lieu of a concierge lounge. On my birthday, they sent up a full bottle of wine and cheese tray. (They apparently knew this from my Marriott profile.) I was upgraded to a better room during both of my stays. As I mentioned above (some time ago), the property is "boutiquish" and not a cookie-cutter Marriott. (It was not built as a Marriott.) It appears not quite as upscale as the next-door Loews and the down the street Shutters, but on the other hand it's usually significantly lower in price and, of course, you get the points and elite nights. Overall, I'd recommend it.

ohmark,
Thanks for the feedback...I'm thinking we might give this place a try. I'm thinking about using points depending on the rate. I like the fact that it is so close to the pier and fun things to do for the kids. We might stay over NYE, so it could be crazy, but we travel with a white noise machine for my kids, so hopefully it won't be an issue.
The Lowes and Shutters look great, but the price vs. free is a no brainer! ^

Indeed.

Has any one used the EEO offer at this hotel recently?

I am new to the forums, bu when I saw a thread about this property I can't resist attaching my letter about my stay at this property from Dec....


To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to take a moment to let you know about my recent experience at the JW Marriott - Le Merigot, in Santa Monica, CA.

I am a multi-year Marriott Platinum member, with 163 nights in 2009. I decided to take a vacation for my Anniversary, use some points, and spend 5 nights at the highest level Marriott available – the prestigious “Category 8”. As you know, there are only 13 Category 8 Marriott properties in the world, so I was sure to be blown away – unfortunately this was not my experience.

Because I ran into so many issues, I felt compelled to let Marriott know some of the issues I had. Here are the major problems I encountered:

• Door Left Open – On day 4 of our stay my wife and I went to Disneyland and returned at 11:30pm to find our hotel room door propped open a few inches, as left by housekeeping. Inside the room were my laptop and a number of shopping bags full of items purchased during our trip (Christmas presents, etc...). Luckily nothing was stolen, but that situation could have been disastrous! Between the time we left and 11:30pm it’s shocking that nobody on the staff passed our open door, noticed the problem and corrected the situation. It’s even more shocking it was left open in the first place.
• Hotel/Room Description and View – The hotel is advertised as a “Luxury Beach Hotel” and the room was described as an upgraded ocean view room, with balcony. The only part of that which is accurate is the room did have a balcony. This hotel is one block from the ocean, with a row of condos and buildings between the hotel and the beach. The only view of the ocean from my room (#204) was a diagonal glimpse, around another building, across a roadway, of the beach in the distance. This is NOT what I would expect as an Ocean View room from a Luxury Beach Hotel.
• Room Quality – As a multi-year platinum member, I’ve seen my share of rooms, basic and upgraded. There was NOTHING impressive about this room that I would expect from a Category 8 Hotel. It had a small bathtub and bathroom, not a larger garden tub or even a large bathroom, and the bedding, décor and room size was the same I would find in any Marriott, even the Category 3-4 properties, perhaps even smaller and less impressive.
• Television – For the first 2 days of my stay the television didn’t work in the hotel. The staff said the satellite repair people were working on it, and after day two we got TV back, for a few hours, until it rained – then the channels would freeze up or go black or pixelate making it impossible to watch the TV for the remainder of the stay.
• Housekeeping and Noise – The housekeeping linen closet was right outside my door, and 2 days in a row my wife and I were woken up by housekeepers laughing and joking and talking to each other loudly in the small hallway outside my room, despite a do not disturb sign, and the obvious fact that people might be sleeping in the early morning hours. I understand that some rooms will be located near the housekeeping closet, but the staff should be mindful of the nearby guests(less than 8 feet away!), especially one with a Do Not Disturb sign hanging on the door.
• Newspaper – I only got a newspaper two of the five nights of my stay.
• Room Service Order – The second night of my stay my wife and I booked a tour of Los Angeles through the concierge at the hotel, the tour picked us up at the hotel at 9am, so the night before my wife and I hung a room service order outside the room for an 8:00am delivery. At 8:20, we still didn’t have our breakfast, so I opened the door to find my order still hanging there! Overnight, the newspaper was delivered (ironically, one of the two days I got a newspaper) and the housekeepers were working right outside my door (see above complaint), so staff members had to have repeatedly walked by my door and ignored the order hanging there. The order should have been noticed by no less that 4 people that night: The newspaper delivery person, the housekeepers, the person that walked the hotel delivering bills under doors, and security doing rounds. Instead I had to call my order in at 8:20, have it cooked and rushed up, and my wife and I had to eat in a hurry to make the tour. The rest of the trip I didn’t trust hanging the order out, so as a further inconvenience, I called it in every morning after I woke up.
• Room Service Mistakes – 2 days in a row room service forgot toast with my order. I didn’t bother calling or complaining, but the second day I made a point to say “don’t forget toast”, but they still forgot it. They even asked me what kind I wanted!
• Lack of Acknowledgement – Because I am a frequent (Top 10) guest at another JW Marriott Property, I asked the Director of Rooms at that hotel to call the JW Le Merigot and let them know I was coming and arrange for something special when I arrived (Upgraded Room (suite), an extra-special welcome gift, etc…). He contacted someone a few weeks in advance of my arrival (I was standing with him when he called) and they assured him they would do something special and take good care of us. I saw ZERO indication that this happened, no special room, no welcome gifts, etc… I was hoping for a nice surprise to show my wife “what all my time on the road at Marriott” earned – apparently nothing .
• Billing Problem – After bringing these items to the attention of management, they were kind enough to remove parking charges from my bill and credit some points back to my account. Upon checkout the manager on duty gave me a copy of my final adjusted bill, totaling of $69.94. When my credit card bill arrived a few days ago, I was charged $105.52. I haven’t called the hotel yet to figure out the discrepancy, but this final problem just topped off my experience - even after I was home. 

