Element Irvine — Hotel in Irvine

Due to the wildfires and heavy smoke in California over the past few days, my family and I sought refuge in Irvine. Unfortunately, we unknowingly chose the worst hotel we’ve ever stayed at in our lives—Element Irvine.

Initially, I was drawn to this hotel because of the glowing reviews on social media platforms, which spoke highly of the place. However, the reality was far from it. Apart from being a relatively new hotel, everything else about it was terrible. The location was inconvenient, and the hotel facilities were basic and cheap. At first glance, the décor appeared minimalistic, but upon closer inspection, it was just plain cheap. Despite being open for only two years, the walls were already full of patchwork repairs.

The bathroom was another disaster. The showerhead barely worked, and the water pressure was so weak it felt broken. The toilet was even worse—the water pressure was laughably low, and the flush button seemed faulty. Embarrassingly, after using the bathroom, no matter how hard I tried, the toilet wouldn’t flush. I ended up having to leave it as it was. Never in my life have I encountered something so appalling! I immediately called the front desk, and they said they’d send someone to fix it. But since we were about to check out in an hour, I didn’t care whether they fixed it or not. As gross as it was, I even took a picture to document the situation for a formal complaint.

The worst part was the horrible soundproofing. Not long after checking in, we heard loud banging sounds from the neighboring room. I tried calling the front desk to complain, but no one answered, so we decided to just bear with it, thinking it would only be for one night. However, at 6:30 AM, I was jolted awake by the sound of high heels clacking on the floor in the room next door. It was as if someone was walking right inside our own room! To make matters worse, I could hear their phone conversations clearly. Looking back, I regret not recording the noise for proof.

And it wasn’t just the neighbors—the sounds of doors slamming and airplanes flying overhead were constant. I genuinely felt like I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

The customer service was equally bad. While the male front desk staff were passable, there was a female staff member who was downright rude and dismissive. When I reported the issue with the toilet, she didn’t even bother to apologize—not a single word. When we asked for compensation due to the poor sleep quality and faulty facilities, she claimed that because we didn’t officially “report” the issues, they wouldn’t offer any reimbursement. What nonsense! In less than 12 hours, we called twice to complain and went to the front desk once, yet they still refused to acknowledge the problem. She suggested switching rooms or fixing the toilet, but by then, we were about to check out. Offering us those options at that point felt like a joke.

Her attitude was terrible, and we didn’t want to waste more time arguing with such an unprofessional establishment. There’s no point in dragging things out with such a low-quality hotel.

In summary: I’m writing this review to warn others—stay far away from Element Irvine. If you value good sleep, especially if you’re traveling with kids, don’t even think about this place. Be cautious when relying on Xiaohongshu reviews, and for the sake of your family’s health and well-being, avoid this hotel...

My girlfriend and I have been waiting to move into our new place and this became our safe haven for the past 2 weeks or so. We also stayed at an Element in Scottsdale Arizona and the experience was awesome so we figured we’ll stay here with our sweet and saucy corgi. From the moment we checked in the staff was inviting and friendly; they even gave our dog a welcome gift (ball and doggy poop bags and holder) The stay was excellent here in Element Irvine just like the Scottsdale location!

Room: 5 Stars We stayed in a couple of rooms due to our fault not booking more days so we had to move from room to room. All of the rooms we stayed in were clean and had great views of the city of Irvine. You can see and watch the planes go in and out of John Wayne Airport. It was super quiet and we never heard any noise from the outside. We also can barely hear anybody moving around the hallways which was a plus since our little companion has huge ears than can hear every little sound and will bark; Sound insulation is legit! The overall design of the room is minimal, inviting, and calm. We enjoyed the colors of the walls, the lighting fixtures, the color temperature of the light bulbs, and the minimalist aesthetic of the room. It is very well thought out; form definitely follows function. We enjoyed the cohesiveness of the hotel, from the moment you drive in, to the lobby (workspace, lounge area, bar) with its well thought out inviting and minimalist design, to the hallway’s light fixtures, not one inch of this hotel was overlooked.

