Hollywood Hills Hotel — Hotel in Los Angeles

Hotel Review: Hollywood Hills Hotel, A Disappointing Experience I recently stayed at the Hollywood Hills Hotel at the end of April 2023, expecting a delightful getaway in the famous city of Los Angeles. However, my experience left me quite disappointed and frustrated. First of all, the hotel's representation online was a far cry from reality. The description and images portrayed a modern, well-appointed property; however, upon arrival, I quickly discovered that these marketing materials were nothing but false advertising, creative, beautiful, but misleading photography. While the property next door added some charm, it wasn't enough to compensate for the discrepancies in the hotel itself and its obvious lacking building maintenance. Most of the pictures are taken @Yamashiro and Kensho, but they are closed and have been for years. The room key is funky, and you might lock yourself out with no possibility of getting back in if you don't have a phone on you and the door closes, and even then, no live person is active watching the messages in real time. The atmosphere was tainted by the noisy Hookah lounge near the pool that played loud music throughout the night at least till 2:30 a.m., making it nearly impossible to have a good night's sleep. Guests seeking a peaceful stay should be aware of this issue as well as there was no balcony in this particular room as advertised. I also encountered problems while trying to locate the hotel. The GPS directed me to the wrong location - again, the beautiful but closed neighbors, and there were no adequate signs or information to redirect me. It's essential for a hotel to have proper signage and make it easy for guests to find the property. There were 5 people roaming around looking for their rooms as well. One of the key amenities that I was looking forward to enjoying was the pool. Unfortunately, it was closed during my visit, even though the hotel advertised it as a feature. Additionally, the bathtub stopper was broken, depriving me of an alternative relaxation option as the tub just drains out. It's crucial for hotels to ensure that all advertised amenities are available and functional for their guests. A lack of staff members made it challenging to address my issues, further diminishing my experience, eventually disputing housekeeping for info. In terms of value, the room costs were not justified, and I would say it would only be worth 40-50% of what I was charged. The shortcomings in accommodations, services, customer support, vending, and cleanliness of the floor significantly detracted from the overall experience. The cleaning staff I met were very nice, however.

Recommendations for Hollywood Hills Hotel

Install visible signs to guide guests to the hotel and provide clear directions on the hotel website to address GPS issues - especially for those walking or using a taxi it would be easy to provide walking directions directly to your room and a pin on the map to right location. Update Advertising: Ensure the hotel's online representations accurately reflect its current state to avoid misleading guests. Noise Management: Work with neighboring businesses to create a more pleasant atmosphere for guests looking for a quiet environment. Amenities and Facilities: Update all amenities promptly and maintain them properly. If an advertised feature is unavailable, inform guests in advance. Staff Availability and Communication: Assign a real way for staff members to attend to guests' needs and provide a contact point, like a front desk kiosk or concierge service button or anything at all... In conclusion, my stay at the Hollywood Hills Hotel was anything but enjoyable. The hotel must address the issues mentioned above to improve the experience for future guests genuinely. I would never return. I included a photo of the actual type of building and the bath towel after using it to clean whatever slick mess was on the bathroom floor - to show how dirty it was and a photo of the hot water mechanical room under the hotel with missing doors and complete state...

Terrible Experience at Hollywood Hills Hotel – Complete Disappointment

I booked the Hollywood Hills Hotel for a 4-day birthday getaway, hoping for a peaceful, cozy retreat atop the hills with stunning views and a great restaurant nearby. The photos online were perfect, and for $800, I was expecting a truly special stay. Sadly, this couldn’t have been further from the reality.

Let me start by saying that the staff who assisted me with check-in and room changes were incredibly kind, patient, and professional. They tried their best to help and were the only redeeming part of this entire experience.

Now, onto the reality of the hotel itself. Finding the property and the room after dark was a nightmare. The signage was poor, the layout confusing, and the room I finally reached was nothing like the photos. I had booked the most expensive available room, and yet what I walked into was shocking. The room was outdated, poorly maintained, and had a musty smell that hit me the moment I stepped inside. I was horrified.

Unable to stay in that room, I asked the manager for another option. He was understanding and quickly offered me a new room. However, the second room was no better—just as disappointing and nowhere near the standard promised in the photos. At this point, my birthday trip was turning into a disaster.

I explained to the manager that the rooms did not match the advertised images and were unacceptable. To his credit, he was extremely polite and promised to do everything he could to assist with a refund, even though this decision wasn’t entirely in his hands.

To make matters worse, this all happened on January 8th, the night a massive hurricane hit Los Angeles, bringing unprecedented destruction, power outages, and even a wildfire. At 9 PM, during one of the worst storms in the city’s history, I was forced to find another hotel. With many areas experiencing blackouts and most hotels fully booked with locals seeking refuge, it was a stressful and chaotic situation.

Thankfully, Booking.com’s customer service came to the rescue. They were empathetic, kind, and went above and beyond to help me secure a full refund and find alternative accommodations. I am deeply grateful to them for salvaging what could have been a completely ruined trip.

While I appreciate the efforts of the staff at Hollywood Hills Hotel, the property itself was a massive disappointment. The rooms were far below expectations, and the experience left me scrambling for a new place to stay during a crisis.

I strongly advise anyone considering this hotel to think twice. The photos are misleading, and the rooms are nothing like what’s advertised. If you do decide to book, be prepared for disappointment and keep a backup plan in mind—especially if it’s your birthday or any other...

I'm a fairly seasoned tent camper who has also stayed at some of the finest hotel resorts in the world and some of the most sketchy dives in the suburbs of Beirut. I think the best starting point of comparison is probably tent camping for the following reasons.||Let's start with the good part. The bed appeared to be free of vermin and unexplained stains. It was moderately comfortable. This is significantly better than tent camping, where you generally have to sleep on the ground and shift your body around various rocks and other objects beneath the tent.||The remaining features, however, compare quite similarly to campground life. Starting with the surroundings, there is a wide variety of clientele on the hillside, not all of whom you would like to meet in a dark vault toilet at midnight. There are mosquitoes, including ones that live in the room apparently. Like a good campsite, the view is quite good, assuming that you are actually put into a city view facing room.||The bathroom may be a good starting point. It definitely does not smell as bad as a vault toilet. That is probably because it had a thick layer of highly scented soap coating the tiles. When we entered the room, our eyes watered from the extraordinary aroma of all of the cleaning product that was used in the bathroom. The cleaning staff had not removed the soap from the floor, so it had a skating rink like effect even when we were wearing shoes. Getting in and out of the shower required substantial skill and balance.||This would not have been a problem in or an ordinary hotel situation, but the stingy management only gives you two bath towels and one hand towel. If there were more towels, we could put them on the floor for safety.||Another thing that comes in somewhat below tent camping level is the complete lack of access to management. There is no front desk, there is no check-in process, and as far as I can tell there is no housekeeping either other than between guests. At most campgrounds, there is at least a camp host who you can reach out to if you have difficulties.||I've included some photos of the wildlife dwelling near the antique toilet, the pool that they advertise themselves as having available to guests, which is actually closed and appears to have been for some time, and the general grubbiness...