Arya Moalemi

Review of The London Hotel West Hollywoo...

My husband and I chose to celebrate our honeymoon ...

My husband and I chose to celebrate our honeymoon at the London because we wanted to indulge ourselves at a 5-star hotel for four nights; however, our stay was a big let-down. Unfortunately, for a hotel room that cost us over $500 a night, the surprisingly poor level of service dashed any positive experiences. We recommend enjoying your stay in West Hollywood elsewhere.

The disappointing tone of our experience was set immediately once our taxi dropped us off at the hotel. The vehicle attendants / bellmen talked among themselves and did not address us, did not welcome us, and, most annoyingly, did not offer any help with our several bags and suits as we entered the lobby fully encumbered.

The lackluster service continued at the front desk where the representative barely looked up from her computer to address us as she checked us in. When I asked if I could have a cart to hang our bags, she seemed confused by the request but eventually took the bags to be hung on a hook behind her. While still only looking at the screen during check-in, she un-enthusiastically said, "I see it's your honeymoon." Upon hearing this, another representative suggested a room upgrade. So, still looking at her screen, she did so. My husband and I were thrilled to receive this upgrade, but her insincere presentation dampened any excitement.

Our terrible experience with service continued in our room. To celebrate our honeymoon, my husband and I decided to pop open a bottle of champagne and have some left-over wedding cake. We called the front desk to request forks for the room, and the person responded with a long pause followed, "Um. We're really busy right now. I don't know. I'll see what I can do." We were very confused by that response and ended up eating the cake with our fingers!

Otherwise, the location is central for many West Hollywood / Hollywood / Beverly Hills excursions, and our room had nice views. We stayed in a Crowne Suite. All rooms at the hotel are the same and the only difference is the level where the room is located. Our room was spacious with a balcony. The bed is large and comfortable, and there is plenty of storage space all throughout the room. The bathroom and shower and tub are spacious. (The shower is probably the nicest part of the hotel room.) In all, the furnishings looked tired with large dents and scratches on the coffee table and some surprising lack of attention to detail to some aspects, such as unfinished drywall at some places and an unfinished hole in the wall for the air vent. The room includes a small bar area with a sink and refrigerator. However, the refrigerator is full of for-sale items with no space for personal items.

Ultimately, our stay at the London was not at all what we expect from a luxury 5-star hotel; and it truly dampened our honeymoon.