Los Angeles Airport, California - LAX / Crowne Plaza

June 2013, Weekday, 1-night, King guestroom #1420

Status perks and check-in

The front desk agent at this Crowne Plaza, said that the club floor rooms were all reserved, so he coded my key for access to the club floor lounge, and I also received a coupon good for a complimentary house brand beverage at the lobby bar or at the Java Net Cafe.

Guestroom 

I arrived before check-in time, and guestroom 1530, which had initially been set aside for me, was not ready yet. The agent then assigned me guestroom 1420. Both guestrooms are located in the same area; just on different floors. Guestroom 1420 is the first guestroom around the corner after exiting the elevator. There is not a guestroom on the South side of this room. 

The guestroom had been recently renovated, and it was tastefully decorated. The bathroom was on the left after entering. It contained a long vanity with bathing amenities, and a hairdryer in a bag. There was a tub/shower combination with a shower curtain on a curved rod.

A closet with mirrored doors was located outside the bathroom. It contained an iron and ironing board. There was not a safe in this guestroom, like there had been in the nearby Marriott when I stayed there a few days earlier.

The guestroom contained a suitcase bench, king size bed, night stands with an alarm clock, flatscreen TV, single-serve coffee maker with supplies, large desk and armoire combination with drawers and slide out work area, desk chair, soft chair and footstool, and an end table that slides under the chair for working. There were plenty of outlets and lamps. The guestroom was well lit. 

The bed and desk area were both comfortable, although the soft chair with the footstool was not. It looked comfy, and I do like to sit in a soft chair with the slide in end table for a comfort change; however, the chair was quite stiff and hard.

This guestroom does not face the airport. Even so, I heard quite a bit of airplane noise from the guestroom. I did not hear any noise from the hallway or from other guestrooms. 

Food & Beverage

I had a late lunch in the restaurant after I checked in. I wanted to try the Sushi Bar; however, it did not open until evening.

I had the salmon sandwich and tossed salad in the restaurant, which I would not recommend. The food items tasted fresh with good flavor; however, the salmon was overcooked, and the service was terrible. It took me over an hour to have lunch, and there were less than five tables with guests at the time of my visit. I observed two servers, a busperson, and a bartender working during my meal. 

Club floor lounge

Food in the lounge in the evening included salsa type dip with chips, a couple of fresh vegetables with dip, and a hot food item, which I do not recall. I thought the food offerings were average to low--the quality and the choices. Beer and wine was included; I thought the wine quality was also poor quality. It was the same house brand wine that was served in the lounge. Coffee, tea, and bottled water were also available. I left before breakfast in the morning, so I do not know what was available in the morning. The service in the lounge was excellent.

Business center

This hotel does not have a business center, and there was not a computer or a printer in the club lounge. Documents could be printed at the Java Cafe for a fee. The last time I stayed at this hotel, I was able to print documents from a printer in a business center type room on the banquet room floor. This room was no longer open.

Airport shuttle and misc.

I was told that the airport shuttle runs continually 24-hours a day, every 15 to 20 minutes. The shuttle takes guests from two hotels, and it is first come, first serve, so I went to the lobby as soon as I was ready in the morning. I must have just missed the shuttle bus because I waited almost 20 minutes. The shuttle bus stops at the other hotel first, so my ride to the airport was very quick after the bus returned. It took me less than 5 minutes to get to the Delta area, since that was one of the first stops.

I arrived at the airport earlier than I needed to. LAX is a big airport, and it had been a few years since I had flown out of LAX. I did not recall how long it took me before, and I did not want to miss my plane home! The Delta ticket counter did not open until after 4:00 a.m., and the security line next to the Delta counter did not open until around 4:15 a.m. A TSA pre-check lane, and a Sky Priority lane, were located to the right of the regular security line.

This hotel is just down the road from the Marriott where I had stayed and picked up my rental car. After I unloaded my belongings at the Crowne Plaza, I returned the rental car to the Marriott and walked back. There is an exit behind this hotel, so I did not need to drive back out into the traffic on Century Blvd.

