Priceline Hotel: 3* Los Angeles (Beverly Hills-West Hollywood) Residence Inn

[SuperTrickTurner]

This is a decent business hotel i give it 2.5 stars - it use to be a small hospital so that is why the set up is so goofy. You have to go down 3 stairs from the lobby to get to the elevator - Only one of the elevators goes down to the spa - yes i did say down - it is two levels underground. It use to be the physical therapy pool for the hospital so this spa is ginormous - seats 25-30 people. They do keep it open 24 hours a day - but in the last couple weeks we have been there we noticed that at least half the time people turned off the spa with the emergency switch and that turns off the heater. it takes forever for it to warm back up.

The major complaint is the valet parking - they were repainting the yellow markings on the parking garage one of the weeks we were there. Somehow someone got paint on the bottom bumper of our rental car. I brought this to the attention of the residence inn manager since I never could get a hold of Robert - who runs the valet parking. The Residence Inn manager claims the hotel has nothing to do with the parking - even though the hotel invoices you for the parking. Long story short - one of the valets claimed I was the one who damaged the car at a time that I was not even present at the hotel. He even went as far to create a damage ticket showing the date and time the damage occurred.

Keep in mind that you may self park at this hotel - you just have to insist on it - Rates are 22 a day + LA's ridiculous 10% tax. I could not find any parking elsewhere - Office Depot is right next door but I'm not sure if they allow you to leave your car overnight.

Be very careful with the valet - inspect your car all around it every time you pick it up if you use it. The rates are good at this hotel - even with all its quirks. But compared to other Residence Inns - this is not nearly as accomodating.

[Colfax]

Did the Residence Inn really used to be a hospital? I never knew that!

:)

I don't like the valet parking either. It's my only issue with this hotel. The $22 I can live with; it's LA and most hotels in the neighborhood charge more than that. But I really don't like strangers driving my car and this Residence Inn is one of the few places I allow it---because there's no alternative. I didn't know you could self park if you insisted. Hmmm. Like you, I've looked all over the neighborhood for street parking and it's not there. Permit only and enforcement is swift.

Enjoy your stay, parking aside.

[Colfax]

That might have been true at one time but no more. Last week I asked the valet if it would be allright if I parked my own car instead of him. He flatly said "No, it's valet parking only". Later I checked with the hotel's manager who said the same thing: "Valet parking only".

In the lower level of the parking garage, near the spa, I found an old metal sign that said "SELF PARKING" propped against a wall, hidden, not in use. Probably from the days when self parking was allowed.