The Garland — Hotel in Los Angeles

Myself and my partner stayed here on the 10th & 11th Feb 2024 at the start of our week long LA trip. ||Firstly, this hotel, and the restaurant attached, is absolutely stunning. The vibe is amazing and both myself and my partner agreed we would love to come back one day! The cocktails were incredible at the hotel bar, particularly the 'Capri Sun' one. Both bar staff and clientele friendly. Front desk was also friendly and informative, as well as the doormen, who were great and couldn't do enough for us! The hotel always has events/stuff going on such as movies at the pool in the eve, yoga on certain mornings and a superbowl watch party event at the pool when we were there, which we particularly liked. I also liked that the clientele was quite diverse - a nice mix of young and old, families, couples and solo travelers etc. The room was impeccable and clean, and the bed was extremely comfy, with the pillows being a highlight! They are also more than happy to store your bags if you're headed out somewhere on the day of checkout. Food and service at The Front Yard was wonderful too. ||However, there were some disappointing aspects of our stay. My partner proposed to me during our stay here (which was truly wonderful), however, he explained to me after he was worried it wasn't special enough, as he had actually asked the concierge (who he was told at the front desk arranged this kind of thing) for help to make it more romantic. The concierge got a book out, and was about to go through proposal packages (I think?!) with him but upon hearing that he wanted to propose the following night, she closed the book and said they need 48hrs notice to do anything for a proposal. So that was that. I completely understand the hotel needing 48hrs, my partner would have booked something but the ring only arrived the day before, hence why he held off. However, the fact not even an alternative was offered, such as a bottle of champagne in the room, my partner would have paid triple the price of a normal package for that small token, and that doesn't take as much manpower as having to source rose petals or whatever else was usually included in a proposal package. All they would need to do is get a bottle from the bar and take it to the room, and as I say, my partner would've paid whatever they quoted him just for that small token! It felt like this was an opportunity for the hotel to make easy money, and easily win points with us as guests, but it felt like the concierge didn't care, which is a real shame, especially for a once in a lifetime event like this.||The night of the actual proposal, we were at Universal's CityWalk beforehand (just after the superbowl) and waited for the shuttle. We were there 5 min early. The shuttle still hadn't arrived 20 min after it's scheduled pickup time. In fairness to the hotel, when I called them and asked what was going on, they instantly sent the shuttle to pick us up, so the customer service was on point there. Not sure what happened there, and the driver did apologise profusely, but as I'm from the UK if I hadn't had calls abroad enabled, we'd have had to find somewhere with Wifi in order to pay for an Uber, which would have been a shame as we booked this hotel due to it's shuttle. I do think, and hope, this was a one off!||Finally, after checking out of the hotel, we were in the gift shop, I wanted to buy some souvenirs as this was the hotel I got engaged at after all! I really liked the shop, the merch it had for the hotel was really cute, and it also had tasteful gifts from other independent brands. I saw pens and stickers which seemed free, so I asked if I could have one of each, I almost felt rude asking, so I explained to the lady at the checkout desk, who was stood with another woman, that I was buying souvenirs as I got engaged here last night. The checkout lady and the lady stood next to her didn't even respond to me! They stayed silent. I just found it really odd and unfriendly, especially considering they had been so chatty with each other before I came to the desk. My partner told me after that one of the ladies at the checkout who ignored me was the concierge who hadn't helped him before. Again, I just found it strange...maybe some customer service training is needed for the concierge, as from our encounters with her, she didn't seem well suited to a customer facing role. ||It's a real shame about the bad points of our stay, especially considering our engagement as this is a once in a lifetime event, and everything else is so great about this hotel it feels bad to give them...

