JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE — Hotel in Los Angeles

I recently stayed at the JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE for two nights while attending a conference at the nearby Los Angeles Convention Center. While the hotel was perfectly situated to attend the conference, I was not very impressed by my stay. Despite being a higher-end brand within the Marriott family, this JW felt more like a basic Marriott to me, which is not helped by the fact that it has a generic, large business hotel vibe. My stay was perfectly fine, but it certainly didn’t feel as nice as it should at its price point.||||Trip Planning:||||I booked my stay through a room block associated with the conference I was attending, since the blocked rooms were a couple hundred dollars less than the $600+ per night that the hotel was charging otherwise. This meant that I didn’t have much control over my reservation, and I was blocked into an unspecified ‘run of house’ room. However, once I received a confirmation number from the conference organizer, I was able to link it with my Bonvoy account and was advised I would receive all benefits I’m entitled to as a Platinum member. When I called the hotel in advance to put in a request for a king bed, they refused to confirm a king in advance since it was part of a group booking, which was a bit annoying. However, I ultimately had no trouble getting a room with a king bed when I arrived.||||Arrival:||||I received a notification from the Marriott app on the morning of my arrival day to let me know that my room was ready. I saw that I had been assigned to a basic City View King, but was hoping for something more upgraded, since the Marriott website and app showed wide open availability that night in virtually every room type (including suites), and Platinum members are entitled to upgrades to those rooms.||||I knew I was going to be arriving at the hotel very late after a long flight from the East Coast, and wanted things to be as easy as possible when arriving. I messaged the hotel in the Marriott app to see if it would be possible to get upgraded prior to arriving later that night. I knew from experience that the Marriott properties that treat Bonvoy members the best would easily offer an upgrade to one of the larger rooms or suites, while the more mediocre properties tend to deny the upgrade or make you wait until check-in and make a lot of effort to try for it. This hotel was in the more mediocre category, and basically just said that I had to wait until check-in to inquire. ||||When I did ultimately arrive late that night around 1:00 am, I was greeted nicely by one of the doormen despite it being late, and went right into a very desolate lobby where I was able to check-in with no wait at the elite member check-in desk. The staff member was generally nice, and despite it being late, he gave me a good overview of the hotel and pointed out the location of things like the Executive Lounge, gym, and pool. However, when I initially followed up about an upgrade, his only response was that the City View King I had been given was an upgrade (which is a stretch, since that’s just about the most basic room type). When I mentioned that the Marriott website showed many higher room types available, he agreed to take another look and see if another room might be available. After several minutes of looking, he claimed there weren't any available rooms in the hotel that were better than what I had. I found it very hard to believe that not a single upgraded room shown on the website was actually available. When I expressed this again, he took one more look and finally came across a junior suite, with the only caveat being that it was handicap-accessible. I was happy for the extra space, so I took that room and was on my way.||||The clerk at check-in was nice, and did seem to actually want to help once I pressed a little bit on the upgrade. He spent several minutes perusing his computer and trying to find a room until he had success, and he was never rude about it. However, on the whole, it was just more of a struggle to get an upgrade at this hotel than it should have been, so it didn’t feel like a Marriott property that treats elite members all that well. ||||I wanted to use the mobile key feature in the Marriott app to access my room, but when my room had changed at check-in from the one initially allocated to me, the mobile key never updated. I sent a message in the Marriott app the next day to see if this could be updated, and was told a new mobile key for the correct room would be sent shortly, but that never happened.||||Room:||||My room on the 17th floor was a very large junior suite, much larger than the photos of junior suites on the hotel website depicted. I’m not sure if this was because it was a handicap-accessible room or because it was in a corner (or both), but it contained a ton of space, to the point that it felt a bit cavernous. However, I’ll take too much space over a small room any day.||||Being in an out-of-the-way location at the very end of the hallway meant that the room was very quiet, and I never heard any noise at all. It also had nice views, with windows on two sides. In one direction, I could see other buildings in Downtown LA, along with beautiful sunrises, and in the other direction, I could see the Hollywood Hills and even the Hollywood sign in the distance.||||Otherwise, I found the room to be perfectly acceptable in terms of its furnishings and condition, but not particularly exciting or luxurious. The room didn’t feel dated, but it was generic enough that it could have been any unmemorable hotel room I’ve had over the past decade. Everything was just plain and sparse, in basic tones of white and gray with a busy carpet featuring lots of overlapping circles that was annoying to look at after a while (especially in combination with other busy patterned carpet in hallways and hotel common areas).||||Some pluses were that the bed was comfortable and the wifi worked well. However, there were several little things about the room that could have been better. There were no outlets by the bed or on the nightstand, so I had to charge my phone several feet away, which is annoying when traveling and waking up in an unfamiliar place. Housekeeping also did not replace the complimentary water bottles in the room after I used them the first night, which was frustrating.