W Hollywood — Hotel in Los Angeles

The W Hollywood is simply excellent. That’s hard to admit, considering my prior review from 2020, but the new General Manager and the dedicated staff have transformed this property in ways that are truly amazing. I’m the most negative person in the entire world, and I can find faults with almost anything, but (between us) the W Hollywood is truly fantastic for travelers looking for a combination of elegance, relaxation, and mid-tempo positive energy 24/7. So, where do we begin?||||First, let’s talk about their restaurant. We all know that there are very few hotel restaurants that you’d ever go to if you weren’t staying there. We all know that typically, Marriott hotel restaurants don’t try hard because they have a guaranteed customer base, especially for busters like me that have “free breakfast” through Marriott. So, it’s hard to admit this, but the W Hollywood’s restaurant is simply perfect for what it is trying to be. Do you want a hotel breakfast with 30+ options? They have that. Do you want breakfast outside in a peaceful, welcoming, beautifully curated space? They have that. Do you want service so overwhelmingly good that the day you leave the property you feel compelled to write a lengthy review? They have that. But, let’s keep this next part between us. There’s a guy on the restaurant team, Josh, who treats busters and losers like me as if I was the most important person on Earth. Josh brought such excellence every day that I honestly wondered if he had previously served at a Michelin starred restaurant. If I was in hospitality, I’d have immediately made him an offer to join my team. Similarly, the food-beverage delivery team that manages all of the restaurant orders also delivers with a smile. Daniel, on that team, comes out and presents your meal as if it’s your birthday or an anniversary. It made every morning feel magical. Which again, is hard to admit, since I wake up grumpy and ready to critique the world. Ok fine, their hash browns weren’t perfect – more oil or butter would have been helpful. But, back to the good stuff. ||||Let’s talk about the W Hollywood pool. This is hard, because I don’t want everybody learning about what has to be one of the best high-end hotel pool areas in the larger metro area. Let’s get honest. A number of years ago, before the new GM, the team at the W Hollywood envisioned the pool to be a place with 24/7 Vegas New Years level energy. They tried that. It failed. So, they reinvented it. And it’s simply amazing. Imagine a hotel pool where you go there and there is actually a place to sit, without 100 people showing up at 9 am covering seats with towels and then blocking you from sitting down at 11:30 am. Imagine a hotel pool bar with an actual mixologist who creates authentic cocktails based upon his actual experience serving really good drinks and caring about things like how the drink is presented visually and with seasonal ingredients. Imagine a hotel pool where there’s an actual kitchen at the pool and your snacks and food come out delicious and fresh without the awkward 15 minute delay that other properties have, as they transfer it from 4 different kitchens. Staff like Leslie stopped by, seriously, maybe 15 times in 3 hours to make sure we were doing ok. Managers like Diana made sure that all of the annoying guests like me felt valued when we had weird requests like “I demand more ice in my drink because it’s too sunny up here!” Too much attention to detail! I’m used to being ignored or overlooked for hours! Bottom line - there’s nothing more amazing than having a hotel food and beverage pool experience and feeling like it was prepared at a late night speakeasy by an expert with 30 years’ experience. Thanks, Expert Mixologist Ben! When you’re ready to write your mixology book, I’ll place a pre-order! Mixologist Ben apparently curates amazing custom cocktails by the season. So, though I won’t be back in LA for a while, can’t wait to see what he has in store for next summer. ||||Next, let’s talk about the guest service experience. Marriott Lifetime Titanium here. 1800+ nights. Believe me, I know what it’s like to leave a property and wonder: “Do they simply hate their guests?” Well, the W Hollywood caters to people like me. Their management team is simply unbeatable, and spends most of the day proactively solving problems and making sure you feel like a valued guest. Micaela at the front-desk – knew the answer to every question I had during my stay, even before I asked. Jeff, who was quietly managing multiple parts of the hotel, was simply amazing – always willing to answer questions and demonstrating that hotel guests should be valued. Kid you not – he exuded such knowledge and kindness that I wished we were friends in real life. Imagine a hotel guest service team where the people you interact with do things like actually remember your name, and then greet you, kindly, by name, when they see you. WHAT? Imagine a guest service team where you casually mention that you like the color blue, and then the next day, your entire meal or experience or room is suddenly accented in blue, including Jeff’s pocket square. ||||Because I’m a demanding traveler who expects everything to be flawless, of COURSE I had an issue or two while I was there. Question – how many times have you been at a property, and had a concern, and then waited and waited only to get no answer or feel like you were ignored? But, here’s what separates W Hollywood from the rest. One day, I got unnaturally upset that my breakfast order wasn’t prepared exactly as it was ordered. I casually mentioned it to somebody at the hotel later. Shortly thereafter, Jessica, the Food and Beverage Manager, reached out to me to learn more. She then spent time fully learning the details, and said that she’d take the feedback to the team, and it wouldn’t happen again. The next day, not only was the problem solved, but the team actually said “thank you” for the feedback. WHAT? You know what would happen at most of the elite properties you might pick – you’re either ignored, or put on hold, or they summarily dismiss you. The W Hollywood is 100% in the opposite corner.||||There’s more. Yes, valet is expensive. But, wow! Can’t say I ever waited more than 90 seconds from the time they scanned the ticket until the car came out of the garage. Amazing. Is the hotel’s beautiful but casual restaurant Michelin starred? Of course not! But, you’re in Los Angeles. Enjoy it for breakfast or lunch and then break the bank down the street a few blocks and you’ll be ok. Does the hotel bar stay open until 2 in the morning? NO! But, if that’s your vibe, and you want a 24/7 hotel party, there are plenty of spots that will cater to your needs. ||||Bottom line – There are a TON of elite hotels in the larger LA area. I get it. It can be hard to figure out the differences. But if you’re a discerning traveler who wants to fully decompress and feel like you’re a celebrity when you’re not, and want to experience full luxury, dedicated service, and walk away feeling rejuvenated and refreshed, THIS is the place. The entire team is built around making sure you feel valued. And for annoying negative people like me, THAT is simply amazing. Thank you,...

