SkiAdcock

This is the former Manhattan Beach Marriott, being renovated/re-purposed as an Autograph Collection. Cat 7. Says opening March 2018.

Hotel website:

https://www.marriott.co.uk/hotels/tr...ph-collection/

Nestled in the heart of the highly desirable Manhattan Beach community, westdrift is a mile to the beach, and a quick stroll or bike ride to The Point, a vibrant shopping, entertainment and dining hub.

Debuting as the first Autograph Collection hotel in Los Angeles, the 26-acre westdrift Manhattan Beach boasts 393 guest rooms, a 9-hole golf course, a signature indoor-outdoor restaurant named JUTE Coastal Bar and Kitchen, a CrossFit-inspired fitness center and 35,000 square feet of gathering spaces designed to take events to new levels. A refuge for dreamers, doers and makers... a mash-up of East Coast bold and California cool. Where summer is endless and imaginative people meet in a playful environment to create joyful memories. We engage our guests with gracious hospitality and lead them through shared experiences and discoveries, unleashing the California dreamer in everyone

DJ_Iceman

Even in the world of exaggerated press releases, that one's pretty far-fetched. Located in "the heart" of Manhattan Beach? Ha! And it sounds like the rest was written by a 4th-year marketing student using as many meaningless, throw-away words as possible.

I'm guessing this change was made because they could no longer meet Marriott brand standards, and AC gave them a convenient way to weasel out of them without losing the steady stream of MR members who are the only reason they get guests at all.

SkiAdcock

Yeah, I had to laugh about the heart of MB & a mile from the beach. It was a pretty cookie cutter Marriott, so will be interested to see how they turn it into a 'boutique' Autograph Collection.

Cheers.

Horace

This is an Autograph Collection property, not an AC Hotels property. In any case, neither of these brands is used for conversions of Marriott Hotels that fail to meet the brand standards of Marriott Hotels.

Actually, this is a case of a new owner investing a lot of money into converting a tired Marriott into a distinctive Autograph Collection property.

An article in the local paper in 2016 explained the plan: https://www.dailybreeze.com/2016/05/...arriott-hotel/

Of course, it remains to seen how well this turns out.

DJ_Iceman

Thanks for clarifying, Horace, for the casual reader who might have misconstrued my abbreviation for "Autograph Collection". The owner is going to have to invest in a lot more than the physical plant to turn this into anything approaching a fine hotel, though. I still think they were failing Marriott customer service surveys or inspections and decided that calling themselves a "boutique" property would be better for future business than investing their money coming up to even basic Marriott standards.

Horace

Being part of Autograph Collection involves far more than calling oneself a "boutique" property.

Autograph Collection is a higher-end brand than Marriott Hotels. The Autograph Collection standard of individuality ("Exactly Like Nothing Else") means high-quality designs and materials -- with restaurants, bars, and operations to match. Raising a hotel to distinctive Autograph Collection standards would typically be far costlier than just meeting cookie-cutter Marriott Hotels standards.

It's interesting that the westdrift Manhattan Beach, which was supposed to switch over to the Autograph Collection brand in January, is still operating as a Marriott, even though it's now March.

Marriott International has a conversion brand for full-service hotels that don't have all the physical attributes of a Marriott Hotel. That brand is Delta Hotels. That still doesn't mean that run-down properties are welcome. But it can mean, for example, that a hotel continues to use its existing HVAC system and that a hotel has simple, functional furniture.

SkiAdcock

I could have seen this property being turned into a Delta vs. an Autograph Collection. It's a cookie-cutter Marriott that overlooks a golf course & is a couple of miles from downtown Manhattan Beach, although it is near shopping mall, restaurants, Bristol Farms (sigh - I miss Bristol Farms). I thought I saw a report by an FTer in a different thread that they're in the midst or renovation & he thought it was re-open in April as Autograph.

When it does open up,, perhaps DJIceman can go to the property & check it out. We know he dislikes the property so his report might be a bit biased , but maybe he can get some pics & chat w/ one of the managers.

Cheers.

VA1379

I have good memories of my one stay at this hotel several years ago when the weekend EEO certificates were still around for BOGO nights. The concierge lounge was above average and well stocked with food and drinks.

TrojanHorse

How on earth is this 1 mile from the beach even as the pigeon flies?

SkiAdcock

It's not. It's not 10 miles away (more like 2 if you head down Rosecrans) but it's not 1 mile.

Cheers.

DJ_Iceman

Horace, you sound like you work in the Marriott marketing department. Of course what you say is true on paper, but in reality I've been less than impressed with some of my Autograph Collection stays. I've concluded that all it means for a hotel to be part of the Autograph Collection is that they award and redeem MR points, they offer some elite benefits, and they have FS-like amenities (a restaurant, room service, a gym, etc.). They do NOT have to have good guest service, modern/updated/renovated facilities, etc. In fact, it seems like the more "quirky" the design and service offerings, the more likely a hotel is to be part of the Autograph Collection.

SkiAdcock

I've stayed at Autographs & don't agree w/ your assessment that they're second rate at all. But that's a discussion for a different thread so perhaps you can start one. Let's not derail this property thread.

Cheers.

KosherKimchee

Relish the toxic fumes playfully gushing out of the magnificent spires of the quaint neighborhood Chevron refinery.

C17PSGR

I was excited for a moment and thought this might be a property actually in part of Manhattan Beach! There's definitely no advantage to this location if your looking to enjoy Manhattan Beach.

and I always think of autograph hotels as mostly being comprable in quality to Marriott properties. Some are certainly better such as the Grand Bohemian but others are certainly worse. Maybe the fees for an autograph are less

SkiAdcock

It is located in Manhattan Beach, just on the east side of MB. It's not downtown MB. The only hotel you'll get in downtown Manhattan Beach or near the beach is Shade hotel, which is a small boutique hotel, and also a motel in north Manhattan Beach on Highland. However, it is only a 5-minute drive to No Manhattan Bch & 10 from downtown Manhattan Bch. It's also not far from LAX (no shuttle) & easy access to the freeways. There's also a Residence Inn in MB on Sepulveda next to a car dealership, so the Marriott ne westdrift has a better location than RI in terms of literally being next to a small golf course. So, while not on the sand, it's not like it's in Siberia either.

Cheers.