||||Additionally, the bathroom wasn’t in pristine condition. It was clean enough, but I noticed some dirty grout and just a sense of wear in the shower in particular. The bathroom did not feel like it had been renovated anytime recently, and the mismatch between older-looking tan tile on the floor and newer-looking black and white tile in the shower shows a piecemeal approach to bathroom renovations in the past. The shower also had very weak water pressure and didn’t get very hot, even at its highest setting. It was fine enough to take a quick shower, but it wasn’t a luxurious shower experience by any means. I also found the towels to be quite thin, and combined with the lack of robes, it was hard to see how this JW Marriott really differed from a basic Marriott. ||||Overall, the room was fine, and I really appreciated the generous size of my upgraded junior suite. However, it simply felt kind of basic, and not luxurious at all. If I had been paying the full cash rate those nights, which started at over $600 per night on my dates, I would have been very annoyed. Since the rates at this hotel seem to fluctuate a lot, I’d only consider staying here when the rates are in the $200-$300 range, not when they’re as high as they were during my conference.||||Dining & Bars:||||I didn’t actually try any of the hotel restaurants to have any comments about them, but there are a few to select from, in addition to lots of dining in the L.A. LIVE entertainment complex that the hotel is part of. The lobby, which is a cavernous lobby that you’d expect in a meeting/convention-focused hotel, contains the main Italian restaurant, Savoca, which serves all meals. This restaurant looked nice for a hotel restaurant. Glance, the lobby bar, takes up most of the lobby, and is the sort of standard nondescript hotel bar you’d expect to find at a Marriott, and is the place where most business travelers seemed to congregate. There is also a second lobby bar advertised, called the Mixing Room, but it didn’t seem to be open at all during our stay, and instead seemed to be used more as a private event space. There is also an Illy coffee shop on the lobby level (there’s also a Starbucks steps away out the back of the hotel in the next building over).||||The restaurants in the Ritz-Carlton, which shares the same building as the JW Marriott, but has its own entrance, elevators, etc., also seemed interesting. I’ve read several good things about Corteza at Sendero at the Ritz in particular, but again, I didn’t check it out myself.||||The only real dining venue I did visit was the Executive Lounge, which I had access to as a Platinum Bonvoy member. This is located on the 4th floor, basically right outside of the elevators, and was generally fine, although not all that exciting. I never had any trouble getting a table in the morning, and there was also some extra outdoor seating in a drab patio area with no view of anything. I thought the lounge had a good variety of food items for breakfast, even if quality was a bit average. Cold items included things like fruit, yogurt, and underwhelming pastries, and the mix of hot items always seemed to consist of scrambled eggs, bacon, breakfast potatoes, and oatmeal, with some other things that rotated, like breakfast burritos one day and bagel breakfast sandwiches the next. I did appreciate the separate fridges with plenty of beverages you could take with you, in addition to a machine to make cappuccinos, lattes, and other coffee drinks. The staff in the lounge was very friendly and efficient at clearing tables. While the lounge itself was sort of dated and boring, I still thought it was pretty good for a standard Marriott lounge and appreciated having it.||||The problem with the Executive Lounge, however, is limited hours. It is only open for breakfast, and only on weekdays. It’s standard for lounges to be open all day and in the evening, so the limited hours were disappointing and felt stingy. It worked ok with my schedule, since breakfast was the main time I wanted a lounge anyway, but it would have been nice (and standard) to have access later in the day to grab snacks or drinks, along with appetizers at night. ||||Other Amenities:||||The hotel also offers an outdoor pool on the 4th floor, along with a gym. I checked out each of them, and the gym seemed to be well-equipped from a quick look, while the pool was sort of basic and uninteresting. It doesn’t have any view to speak of, and I wouldn’t really want to spend time there unless the weather was particularly conducive to a pool day. ||||Location:||||The hotel is located in Downtown Los Angeles in the L.A. LIVE entertainment complex. L.A. LIVE features things like the Grammy Museum, the Los Angeles Convention Center, the Crypto.com Arena, a lot of chain restaurants, a movie theatre, and a bowling alley, and has a bit of a mini–Times Square feel with a lot of lights and stimulation. Since some parts of Downtown LA feel a bit desolate and rough, being in L.A. LIVE certainly has a more revitalized, safe feel, with more people around. It was perfect for the attending a conference, since it was a convenient five-minute walk out the back door of the JW. However, I wouldn’t stay in Downtown LA unless I had an event to attend or reason to be there like in this case.||||Service/General:||||I didn’t have a ton of contact with staff members at this hotel, but those I met were generally nice enough. It felt like basic service you’d have at any standard Marriott. I did notice, however, several areas where there just needed to be more attention to detail around the hotel in general.||||In one of the elevators, there was some sort of sticky beverage spilled on the floor in the corner of the elevator. I got on that elevator several times and the spill was never cleaned up at all during my stay, so there clearly wasn’t any attention to detail from staff to notice and clean this.||||Similarly, the hallway on my floor was littered with room service tables and used plates and glasses almost all the time, which gave it a messy/dirty feel. All they needed was for room service staff to do a sweep of the floor at some point each night to tidy things up, but this didn’t occur. ||||I also called the front desk one night because I had ordered dinner from outside the hotel, and it came without any silverware. I called to see if I could either come downstairs and grab a set of silverware and a napkin, or have one sent up to my room. I was told that they could deliver plastic silverware to my room for free, or if I wanted actual silverware, there would be an in-room dining charge to have it delivered. I ended up going with the plastic, and it was delivered to my room very quickly. However, it just seemed tacky to refuse a guest something as simple as silverware without an extra charge, especially at a hotel that espouses to be a more “luxury” Marriott brand. Little things like this are what made me feel like this hotel was rather average overall.||||Overall:||||Overall, the JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE is a fine enough hotel, with a convenient location for events in Downtown LA. I just found, however, that it leaned too far into being non-descript and too far away from offering a luxury stay, especially at its price point and for its brand. I think the Ritz-Carlton that’s in the same building would have been a much better fit for me, and I’d look there first if I need to stay in this location...

