SLS Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Beverly Hills — Hotel in Los Angeles

Nov 30 – dic 4, 2023

I recently had the displeasure of staying at the SLS Hotel in Los Angeles, and the experience was nothing short of a costly nightmare. From the moment of arrival, the service was consistently abysmal, and the staff exhibited a shocking lack of hospitality.

The entire staff, from the valet to the waitstaff and bellmen, seemed perpetually in a bad mood and provided no semblance of good service. The check-in process was needlessly complicated, and the staff displayed a dismissive and rude attitude towards guests.

The hotel itself was a disappointment. The aged ambiance was accompanied by a pervasive unpleasant odor, dim lighting, and an overall lack of upkeep. However, what truly set this hotel apart was its utterly atrocious service and treatment of guests.

The staff's attitude was completely unyielding. We couldn't charge restaurant bills to our room, the bellman refused to assist with luggage, and the valet was visibly irritated when returning our car—this, despite the exorbitant $70 per night fee. The front desk personnel were consistently rude, adding to the overall unpleasant experience.

One night, we returned to room 265 to find it completely flooded (attached are photos and videos). We immediately reported the issue to the front desk, only to be told they needed to investigate whether it was our fault. This was preposterous, as housekeeping had serviced the room during the day and should have noticed any issues. Regrettably, we received no follow-up on their promised investigation.

Upon requesting a solution, we were offered a room with a single bed, which was not a feasible option as we had booked a room with two beds. The entire ordeal stretched until 4 am. The next day, at 9 am, we were told we could change rooms. However, when we were ready for the switch, we were informed it wasn't possible, and we had to endure the soaked room until further notice.

It took a staggering 28 hours, in the early hours of the next day, before we were finally moved to a new room. Throughout this ordeal, the hotel offered no support, no apology, and, most shockingly, no reimbursement for the inconveniences and damages caused.

Adding insult to injury, the cost of this nightmarish experience was exorbitant, with a mind-boggling $493 per night for a room. I find it appalling that such a steep price would be attached to a stay marred by such severe issues. As a result, I am seeking a full refund for the four nights of my stay.

When we inquired about compensation, the hotel callously shrugged off any responsibility, claiming we booked through Expedia and should take the matter up with them. This lack of accountability is unacceptable, especially considering the high cost of our stay.

The SLS Hotel claims to be a 5-star luxury establishment, but it utterly fails to live up to such standards. This experience was not only the worst we've encountered in any hotel but particularly disheartening given the hotel's reputation and price point.

We departed thoroughly disappointed, having received no compensation or resolution for the numerous issues we faced. This stay was a far cry from the luxury experience promised, and I strongly advise against choosing the SLS Hotel for your accommodations in Los Angeles.

I REQUEST A FULL REFUND FOR...

Our experience at the SLS was very disappointing. Some context: We live in Los Angeles. My husband and I have a 2 year old and a 3 month old. We have been in great need of time to ourselves and my husband suggested a one night hotel mini-cation to recharge and reconnect. We wanted a luxurious and indulgent stay. I had a bunch of starwood points and we decided to book at the SLS, which markets itself as a luxury hotel. The room that we booked was listed at over $600 per night had we paid cash.

When we arrived at the hotel, all seemed well. The downstairs scene was buzzy and we were excited to check in. Reception staff were pleasant and saw a notation in our reservation that this was a special occasion for us and offered to send something to the room. Great! We headed upstairs.

Our room was really disappointing. It just felt shabby. The curtain in the bathroom was some sort of mustard colored polyester, and did not seem like it was part of the original design. The bathroom itself did not have a bathtub and was handicap accessible, which was ironic because my husband and I slipped several times walking out of the bathroom down a slight incline in the carpet. The mini-bar basket items looked like it had been sitting there forever. Although I noted in my reservation that there were two guests in the room, there was only one bathrobe.