If they hadn't lied about accessible rooms, the stay would have been absolutely perfect and I would have given 5 stars. The hotel is super cute, the trolley is adorable and so convenient to go to the metro and Universal. The room was very comfortable. Two weeks before my trip, I broke my foot. Super unfortunate. As soon as I knew that I couldn't walk for a while, I called the hotel and explained the situation and asked them if I could get an ADA-accessible room what they call a 2 queen deluxe accessible. The website said the room had a shower with a bench and rail. I cannot put weight on my broken foot so I cannot stand in the shower. The staff was so nice and told me that they would put us in one of those rooms. I was so relieved. We get there, check in and again they confirm that we have the accessible room. We get to the room and it is a standard shower. Nothing was accessible about it, there was a tiny step to get, no rail, no bench, and the shower head wasn't handheld or adjustable. We go to the front desk and explain the situation and ask if we were put in an accessible room, they said we were and didn't know what happened. Then, a manager (I think) came and asked what was wrong, so I told him that our shower is not accessible and I need something to sit on to shower. He was so nice and got us a chair to add to the shower until we can find a better solution. He told us that this was a temporary fix. Fast forward to the day after, we haven't heard anything. Every time we go back to the front desk to ask for an update, they are all unaware of the issue, so it seems like nothing was communicated or done about it. I asked this woman at the front desk and she tells us she has a room with a tub that might be better, she sends me with an employee to go see if and see if I like it. So I go all the way there and the room is the exact same one that I have (same shower, no tub). It felt like an absolute joke and a waste of my time. I left and went back to the front desk later, hoping to talk to someone different. So we go back a few hours later, explain the whole situation again and that's when they finally tell us that we were never placed in an accessible room (so they lied to us at check-in), that the hotel only had one accessible room and it was booked. They told us that when the guest checked in, if they didn't really need it, they would call us and let us have it. No one ever called us. Honestly, I get it, they only had one room but what bothers me is that they lied to me and told me we had an accessible room and then they kept telling us to wait and never reached out. I wished they would have been honest from the start and said: listen, we only have one accessible room in the whole hotel and it is booked, sorry about that, here is a chair for the shower. The communication is what bothers me, especially about something as important as the accessibility of the room.

Now, the absolute highlight of the trip was Jorge who drove the shuttle. I had concerns about getting on it, since there were 4 steps to climb aboard and I cannot go up stairs. The front desk lady was so unhelpful about it and pretty much was saying I was out of luck. I think she thought I was faking my injury because she took none of my concerns seriously, but I cannot put weight on my right foot because it is broken and it is awful to not be able to walk or stand, especially on vacation. Jorge saw me on the knee scooter and offered me to my relief, to use the lift they have for wheelchairs. Jorge was so kind and helpful, it was a pleasure to see him come pick us up every night. His genuine kindness and assistance made the difference. You have an amazing employee and I hope you recognize...

My new home away from home! We have family that lives in LA and we finally found a hotel that feels like they actually care about their property and their guests. LA hotels I’ve found to be pretentious and unclean but this one surpasses all my expectations. How refreshing to see workers CLEANING, yes not just arranging or tidiness, I mean dusting the outdoor lights deep cleaning. The facility is larger than it looks but small enough to make you feel like you are not just a door number. It’s cozy and so many places to just chill and relax. I felt welcomed back every time we left. I am amazed at how well the property is maintained while keeping the nostalgic feel. Retro vibes that made me feel like I was back in my childhood home minus the shag carpets! So fun, great mix of old and new. You are always greeted with a welcome, a smile and a genuine is there anything else we can do to make your stay better. My absolute judge of cleanliness is the state of the laundry facilities and gym- both were immaculate! Expensive @3.00 a load but worth it for how clean it is especially in LA. I toured the gym and the equipment is giant so it can pose a problem if your a petite 5’2” but there are plenty of options. We didn’t drive so I can not give you any feedback on parking. Breakfast is a must and the cocktails are pretty great. My only complaints: the crazy European sliding doors that come off track that the hotel handy person fixes without complaint or hesitation when the grown children pull them off track lol and the water pressure in the shower is lacking but I’m sure that has to do with conservation. It does make it hard to rinse your hair. These are minor issues, nothing to make your stay uncomfortable unless you’re an angry human. Everyone was friendly , facility was clean and many fun selfie areas around the property. It looks to have a beautiful garden for events and weddings that I hope we can explore on our next visit. Little touches everywhere that make your stay fun and safe! There are a few homeless in the area but my husband and I walked to the grocery and Starbucks safely but really there’s no reason to leave with the fantastic restaurant on property and there is a trolley to take you places. We just know the area and wanted to walk. We did not get to do the many events they have on property due to a busy schedule but I hope to do the yoga in the park on our next stay. I’m scared to post this review, it’s like a secret I don’t want to share. Not geared towards younger kids hotel, more for adults but if you do bring your children they have a separate hot tub for kids and adults so that was pretty awesome , a great pool and they did have a movie night and a foosball table. Older kids would like this hotel because it’s safe enough for them to wander the grounds, has cool selfie areas, good WiFi and a gym. I can’t wait to return for another stay with just my husband and I. Thank you Garland for being great, hope to see...