Stayed here one night when evacuating our house due to fires in LA. So sorry for all who were/are affected by that devastating situation. The JW Marriott was a safe port in the storm, so I'm forever grateful to this hotel for a good night's sleep under extreme circumstances. I'm giving it five stars for that reason and for the very kind and caring staff, who were very, very busy that night. They really were exceptionally nice considering several were facing evacuations themselves. The place was full of other fire fleers who looked like exhausted zombies for good reason but I think everyone was happy to be here. I know we were. |Situated in the heart of LA Live... the quasi-Times Square of Downtown LA, it was built 15 years ago and the interior of the hotel is showing signs of age. The massive lobby decor looks very 2010 and the rooms are also dated but in decent shape. I didn't realize the windows are only half the height of the exterior walls... which really impairs the city views. I paid extra for a city view and didn't get much for the money. The south rooms face the Crypto Arena (nothing I want to look at and I so dislike that name) and the north rooms face more of the downtown skyline. Still, none of the views are that incredible because the hotel is only 21 stories high... so it's below the height of most of the high-rises around it. |The hotel is ideally situated if you are doing something at the LA Convention Center or Crypto Arena or anywhere in South Park. I get the feeling it might be really loud on game or concert nights... which might be part of the fun? It wouldn't be for me. I'd say the rooms on the north side facing away from the Cryto thing would be quieter. |The rooms are large, as are the baths. The LED fixture in the entry way was flickering and the bathroom sink was clogged. Normally, this would have bugged me. The carpeting looked dusty (just a really unattractive shade of gray) but it wasn't stained. The beds were relatively hard, but the shower was good. The decor has aged out, but it's unfussy and unremarkable so you don't really notice it or actually even remember it.|Due to the circumstances (most guests were fleeing tough situations and were quiet and low-key as a result), I slept really well here. No noise issues at all. That was almost impossible to believe when I checked in, when the lines were out the door. Included in the room price was a $40 credit for hotel food and beverage. We spent it at the breakfast restaurant next to the lobby. Had a really sweet, friendly server (Sierra) and a tasty omelet. The gentleman who checked us in at the Bonvoy desk was very pleasant (I was too frazzled at that point to get his name) and the woman who checked us out (Yesenia) was lovely, too. The people of housekeeping were very lovely when I saw them in the hallway as well.|Parking at the hotel is expensive. There is only valet, which works out to $76 per night with tax, not including tip. They have a separate garage, so that added safety is definitely a lure. There are a LOT of security guards at LA Live and they need it. I used to live in the neighborhood 10 years ago and it wasn't nearly as unsettling then (though it's slowly getting better after Covid). I didn't feel unsafe while on the LA Live property due to their presence. Valet was so jammed packed with people bringing so many belongings in their cars that I skipped valet and self-parked in the LA Live Garage next door (it has nothing to do with the hotel and you have to exit the lobby and walk over to another building to access its elevator). They "double-charge" you if you stay after 4:30 AM (a mean little gimmick) so we ended up paying $80. I will say they do make this policy very obvious when you drive in so you know you're getting ripped off in advance. It's the most I've ever paid for parking. It didn't matter to me the night I was there. There was a large security presence in the garage and it is VERY brightly lit. I felt safe leaving my car there overnight and that is what I wanted.|This hotel was here for me when I needed a hotel the most and I'm so grateful to the staff for being exceedingly helpful, patient and kind to people who really needed to see a friendly face that night (and I'm sure on every night since). A job...

