I stayed here for a business trip & while I genuinely appreciate the hotel's efforts to accommodate…read moreme, ultimately this property was not for me & I wouldn't stay here again.
For me, luxury is autonomy, and I think it's difficult to provide a luxury experience to a guest unless you understand what they consider "luxury". Personally, I prefer things to be handled in a way that allows me to have what I need without having to ask, wait, or rely on someone else for something I could easily (& quickly) do myself. Unfortunately, too much of the service here felt like "service for the sake of service" rather than service tailored to what I actually needed.
There were definitely things I enjoyed. I appreciated the welcome bottle of water & glass of wine, particularly in 105° heat. I loved the bright, modern design, art-focused atmosphere, rooftop pool, in-room books & magazines, handheld shower wand, foot-washing bar, makeup mirror, makeup cloths, makeup remover wipes & abundance of bathroom hooks. There are beautiful amenities here, and there are genuinely caring employees.
My room experience, however, had too many shortcomings. My original King room was smaller than expected, with limited usable surfaces & no luggage rack. There was a handheld steamer but no iron/ironing board or convenient place to hang clothing while steaming. The TVs were glitchy & Chromecast repeatedly disconnected. There was no actual refrigerator or microwave, only a beverage chiller stocked with soda and energy drinks, which I didn't consume. It took more than 4 hours & multiple calls to Guest Services to receive a refrigerator & microwave. Even ice has to be requested. For someone who values autonomy, having to call & wait for basic conveniences is not luxury.
Noise was another major issue. The heavy doors slam loudly enough to shake the room, hallway conversations are clearly audible, & I could hear the guest above me pacing. This was frustrating because I specifically requested a top-floor corner room due to a medical condition that makes me sensitive to noise. Plus while traveling for work, these disturbances were incredibly disruptive to my sleep.
I do want to give credit where it is due. On my 2nd day, Front Desk Manager Stacy asked how my stay was going. When I explained the noise issues, she was empathetic & found a top-floor corner suite that was available. The suite was substantially more spacious & considerably quieter, and the upgrade genuinely changed the rest of my stay. I'm incredibly grateful for Stacy's kindness & willingness to actually solve the problem. The engineering staff were fantastic in bringing and moving my microwave and refrigerator from my original room to my suite.
Carlos also went out of his way to provide excellent service, from delivering my Amazon packages to offering helpful recommendations of things to do.
Unfortunately, even in the suite, I noticed housekeeping issues: smeared handprints on windows, large streaks across the dressing mirror & conspicuous stains on mattress covers. There were also a few noise issues although they weren't nearly as bad. I could still hear the occasional door slamming, but also loud, muffled conversations through the air vents from the neighboring suite.
The pool area had issues too. Discarded food sat on a nearby lounger for hours, smelled foul & was covered with ants. I shouldn't have had to enjoy my $40 parmesan truffle fries & French 75 next to someone's funky food waste. The employee who delivered my food also saw the trash but didn't dispose of it. The pool itself also needed cleaning, with visible oil & grime buildup on the walls, stairs & bottom. Dedicated pool attendants or regular 30-60 minute housekeeping checks would help. The metal-wire loungers were unbelievably uncomfortable & desperately need cushions.
The valet experience was particularly frustrating. I experienced numerous issues surrounding professionalism, attention to detail & even safety that had to be reported to hotel management, but I appreciate them taking my concerns seriously and addressing them promptly.
Finally, getting change was unnecessarily difficult. I had to visit 3 different places in the hotel before finding some, and one front-desk employee started to suggest I walk several blocks to 7-Eleven in 105° heat before stopping herself. With so many staff providing service who deserve to be tipped, the hotel should make cash & change more accessible. Fortunately, the restaurant was able to help.
I'm grateful to the employees that genuinely tried to make my stay better. Unfortunately there were just too many operational, cleanliness & noise issues for me to consider this a 5-star experience.