Los Angeles - LAX / Marriott

June 2013, Weekend, Jr Suite #946

Status perks and check-in

The Los Angeles airport Marriott has an elite check-in counter across from the main check-in area. Elaine provided a smooth and efficient check-in process. She introduced herself, and recapped my guestroom preferences, before she provided the key and additional hotel information. I received an upgrade to a Jr. suite. It was not on the concierge floor; however, she coded my key for concierge level access. I also received the extra Platinum points for my on-site amenity.

view when entering 

Guestroom

This suite is located at the end of the hall on the 9th floor. The furnishings and decor looked a bit outdated, although there was not anything wrong with any of the items. The guestroom was well-soundproofed, spacious, and comfortable. I did not hear any airplane noise even though this hotel is very close to the airport. 

An entry table with a decorative plant was located in the small entry area by the door and across from the bathroom and closet. I did not take a photo of the table; the front of it is barely visible in the first photo that was taken from the entrance.

The bathroom area located to the left of the entrance door, contained two vanities. The vanity in the outer area was across from a closet with mirrored doors. The closet contained a large safe, hangers, two summer bathrobes, an iron, and ironing board. 

The second vanity was located in the room with the toilet and tub/shower. Both vanities were stocked with bathing amenities, and ample towels were provided. 

The tub drain was sluggish. It was not clogged during my shower; however, I think if I had taken a leisurely shower and washed my hair, there would have been standing water in the bottom of the tub when I finished. I told an employee about this when I checked out (not at the elite desk). She took down the information, although she was not nearly as professional or helpful as Elaine had been when I checked in. I was surprised that she did not apologize or thank me for letting her know about this, so that it could be fixed before the next guest arrived.

The living and sleeping area contained the following: sofa, coffee table, end table, ice bucket with glasses, a bottle of water, a desk and chair, flatscreen TV on an armoire, small fridge and single-serve coffee pot with supplies, king size bed with lots of pillows, two night stands, four lamps, lighted alarm clock, and two telephones. The coffee items were set up on a tray inside the cabinet under the TV. I had to remove the tray because the coffee pot could not be plugged in from that location. The room was well lit, and there were several electrical outlets. 

I arrived after 10:00 p.m., and the bed had been turned down. There were two chocolates on the pillow. The bed was super comfortable, and the sheets were plush.

Food & Beverage

When I checked in, I was surprised to learn that breakfast was included with the AAA rate I had booked. I did not recall reading that in my reservation details. I usually prefer to order off the menu because the food is fresher than at the buffet; however, this time, the buffet probably would have been a better choice. I ordered an egg sandwich from the menu, and it was kind of greasy. I did not go up to the buffet, although the items I could see from my seat and on other guests' plates looked fresh.

Concierge lounge
I visited the concierge lounge when I arrived late in the evening. A few desserts were displayed, and a beverage cooler was well stocked with bottled water, and a few non-alcoholic beverages. Breakfast items in the morning included several types of pastries, scrambled eggs, bacon, and cereal. Coffee and tea was available both times. There were glass snack dispensers on the counter by the door both times that I visited. Jelly beans, and nut type snacks, were filled in the canisters.

The concierge lounge is a fairly large room, which looked like it could easily fulfill the needs for a small group/meeting. A couple of computers and a printer were located by the door, and there was no charge for me to print a document.

Fitness center

The fitness center is located on the ground floor, below the lobby entrance level. It is a large room, and contained many items--several cardio machines with cardio theater, weight machines, exercise ball,  mats, water cooler, fruit, scale, towels, and sani-wipes. There was probably more equipment than I have named because I did not walk around the corner to the other side of the room. The treadmills were located near the entrance, and the other area of the room was partially visible from the machine I used. 

Hertz
There is a Hertz car rental desk in the lobby of this hotel, which opens at 7:30 a.m. I had a car reserved for 7:30; however, the employee arrived about 10 minutes late, so it was actually 7:45 by the time I received the keys to my car. She must have thought that she could amend this delay with compliments, because she gave me two. First, she told me I have beautiful hair, and then after I gave her my ID, she told me that I look amazing for my age. Hmm...well, I guess it did make me smile! And, the 15-minute delay did not impact my schedule for the day.