A modern, safe, clean hotel, convenient to local attractions, however lacking some basic room conveniences and exceptional customer service. Solo or couple who plans to stay out most of the time then it's suitable, but not good for families or budget conscious people. If this hotel fits your needs, I recommend trying the W!

Details: Valet was very friendly and professional, at a mandatory $60.50 per day, I would expect courteous service to say the least. They made the exchange comfortable and allowed time to collect ourselves after a long drive. We left our car hours before our check in as we went to one of our tourist destinations, saving on parking fees. Neither valet nor the front desk offered a luggage cart so we hauled our bags up resulting in a bruise on my shoulder. Check-in process was easy and courteous. Typical $500 hold on your CC for incidentals. Wifi is free with Marriott membership, just choose a paid option and it will be adjusted at checkout. Wifi is mandatory because there was ZERO reception in the room, and we have a leading mobile carrier. Forced wifi could cost you an additional $15-25 per day. I expected exceptional service to be the highlight of the stay, but we were not addressed outside of a typical business manner. I know many people are probably in town to celebrate but the "above and beyond" service is what sets apart the experience and determines if it becomes the routine place to stay. This customer service was basic. There were several opportunities during interactions through the app chat feature and through front desk interactions to show personalized service, but our special moments were never acknowledged. I asked about tourist options and mentioned we were celebrating my fiance's 40th birthday and we were to be married in a month (never mind he's 20 years in the Navy and I'm a teacher which was evident by our ids at check in), and the CSR did not even acknowledge our plans, just a conclusion of "I can have our concierge email you the information" which was not much to offer. I don't expect to be treated like royalty, but a simple congratulations and thanks for choosing our hotel would have been nice. Other missed "exceptional" opportunities during requests and interactions were minimal, but needs were always met. The room: clean, comfortable, well maintained. Toiletries are quality but the shower gel was obviously used. Shower pressure was nice, but you have to walk through water and can't keep your hair dry. There is a window from the bedroom into the bathroom, mostly frosted so you cannot see the person on the toilet but it's unnecessary. Fridge was small (too shallow to fit a leftover box) and was fully stocked so I had to make room which means these beers/drinks have been room temp then re-chilled repeatedly=unsafe! A full mini bar= typical full size bottle prices for a tiny bottle. It's a very modern minimalist room, so only a desk/dresser with a couple of shallow drawers and 2 nightstands. No additional table or sitting space to eat or do your makeup. The light up mirror was broken, no microwave, despite multiple lamps the lighting was too poor to do makeup or even read/work, and curtains do not block sunlight. They entered our room the 1st day even though we had a do not disturb sign on our door. Guest areas have a nice ambiance, chill music vibe, feels safe with security all around. It doesn't even hint at the unsightly population of homeless people around (it's LA, IYKYK). The bar offerings are tasty but pricey. Ordered pork belly sliders, buffalo chicken sliders (3 sliders both w/ a palm size serving of shoestring fries), and a paloma. In total before tip was over $80 for the 3 items. Checkout was also very easy however they do not give you your total receipt until later through email. We had no unusual charges, but if you do then I can see how it might be a back and...

