When returning from our trip to Tahiti, we arrived in the late afternoon when no other flights were leaving for Detroit. We had eight hours to kill and after an eight and a half hour flight, I knew that we were going to need a shower and a nap. I did some searches on hotels.com, travelocity and hotwire, but I found the best deal at starwood.com. They were running a $59.99 internet special for the Four Points by Sheraton – LAX. With an additional 500 Starwood Points for booking online, this sounded like a great deal. I called the reservation line to see if there was any kind of special that they offer since we were only staying for seven hours, but the internet special was the best price.

The Shuttle

The Four Points shuttle is very easy to find. Once you walk out of any terminal at LAX, there are signs that direct you to the appropriate island. Follow the Red sign to Hotel shuttles. You won’t wait long and their shuttle is a wine color with a large logo on the side. Since there are about five different Sheraton and Starwood properties at LAX, make sure that you read the logo. The driver was friendly and quickly loaded our luggage and we settled into a clean, comfortable shuttle, complete with air conditioning and upholstered seats. Once out of the LAX airport area, the ride was only about two minutes to the entrance of the hotel on Airport Blvd. We were told that at night, the shuttle only runs on the hour and half hour, but we found it waiting when we went down at quarter after nine.

Check in and the Lobby

The entire first floor of the hotel is for the lobby, restaurant, gift shop and conference rooms. As we entered, we noticed a gift shop that sold snack foods, newspapers and magazines, and a few “I LOVE LAX” souvenirs. There were some comfortable chairs and tables near the main desk and a large glass wall that we could see the heated pool outside. When we walked up to the desk, there were two lines to check in and we stepped into the Starwood member line. We were the next to be helped and I was thrilled when they told us that they we were upgraded to a junior suite. We got our room key, walked past the bar and grill and found a bank of elevators at the far end next to quite a few conference rooms.

Our Room

Our suite included a king sized bed, living area and a small bathroom. In the living area, there was a comfortable couch, chair, coffee table, desk and end tables. There was also a small table that was suitable for eating and a small TV. The carpeting was a nice shade of dark green and the accents were all in wood and bright cream colors. The view from the windows left little to be desired. You basically got a view of billboards, other hotels and traffic.

The bathroom was quite small with a single sink in the corner with a small counter, toilet and tub/shower combination. Everything was in white and clean enough for my taste. They provided shampoo, conditioner and soap. Outside of the bathroom, there was a large closet with an iron and ironing board.

We only used our bed for a short nap, but it was comfortable with ample pillows. There was an end table next to each side with an alarm clock. The bed was covered in a muted bed spread and there was a thin blanket. Lying in bed, we could hear the airplanes going overhead, but I guess this is expected from an airport hotel.

The bar and room service

When we passed Brewster’s Pub on the way to our room, we noticed a large bar with a lot of people and a large screen TV. I was starving and needed something to eat, but the bar was too noisy for me, so I ordered room service. The menu was very nice, with appetizers, salads, sandwiches and desserts all ranging from $8 to $20. I picked out the seafood quesadillas, a coke and a bottle of water. They said that it would be twenty minutes. To my surprise, they were there in ten minutes with a pretty linen covered tray. My husband signed for it, closed the door and said “What did you get for $24!” $24! I couldn’t believe it. How did my $12 quesadillas suddenly become twice as much. Well, I should have known better, but the Coke and Water added on another $8 (I should have just found a vending machine) and there was tax and gratuity already added in. Then my husband also gave them a tip. The quesadillas were good, but it was a lot of money to pay.

One of my favorite memories . . .

of our trip to Tahiti happened here. My husband is a HUGE Red Wings fan. While we were in Tahiti, the third round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs were going on against our largest rival, the Colorado Avalanche. Not only could my poor husband not watch the games in Tahiti, most of the time we couldn’t get the internet to work and couldn’t even find out the scores. We found out most of the scores by calling home. When we got to LAX it was Game 7 of the final round. We watched the game from our room in amazement as the Red Wings PUMMELLED the Avalanche and won 7-0. When we think back on that season, that game was special and it made our last day at LAX memorable.

All in all

The Four Points by Sheraton – LAX is a basic airport hotel. There is nothing extraordinary about it, but it was a nice hotel for a necessary layover and I would stay here again. Look for specials on the internet for great deals.





Recommended: Yes