Furthermore we stayed at a room with a full kitchen; sink, dishwasher, cooking utensils, plates, bowls, eating utensils, pots and pans, toaster, microwave, and induction stove. While we are not a fan of induction stoves, it did the job well! We had everything we needed to make a full on meal! My girlfriend actually made a dish so she can bring it over to her parent’s house for Mother’s Day. The fridge is a plus as we have raw food that we keep in the freezer for our little companion’s meals and of course ice cream for us is a plus!

The bathroom was also super clean and had many towels. Shower pressure was better than other places; it’s nice they are trying to conserve and be sustainable.

Amenities: 5 Stars Breakfast is served daily and they even had a grill with varieties of specials for each day. They have a pool, indoor gym, and laundry room as well! The gym had just the right equipment to get the job done, while there’s no bar, there’s free weights, kettlebells, Swiss balls, treadmill, bikes, and a resistance machine. The laundry room is a plus as we stayed there for two weeks. Make sure you have cash or change for the coin machine. $3 per wash and dry. Machines were new and did the job well!

Service: 5 Stars The aesthetics of this hotel is not the only highlight but also the service! We are so happy and grateful to have stayed here and to have received excellent customer service! From the front desk to the cleaning staff, everyone is inviting, friendly, accommodating, and resolved any issue we had.

Overall: We cannot recommend this place enough! 5/5 stars! Thank you Element Irvine and...

4 stars for the newer facility and the breakfast staff. 0 star for the front desk staff and their managers.

Summary: Wife and I had to haul the luggages to four (4) different rooms and three different floors trying to check in. Ultimately forced to pay to upgrade. Dealt with a manager at check-out who turned a deaf ear and could not careless about the convenience caused.

Context: Checked in on a Friday night for two nights. Requested a similar room to my previous stay: quiet + in-room stove. First room, no stove. Second room, also no stove despite the clerk's reassurance there was one. Third room had a stove, but was right next to Airport Way that led to/from the airport. Nonstop traffic noise in the room + very poor soundproofing. Fourth room was butted right against the elevator shaft. Could hear the hums + the room had a funny odor.

Told there were no other rooms and that I had to pay $50 upgrade to one that was quiet and had a stove. This after telling me that this was a business hotel and wasn't very busy on weekends. Having wasted 1.5 hours trying different rooms to no avail, and having been told there were no other room, had to begrudgingly upgrade.

When checking out, explained to the Operations Manager about check-in hassles and politely asked to waive the upgrade feel. Was flatly denied. She only repeated "Unfortunately, there is nothing I can do" in the most perfunctory, insincere manner. Her argument was that I had declined the room type I had reserved and deliberately chose one that was an upgrade. Tried to explain that the rooms offered did not meet my most basic requirements: having a stove + getting a quiet/restful sleep. There was no getting through her, though. Even when I mentioned I might have to look to stay elsewhere in the future, she wasn't fazed and replied with a curt, "I understand. That's fine."

I would think that any sensible manager would give the best effort ensure guest satisfaction and repeat business, but not with this particular person. Demonstrated complete lack of empathy and professionalism, and passive aggressive demeanor.

Shared my experience/feedback with the hotel's general manager and the executive team of the owner group. Received the most basic/minimal response: $50 refund + a generic/canned email.

Won't be returning to this hotel. Far too many comparable (and better) options in the area for me to risk further hassles and frustration with the unprofessional staff and management at Element Irvine. In fact, going to avoid any hotels owned by Huntington Hotel Group.

@Stephanie Smith (Director of Sales): Please spare me your boilerplate response to my review ("We failed to meet your expectations," "Will share your feedback with the team," "We hope you'll give us another opportunity," etc.). I've already got one from the hotel's general manager. It appears everyone at Huntington Hotel Group uses the same canned...