Priceline Hotel: 4* Los Angeles (Downtown) Westin Bonaventure

[John Lin]

Thanks to prior poster pamela21, i had a good feeling i could get westin bonaventure for $80. must be empty over labor day!

I started at $78 (denied), downtown. They counteroffered for $89.

I raised to $80, added culver city, WON!

with starwood and a tip to the friendly front desk people, i hope to get upgraded to starwood floor! Too bad parking is $35. However, last time a $20 tip got me free parking, free internet, and starwood floor upgrade. The hotel was quite nice at the starwood floor level!

Thank you Better Bidding for sharing info and making this stress free.

[AaronJB]

Congrats on your success. :)

Very good deal for this LA property! Glad you're looking forward to your stay.

Thank you for sharing your win and please use the site's PRICELINE or HOTWIRE links to start your purchases and searches.

Enjoy your stay.

[John Lin]

STAY RESULTS:

The westin bonaventure was as nice as ever. I tipped the front desk $20 and she was able to upgrade me to starwood preferred floors (which I am a low level member of anyway). She also gave me half off the (normally very expensive $35/night) parking, which saved me $50. And I got free wireless (saved $10/night) and two free cocktail coupons (which I didn't use sadly). The front desk person saw that the hotel had space and upgraded me to a suite; and it was lovely. Similarly to Las Vegas, it does pay to tip your front desk person politely at this particular property. (please look up "$20 trick" for etiquette if you're interested).

The hotel is doing a great job upgrading each year I go there. The service is great to begin with, the rooms very nicely updated, fitness center great, and the lobby improves with each visit. While this hotel is not near west LA, it is very conveniently located to a major freeway interchange which is very convenient. The ratings in tripadvisor lag behind the improvements management has made in the last 2-3 years.

I should also mention as an aside that this hotel is extremely pet friendly. There is no charge for small pets, unlike most other hotels that charge $8-20 per pet.

Overall, I am happy if I get this hotel via Priceline. Just as good if not better experience than my time at Omni (which is rated highly on tripadvisor). I feel that this is a 4.5* level hotel given my many experiences with this hotel. A great value.

[thereuare]

Glad to see you enjoyed your stay and it was an enjoyable experience.

[superg3]

How did you go about doing the $20 trick at this particular hotel? Sneaking a $20 bill with your credit card and ask if there are any free upgrades? Seems awkward....

Thanks