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.