UPDATE June 2025: After several back and forth emails and contacting Marriott customer service online I am STILL waiting for a full resolution to the problem that JW Marriott LA Live caused for me and my daughter. Going on 3 months now and they keep telling me the case has been closed each time because: someone from the hotel has contacted me (no they have not), they have added extra Marriott points to my account (no they have not, nor is that what I am asking for as it does not resolve my issue). So much wasted time on this problem that didn't need to be a problem to begin with had JW Marriott LA Live simply stood by their word and given me the one night refund for THEIR screwup. I avoid Marriott's all together now.

Original review: I booked a room at this hotel via a professional group block for a large convention center event. This event required us to book hotel rooms through the group block company ONLY. I booked it well in advance of the event dates. I received confirmation of my hotel booking from the group block company. I also received confirmation from the hotel itself of my room booking. I called the hotel the day before our stay to confirm my room.

The MORNING OF my trip I received an email stating that “unforeseen circumstances” made it so they were no longer able to provide me with ANY room at this hotel. And therefore they moved to another nearby hotel. One that I specifically did not book in the first place due to the terrible reviews of it.

So now, on the morning of my trip as I’m trying to get ready to go to the airport I have to call JW Marriott and speak to people that were not helpful in resolving this situation at all. They tried to tell me that the professional group block company had told them it was ok to move me. Absolutely not, and no they did not. What happened is the JW Marriott of LA live CHOSE to oversell their room capacity even though they knew they had an entire group block that was already booked. And when they didn’t have enough cancellations to accommodate for their greediness in overselling rooms, then they chose to move people without notice and without asking.

Absolutely unacceptable and terrible business model. As if traveling isn’t already stressful enough, JW Marriott LA live threw me a hotel switcheroo and zero customer service to back it up and help figure out an appropriate accommodation for me. I had to find and book an acceptable place on my own.

Still waiting to hear back from their corporate offices on resolving this issue but I will never ever plan a stay at this location and will truly avoid all JW Marriotts...