This stay has taught us that the name might be the same but the experience can be very very different.

Check in on the 12th floor looks impressive,it has rooftop views overlooking Hollywood. The reception, bar and restaurant all kind of merge into one. We arrived early and our room wasn't ready so we had lunch. When it came to pay for lunch we were asked for our room number but we explained we didn't yet have one. Our server went and found out for us and said our room was ready. We were relieved as after a 14-hour flight we just wanted to have a shower and freshen up. We went to reception to collect the key only to be told our room wasn't actually ready at all, in fact it would be another 3-4 hours at least. Absolutely dog tired we went and slept on sun loungers by the pool area till our room was ready,it was borderline humiliating. Had we known it would be such a long wait we would have booked in from the night before.

On actual check in we had to pay in advance for our whole stay and pay an additional $500 deposit for incidentals. We found that annoying but we accepted it then, 3 days later, an additional $280 was taken without our permission or authority. We asked why it had happened and were told it was because we had lunch?! We had not given our permission for our card to be charged but the hotel took it upon themselves to charge the card regardless. The hotel was now holding $780usd 'deposit' because we had lunch which cost less than $100.

The room - basic sums it up. For people from the UK, think travelodge vibes (execpt a travelodge has a facility to make hot drinks but these rooms don't) it's the furthest thing from a mariott hotel. Not a single photo or picture on the white walls and only colour was a cushion on the white bed.And the bed, oh my, so low down it might as well have been a mattress on the floor and it was like a marshmallow. The room looks into residential apartments. It has air con that sounds like it works on a coin-operated meter, it's noisy and inefficient and the room is very dark, despite being white.

We did have an afternoon at the pool. I went through one entrance and had my bag searched by security, my husband went through the door from reception and wasn't stopped as there was not any security. Every single bed had a towel on it which made us think they'd been reserved and every day bed had a reserved sign on. An enquiry with the pool bar informed us to sit where we wanted, it was all very confusing. The pool service was attentive, quick and friendly. It was such an eclectic mix of people on the pool deck, families, kids in floaties, couples, insta posers, grandmas and a DJ on the decks.

Comparing this to other W hotels this hotel is basic and it isn't the standard we'd expect from this brand. The hotel staff are friendly and attentive but taking money from a card without authority was out of order and the manager literally could not have 1) cared or 2) give any reasonable or logical explanation as to why other than 'it's a system thing'. It's simply unacceptable. We live in Australia and this was an additional $1000aud being held!

This hotel is right on the edge of Hollywood Boulevard which sadly is filled with homelessness and people out of their mind of drugs but the hotel does have security so you feel safe. It is right next to the metro for easy access around the city. If you're after a no frills base for LA this is a good option but if you're after something with a bit more pizzazz, some amenities and a bit of luxury this place is...