Sheraton Gateway Hotel LAX
Written: Nov 17 '07
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Within Per Diem, Close to Airport
Cons: Overcharged bill, expensive, not extended stay friendly.
The Bottom Line: There are better, more modern, more user-friendly places around. Go there instead.
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| Mrsfitts's Full Review: Sheraton Gateway Hotel Los Angeles Airport |
All of the Hilton and Marriott properties I looked at were out of my per diem on a last-minute trip to the Los Angeles area, The Sheraton Gateway was available, and while I was grateful, I think I should've done more searching.
Sheraton Gateway Hotel LAX
Reservations
I used the Travelocity Business website to try to book a room, but when I kept coming up with prices twice my per diem, I called the Travelocity operator who hooked me up with the Sheraton Gateway. I was warned that a 24 hour cancellation notice is in effect, and we were less than 12 hour to check in so I couldn't cancel and get a refund. I had to go, so I wasn't worried.
Checking In
Valet parking gets you to the wall of frosted doors that are the entry way into the Gateway. After you tell the Valet that you're checking in, they give you a number and you keep that for your entire stay.
I walked in through the bank of frosted windows into a ceramic tiled lobby that boasted a Starbucks on the left and gift shop on the right and lots of seating areas in between. The registration desk isn't very easy to recognize, it looks more like those timeshare sales places or excursion sales places. No obvious signs, but someone beckoned me over to check in.
The man checking me in was trying to train a young lady that while very pretty was also very bored. I could tell that she didn't pay any attention... maybe that's how my bill got so screwed up, but that's later in this tale.
I got my room key, and despite repeated attempts to let them know I'd never stayed here before I had to ask for each and every piece of information I needed since the hotel layout is not intuitive. After each query as to where this or that was (including the elevators) I added the tag line “I’ve never been here before” but the desk people didn’t seem to connect the dots. I finally gave up and explored on my own. This is after a 15-hour workday where I need #1-Room, #2-Food, & #3-Beer. I don’t have to be up until 4am so I had plenty of time to search in the hour before I washed my hair and went to sleep.
Room 1008
Room 1008 is on the 10th floor down one wing from the elevators. Way down. This is good because do you know how many people have to slam doors, talk on a cell like they’re trying to be heard at an airport, and think that their screaming, running, yelling kids in a corridor of a hotel is an ok thing? Too many. So the room was nicely located near the end, leaving the more traveled areas closer to the elevators.
My room had a very Asian feel to it, lots of black wood and simplistic styling. As you entered the difficult-to-close door (the latch wouldn’t catch) you walk down a corridor with a closet and then bathroom to your right. The bathroom was all-inclusive, which for a single person doesn’t matter, but if you have a shower hog, no one will get to use the single sink with hair dryer or toilet. The bathroom has seen better days. The porcelain in the tub was peeling; the showerhead was full of calcium and you could see the sink area was old. But the shower curtains were a bright white with no mildew, so that was good.
The main living area has a television armoire, a desk with $10.95 HS Internet access and a phone. My room had 2 beds with a night stand in-between. The lamp on the nightstand had a cool slider on-off switch, but the alarm clock didn’t work. Neither did the remote for the television, but I didn’t have time after all my exploring to worry about it. A coffee maker and coffees and teas are on the desk.
There is an overstuffed chair and floor lamp on the other side of the 2nd bed, but they’re hard to get to because of the lack of room issue. I struggled to get around them every night to pull the curtain shut.
The rooms are not soundproofed so you hear every slamming door, laughing kid and cellphone addicted person from your room.
The Sheraton Gateway Hotel
I found the pool outside where a manager’s reception was being held. Formal dressed waiters were serving bowls of beef with vegetables and an open bar flanked the pool area. It was night, so I could see the large fitness center that has a wall of windows over looking the pool. I really meant to use the fitness center but there just wasn’t enough time this trip when I’d leave the hotel at 5am and get back at 6:30pm every day. I didn’t really have energy to even watch TV, but the maid had the clock and the television remote fixed without my mentioning it so I did get to do some TV watching.
The first floor, either outside or inside is where most everything is. Shula’s 347, Starbucks, food at the bar, were the 3 dining venues I used. I also used room service. A $50 hamburger and pie wasn’t bad compared to the $65 steak at Shula’s and that doesn’t include any side dishes. Valet parking is outside the front, and is $24.20/night for guests. The gift shop has upscale purses and trinkets for sale. Nothing that I needed, so I didn’t shop there.
My Recommendations
The Sheraton Gateway Los Angeles is more for the wined and dined businessman, not for the extended stay worker-bee. There is no refrigerator or microwave oven, a single beer is $8 after tax and tip, a hamburger dinner is $50. But, the one saving grace of this hotel was the very comfortable beds. If they had not been comfortable I would’ve checked out the next day.
Speaking of check-out I forgot to mention that I was double billed for valet parking for each night ($50/n for parking????) and I was charged $10.95 for Internet access, I didn’t even have my computer because I knew this was a killer-hours type of trip. They got removed, but by the slowest desk clerk I’ve dealt with yet. Not just slow with me, but I got to wait and watched how he handled the people before me. Time is money folks!
So, I don’t recommend this hotel to anyone other than conventioneers. Certainly not for those on vacation.
Recommended:
No
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Mrsfitts
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Member: Pam Fitts
Location: SF Bay Area, CA
Reviews written: 203
Trusted by: 442 members
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