Magic Castle Hotel — Attraction in Los Angeles

UPDATE in response to the hotel owner: Thank you for taking the time to respond, but unfortunately, your reply only reinforces the exact issues I raised.

Let’s start with the core problem: I was never contacted—at all—about the extra steps required to finalize the Magic Castle Club reservation. I thoroughly checked my inbox, spam folder, missed calls, and voicemail logs. There was no record of any attempt to reach me. Simply stating “we tried” without offering even one specific timestamp, email, or phone number used doesn’t make it true—it just deflects responsibility.

You mention that no charges were made to my card, as if that absolves the situation. It doesn’t. I made a reservation and received a confirmation email. At no point was I told my reservation was incomplete or at risk. Your team’s failure to communicate that clearly and proactively is why this experience fell apart—not because I failed to “confirm availability.”

And while we’re on the topic of communication: when I called to clarify what went wrong, I was met not with empathy or solutions, but with condescension and denial. Kevin was dismissive and unhelpful, offering no options and showing no concern for the fact that guests had flown in and made special arrangements around this experience. Only after I forwarded my confirmation email did he admit I was right—then sent me a cancellation email within minutes, which magically arrived with no issue. So much for “not being able to reach me.”

Your response also goes out of its way to defend Kevin’s character, while subtly discrediting mine by mentioning I “raised my voice” and used a “vulgar screen name.” That’s not only irrelevant—it’s unprofessional. I came to you as a guest whose plans were derailed by your process failures. Suggesting I should have handled it quietly, rather than leaving honest reviews, completely misses the point. When a business disappoints publicly, it gets reviewed publicly.

What I wanted was simple: ownership of the mistake, accountability, and a sincere effort to make it right. What I got instead was finger-pointing, defensiveness, and a hollow apology buried under a PR script.

I stand by every word of my original review

ORIGINAL REVIEW: Kevin at the front desk was downright rude, confrontational, and blatantly lied to my face. I booked the Magic Castle package, got a confirmation email, and was never told I needed to do anything else. On the day of check-in, I called to confirm our reservation only to be told they gave it away because they “couldn’t reach me.” That’s a flat-out lie—I had zero missed calls, voicemails, or emails (and yes, I checked spam). When I asked for a refund, Kevin smugly said “No,” completely dismissing how they ruined plans for people who had flown in and bought special outfits. Only after I proved my case by forwarding my confirmation email did he admit I was right—then immediately sent a cancellation email, which magically arrived instantly. Funny how they had my contact info when it suited them. Even better, Kevin offered nothing to make up for it — no compensation, no alternative, not even a half-hearted apology. Disgraceful service that wrecked what was supposed to be a special night.

If you’re looking for a hotel that specializes in careless service, zero accountability, and ruining special occasions without so much as a sorry, this...

Great Location, walking distance to Hollywood & Highland center and many other Hollywood Blvd hotspots, this is a dated property like the Magic Castle itself with plenty of renovation and it offers a different unique experience. It is a historic property and has Cham with its own original vibe, mystique, and charm. Some people would enjoy a lot of you appreciate unique experiences and historic property built on to a steep hillside. The buildings on the property have so much history and the Magic Castle Aura is just one of a kind, it's character, historic stories behind almost every part of the facility leaves you wondering of all the possibilities of well known people from the Golden era old Hollywood & it's many stars past & present that stood in the very same room your standing in, walled down the very hallway, stairs, sat on the bench and watched over all of Hollywood from the same amazing viewpoint. If The walls could only talk... your mind is just always imagining the possibilities, not to mention the Magic and it's own Historic figures that probably stayed in the rooms while learning their craft, the secrets learned here while struggling to make a name and master the craft of magic after performing to fund their curiosity, in some cases the stepping stone and initiation to the world of magic that took the most ambitious to Las Vegas Residency contracts for millions to see the performance of Magic we see today, most if not all came through this location to make the transformation from mediocre magic to mastery of magic before moving on to bring the years of gained knowledge from some written basics, with the true knowledge coming from connecting the cryptic clues, listening to every detail from old timers stories & late night lounging fireside chats with mysterious magic castle members collective knowledge harder to obtain, decrypt, and implement than any world governments most special access classified information. The intriguing history is more interesting than any modern facility, it comes with a vibe, unexplainable, in your mind feeling entertained constantly without any actual performing, like every performance, secret, and intrigue are part of every, structure down to each nail, screw, and layers of paint... If your looking for Over Priced LUXURY connected to shopping center, the Hollywood & Highland Hotel whatever it's name happens to be at the time, it was originally the Mandarin Hotel, W , I believe it's currently owned and called the Lowes Hotel @ Hollywood/Highland. If you just want one of many pre fab Identical rooms down to the picture on the wall and lamp shades, very forgettable, no historical value, some people don't have the ability to appreciate historic value and just want the newest of everything, thinking that's special. You will not forget the name of the Magic Castle Hotel, as well as the experience, people might actually be interested in actually listen to your story about your stay at the M.C.H over any other Large Chain Hotel no matter how many Stars, Diamonds, Rating Average#. You will only grow more fond of your decision to stay here over another place....Plus you never know what surprise experience you might have at the Magic Castle Hotel that could turn your stay to a treasured "Magical" lifetime remembered...

We are an Australian family who recently had our first stay on a family holiday with our 10-year-old son. The only problem we had staying at this hotel was that it was the first stop of our trip, and every other hotel seemed disappointing after this one! The staff go above and beyond to make your stay special. The staff are always happy for a chat and to offer advice, even lending us metro cards to get around. This hotel felt like staying with friends or family, rather than the usual experience at chain hotels. ||The rooms although old are clean and comfortable, we had one of the smaller rooms (Junior Suite) and it was very spacious with a kitchen and dining area. I would say it is a 2-star hotel with 5-star service, and we'd much prefer this than a 5 star one with poor service. On one occasion our toilet got blocked and the staff member working overnight who from memory was possibly Kyle came at 11pm with a plunger to unblock it himself with a smile. All the staff were incredibly friendly and easy going. Not a robotic forced friendliness but a genuine commitment to service.||The complimentary services were fantastic. We dropped off our washing of a morning and it was back in our room washed and folded by the afternoon. We also used the free laundry room ourselves for other items we wanted to air dry. The breakfast was continental with toast, cereal and fresh pastries from a local business. The pastries were delicious, and we preferred the breakfast to the regular greasy breakfasts at other hotels on our trip. We enjoyed the complimentary freestyle soda and ice cream machine and all the complimentary snacks available at the front desk. There is also an automatic coffee machine available in the lobby all day - it even makes flat whites! Everything was always well stocked and operational. ||The pool was well heated it felt more like a huge spa, and we all had a swim at night after a long day. Parking is available underneath the hotel with in and out access. The parking garage is on the small side so keep this mind if you have a truck/ute or a large vehicle but they are very accommodating and will make it work for you. We never had an issue finding a spot. ||The hotel is very well located - Hollywood (Grauman's Chinese Theatre etc.) is a very short walk away (a five minute walk or less) and the metro is also close. Universal Studios is the next stop on the metro. There are some homeless nearby but they kept to themselves and we never felt the area was dangerous, even at night. There are a large number of food options from fast food to high end places within walking distance or you could get it delivered and enjoy the free soft drinks! ||The magic show at breakfast with Alfonso was a highlight for us and we were all amazed by his talent. We were also very lucky to meet the owner, Darren who was as friendly and personable in real life as he is on social media. We wouldn't consider staying anywhere else on our next visit to LA. The Magic Castle was the best hotel experience and service we've ever encountered anywhere in the world...