On a side note, the front desk staff and concierge were great. They were very helpful, responsive, and personable – exactly what I would expect.

I think Marriott needs to reconsider the classification of this hotel. This should not be considered a Category 7 or Category 8 hotel. Location alone doesn’t make a hotel – it’s the way everything is executed and the overall experience that makes one property better than another. At the JW Marriott Le Merigot, at least during my stay, there was a complete breakdown on all fronts, from somewhat misleading advertising about location and views, overall guest relations, housekeeping, maintenance, food and beverage, accounting/billing, etc…

I know it’s probably hard to believe given the long list above, but I NEVER complain about anything. The fact is – I was extremely disappointed with this entire experience and I needed to bring this to the attention of the Hotel and Marriott Guest Relations.

My wife gets to go on ONE vacation a year with me. Last year I was on the road for 150+ days, and decided to spend our Anniversary/Vacation at the JW Marriott Le Merigot for our special trip. I picked a prestigious hotel, the highest rated Marriott available and she should have been completely wowed by the experience. I used over 300,000 Marriott Points to book the room and converted some of the points for airline miles to fly her (us) out there first class, only to have a “not-so-first-class” stay at the hotel.

I work hard to earn points and go out of my way to stay at Marriott properties - sometimes I even stay 10-15 miles away from my clients just to stay at Marriott properties. This experience has made me question that decision if this is what I can expect when I use my hard earned points for what should be a luxury stay. My co-workers have been suggesting I try Starwood properties, and I’ve avoided that because I like Marriott and have been loyal to Marriott for many years. I’m questioning that decision too and to be honest, I’ve booked a Starwood stay in January instead of Marriott based solely on this experience and my unhappiness.

I think Marriott should consider some form of reparation or amends for the problems and overall experience I had at this property, in the form of point refunds or room vouchers for a future stay at a different property. More importantly, I think Marriott needs to reconsider the classification of the hotel and the JW Le Merigot needs to strive harder to execute excellence.

Thank you in advance for your time, I look forward to hearing from you. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Sorry about your experience at Le Merigot. However, as to the Marriott category the hotel is assigned to, that represents the demand for award rooms at the property, rather than any particular quality rating.

As talked about in this thread, the property is quirky in some ways and was originally an independent property that converted to Marriott. As you say, it is not right on the beach, and many of the rooms have no beach view or only a sliver of one. But it is only a 5 minute walk from the beach, and just a little farther to Santa Monica Pier. Last time I stayed here, a few years ago, I definitely thought the property could use a freshening. Hopefully, they've replaced the humongous CRT televisions.

They did... It was great watching the black screen, pixelated, or hanging satellite feeds on the LCDs!!! Hahaha (See above email, the tv service was ef'd all week I was there... especially fun when you have a wife that takes forever to get ready every morning and no tv... or newspaper...haha

Yeah. Maybe, on second thought, ugly old CRT's with a picture are better.