We waited for the champagne that reception was sending. And we waited. And finally we called to see how much longer we should wait. We were told it was on the way, and we asked for some ice to go along with it. A few minutes later there was a knock on the door and someone had come with the ice, but not the champagne. At that point, tired of waiting, we went to check out the pool. It was nothing special. When we returned to the room, it took yet another call to get the champagne delivered.

We had dinner at Bazaar. Part of the draw of the SLS was its reputation for having such a good restaurant within it, and my husband and I enjoy fine dining and good food. The ambiance at Bazaar was great but we were ultimately disappointed by our experience. First, although the restaurant wasn't full, the hostess tried to sit us at an undesirable table. But mainly, for a $180 tab, the portions were tiny and the food was only okay. For example, we started with this tuna cone special that was literally two bites for $18. Our waiter highly recommended it, but didn't accurately describe it. There are so many excellent meals that could be had for $180 within 1 mile of the SLS, and we left feeling dissatisfied.

When we checked out the next day, reception asked us how we enjoyed our stay, and we said, "eh." That was when she asked us to speak with "Alfredo," but we didn't have time to talk then. I emailed Alfredo about our experience. He never responded. If I had to sum up our experience at the SLS, I would describe it as smoke and mirrors. If I had paid $600 for the room, I would have felt ripped off. As locals who have stayed in other LA area hotels (Beverly Wilshire, Montage, Loews Santa Monica, Ritz Marina del Rey, Fairmont Santa Monica, Langham Pasadena), we did not feel that the SLS lived up...

After a few weeks of leaving our stay at the SLS Hotel in LA and reflecting on the 5 night stay with my partner, I feel more comfortable and objective in writing my review. Yes, I could have done it immediately based on the copious notes I keep daily with the names of the hotel staff and my experiences. Yet, over the past 35 years of staying at various hotels around the world and being a top tier Marriott patron, I have learned to spend the time necessary to reflect on the experience. It helps me be more honest and not biased at a particular moment. In summary out of 10 stars: Overall Experience: 9.75/10; Unique Personalized Guest Experience: 9.5/10; Hotel Amenities: 8/10; Management Involvement in Guest Experience: 9.5/10; Hotel’s Ability to Support Guest Needs: 10/10; Room Cleanliness: 9/10; Hotel Location & Surrounding Walkability: 8.5/10; Parking at or Around Hotel: 8/10; Efficiency of Check-in/out: 10/10; Hotel Food Quality: 10/10; Rooftop Pool/Bar/Food Experience: 9.75/10; Post Hotel Stay Needs: 7/10 Key Notes Related to Rankings: • Limited local parking/hotel parking expensive at $70/day; • Every single staff regardless of position or time of day were not just personable, but made you feel like they truly had your best interest at heart and were more friend than a trained sales representative (see names below). They would even call you by your first name and remembered you; • Still waiting on my detailed cost breakdown for Omakase for business reqmt; • The hotel chef and his creative food choices were absolutely amazing and not expected; we ate at the SLS almost every day other than a run to Cecconi’s.

Specific Staff Experiences: • Understand that this list is only a partial list and only those we dealt with regularly. Even though we only interacted with those staff in this review, all the others were nonetheless amazing and so this review should not take away from all the great staff including those behind the scenes that make this hotel a wonderful service and visual guest experience; • Juan runs a great team, his attention to detail and optimum guest experience is one of the best I have experienced and was working as hard as anyone; • Leo/Leslie – very efficient with moving cars in/out of the parking garage and ensured amazing service and personal first touch; • Carlos ran the front door to open and close but mostly ensure one of the first faces and personalities you meet reinforced the truly great experience each day. • Bethlehem- great at customer service each and every day • Kaylee- helped us find a larger room with a sofa bed to accommodate my son! Sooo helpful! • Isamar- Excellent service with a ‘get to know you’ personal service • Alex- front desk manager always smiling very helpful • Shelby-excellent day shift bartender, great drinks and her playlist was perfect for the...