Sonesta Select Los Angeles LAX El Segundo — Hotel in El Segundo

Absolutely Unacceptable Experience - Avoid at All Costs

I recently stayed at the Sonesta Select Los Angeles LAX El Segundo and it was hands down the worst hotel experience I’ve ever had. If the rating system allowed zero stars, that’s exactly what this establishment would receive.

Check-In Nightmare:

The problems began immediately at check-in with an incredibly rude front desk staff member. Not only was she unprofessional and demanding when requesting my ID and credit card, but she failed to inform me of a shocking $150 incidental charge - the highest I’ve ever encountered, especially for just a one-night stay. This lack of transparency about fees is unacceptable and feels deliberately deceptive.

Room Conditions - Absolutely Disgusting:

Upon entering the room, I was horrified by what I found:

Cleanliness: The room was filthy and reeked of stale cigarette smoke Bed: Appeared to be over 10 years old with noticeable sagging on one side - completely uncomfortable and unsanitary Technology: The television didn’t function at all Bathroom: Hair scattered throughout - clearly not cleaned between guests

No Customer Service or Solutions:

When I returned to the front desk to request a room change due to these unacceptable conditions, the same rude staff member actually laughed at my request and claimed room changes were “against policy.” This is not only unprofessional but shows a complete disregard for guest satisfaction and basic hospitality standards.

Refusal to Provide Refund:

Given the deplorable conditions and complete lack of customer service, I requested a refund since we obviously couldn’t stay in such conditions. This reasonable request was also refused, forcing me to contact both my bank and Sonesta corporate to resolve the situation.

Final Verdict:

This hotel fails on every level - cleanliness, customer service, transparency, and basic hospitality. The combination of dirty facilities, broken amenities, deceptive fees, and hostile staff makes this one of the worst hotel experiences imaginable.

I strongly advise anyone considering this hotel to look elsewhere. There are many other options near LAX that will actually provide clean rooms, working amenities, and professional service for your money.

** Would I stay here again? Absolutely not. ** Would I recommend to others? NEVER.

Note: I have documented this experience with my bank and Sonesta corporate office due to the unacceptable service and refusal to provide basic...

I don’t usually leave reviews but this situation warranted one after my experience today. A few nights ago I booked this hotel as Google said there is an airport shuttle from LAX. After calling the hotel for shuttle pickup I was told they don’t actually have a shuttle. So I canceled the reservation on the website I booked it on. Got a confirmation right away of the cancellation. Well I ended up getting charged for the room still so I call this morning and was told I’ll need to speak to a manager and was transferred to a voicemail. I waited for a call all day and called corporate and was told I can just call the front desk again and someone can help me.

Doreen answered the phone and put me on hold cause she was with a customer. I held for 8 minutes and hung up. Called back and spoke to Doreen about a refund. Rather than just hearing the reason of the cancellation(Google said hotel shuttle and they don’t have one) she says “why didn’t you call us?” I explain I canceled on the website I booked on. She was concerned cause she never heard of the website. She also got on Google maps and we spent 5 minutes for her to look for the fact that it says “airport shuttle.” She’s still going on about the website I booked on so she has me email the cancellation and I did. She then says she needs to investigate why this company allowed me to cancel. No the only reason I canceled if I booked through Hotwire or Priceline etc is because it said there was a shuttle and there was not. There shouldn’t be a 25 minute phone conversation and back and forth banter on why the cancellation never came through on their end. She should have seen that Google says hotel shuttle and been more concerned with the fact that many people will see that and book this hotel thinking they will have transportation from the airport. When I told her I did call and left a voicemail she said “well maybe a manger never came in.” She was talking to me as if I were a child. That’s why I’m leaving this long post. I hope it gets resolved but I’m just shocked how I was spoken too. I said please and yes mam the entire time. I just wanted my refund is all. I understand if I just never showed or something like that but there was a service offered that actually wasn’t available. So false advertisement and I expect a refund.

So don’t book this hotel thinking there is free hotel shuttle from LAX. There is not. Here’s pictures...

Absolutely the worst experience I've ever had in a hotel stay. Staff was unwelcoming unfriendly incompetent and did not provide us with the details and clarity and even caused us to have to miss our shuttle and transportation to the hotel. When we try to resolve this issue with customer service they did not respond and they did not reply this has been going on since August of 2023. When we tried to leave a review they did not even have the audacity or even integrity to take responsibility and be accountable instead they try to have the review removed. Contacted front desk after a late check-in requested new sheets because the sheets had hair in them from somebody else possibly cleaning lady or prior occupants when we got the new sheets they had what appeared to be cigarette holes in them and they were quite dingy. Checked into the room to settle in what could only be described as urine was on the bathroom floor around the toilet as it appeared yellow and looked like it was dry and sticky I had to have cleaning Department come and clean it. Room smelled of pet urine while although many hotels are pet friendly in California but still not an excuse not to mention the hallways wreaked of marijuana. In my opinion you're better off going to a different Hotel this just appears to be a hotel suitable for a one-night stay if that and it is more on the level of an old Kmart trying to remodel to revamp their image but it doesn't work. Not to mention the steep cost of parking at $25 a night plus I think when you get to a hotel and there is nobody there like there was nobody at this one it is hard to recommend it to other people as a good place to stay. Let's see if this review stays up I'm going to screenshot it and take photos and continue to put these postings up until the managers and customer service and staff at the hotel act with Integrity take responsibility for their horrible service and let's hope they return our call and resolve this situation. In short you're better off going somewhere else that's my opinion the price in my opinion also does not reflect a good value. In short I would recommend other hotels and my honest experience is that this has been the worst by far Hotel experience I have ever had and I travel both nationally and internationally and I have stayed in better hotels in third...