SIRTAJ – Beverly Hills

There is the feeling of dispondent bankruptcy about what once was an outstanding boutique hotel. There is no one to help with your luggage. There is only a student at the front desk, struggling to comply with all the travellers needs. Checking in, checking out, moving heavy suitcases around, room problems, telephone calls to front desk. Management is a remote camera. Requests only by email and are brusquely refused Gone are the amenities, in room coffee and water. To make matters worse, there is no cable TV. To US citizens it means watching TV on their phones or iPads and to non citizens this means, no TV other than three religious stations or two Chinese language. The once charming bar and dining area is now sheathed in darkness, which is approximately half of the reception. Suitable only for an overnight stay..

While this is an older building and the room has not been updated in decor (everything was outdated, mirror glass peeling, duct tape on the floorboard, dark paneling), the room was clean and everything worked. The elevator was very slow, I used the stairs after the first time. If you are looking for an okay place in a great location near Beverly Hills, this should meet you needs.

In general the property is fine. It was clean, the bed was comfortable and the shower was hot. It also has a great location. I had to book in a rush and I almost cancelled the reservation mid flight. The reviews I read were awful. The property did not reflect that in my opinion. Parking is expensive. There is ongoing construction, and a dumpster was right outside my first floor window. Fortunately, I was in LA for work so I did not have to bear the noise during the day. When I returned each evening construction had stopped for the day. Noise, overnight, in the building was nominal. The hotel is very no frills. There is no food nor a bar onsite, although a water machine is in the lobby. I would not stay with my family, as the rooms are very small. Overall the property is great for a single business traveller.

Our overall experience was disappointing, particularly when it came to service and attention to detail. The hotel did not seem to be on top of basic room maintenance. For example, the closet door in our room would not open properly—something that should have been noticed and corrected before a guest checked in. We also found the front desk staff to be unnecessarily rigid and felt that the hotel nickel-and-dimed its guests. Our room was already cleaned and available when we arrived around noon, yet we were told we would have to pay an additional $50 if we wanted to check in before 2:00 PM. I can understand an early check-in fee when special arrangements are required, but charging $50 when the room was already sitting ready seemed excessive. On the way to our room, we noticed another room in the same price category that appealed to us a little more. We politely asked if we could switch to that room and were given a flat “No,” without any explanation or attempt to accommodate us. Finally, a large yellow “Wet Floor” sign was left directly in front of our room for our entire two-night stay. When we asked if it could be moved, we were simply told that it could not. It may seem like a small issue, but it was another example of the lack of attention and flexibility we experienced throughout our stay. Our impression of the hotel is that could benefit greatly from better attention to its rooms and a more accommodating, guest-friendly approach to service.

Bring earplugs if you’re a light sleeper or sensitive to noise other than that I absolutely loved my stay and hope to come back soon 😊