The parking slip process of how to exit and reenter the parking lot is mildly confusing, so I suggest getting clear instructions before leaving the window. I noticed that I had a couple of parking slips when she gave me the keys, so I asked how I was supposed to use them. I may have been able to figure out the process on my own, but at least this way, I was prepared when I pulled up to the exit. My car was not full of gas when I received it. This was noted on my contract; however, I do not like returning cars this way because it is difficult to know when the fuel has been refilled accurately before the return.

Hotel shuttle
I was told that the hotel shuttle automatically runs between the hotel and the airport every 15 minutes, 24-hours a day. I waited at least 15 minutes for the shuttle when I arrived. LAX has a chaotic shuttle system. Passengers stand on the center island and flag down the busses as they go by. The parking lot shuttle busses, and a couple of large coach busses, also stopped in the same area. The hotel shuttle busses do not always pull up to the curb, and it is easy to miss one driving by, if you do not pay close attention at all times. I have been through this kind of process before, so I knew what to expect. A man waiting near me had told me which hotel shuttle he was waiting for, and he would have missed his bus, if we had not chatted about this while waiting. I saw his shuttle bus driving by behind one of the coach busses, and told him. He was able to flag the driver down before he got too far.

I did not use the shuttle from the Marriott to return to the airport, although I did observe a long line of people waiting for the bus out front all morning the day that I departed. I did not notice if there was enough room on the bus for everyone to board once the bus arrived.

Overall
I was very happy with the comfort of this hotel and AAA rate I had found for this Sunday evening stay. I wanted to stay here again on Wednesday before my flight out; however, the rate that night was almost twice what I paid on Sunday.

Los Angeles, California / LAX airport hotel -- Crowne Plaza

April 2010, 1-night

Platinum perks

I sent an email to the hotel before my arrival because I had an odd situation. I was arriving in the afternoon and leaving for an overnight flight before midnight. I received a reply and an upgrade to the Club floor before I arrived. I also received a free beverage coupon good at the dining room, lounge, or Starbucks coffee shop when I checked in.

Guestroom

This is an older building, and the room was an average size. It contained a desk and chair, chair and footstool. The bedding, bed sheets, and pillows, had all been updated and were supremely comfortable. I was comfortable for four hours before my flight, and the noise from airplanes and the hall was minimal. There was a non-working/empty mini-bar in my room. I'm not sure if they were removing or adding this. Internet service was $10.95 for 24-hours, and a lesser cost for a half day or two-hour period was available. I was not staying for very long and discovered I could connect for no charge to another service at the pool area and in the Club lounge, so I just used that service. The one thing I did not like about the room is that it had a connecting door to the room next door. I usually ask for a different room in this situation; however, since I had arrived early and was not staying all night, I did not say anything.

Food & Beverage

In the hotel lounge, I was able to use my "house wine" or "domestic beer" coupon for something of greater value and pay the difference. I appreciate when hotels let me do this. The service in the lounge was great. The Club lounge offered house wine and domestic beer for no charge. There was one hot food item and chips and veggies.

Business Center

There is a sign on the business center door about payment for 1/2 day and full day use. I did not understand if the sign meant that payment was expected before entering the room, or if it was for special services. My key let me in, and another guest was browsing the Internet at one of the computers. I was able to print a document--until the printer ran out of paper that is, and there was no paper in the room. You would think if payment is required to use any of the services, your key would not let you in...? I have stayed in hotels where I needed a special key from the front desk to access the business center, or where payment has been required to print documents. I did not understand how the business center was supposed to function, and there were not any business services in the Club lounge.

Overall

This hotel met my needs since I needed a place to spend some time before my evening flight, and I was able to get a great Entertainment card rate of only $64. It is close to the Avis lot, so I was able to return my car and walk back to the hotel. There are sidewalks the entire way, and the walk is less than a mile, although the Renaissance and Embassy Suites are both a little closer than the Crowne Plaza.