Breakfast Credit, Tips, Taxes, Trashy Diamond Treatment
Hotels in the United States are a different ballgame and I can’t say that I am excited about the hotels here. When you put it into perspective after comparing it with the rest of the world. Conrads are 4-star properties and Hilton is probably even lower. The true luxury hotels here are places like Four Seasons. Even Ritz Carlton can be crappy over here. This is my first time staying in the US after being a Diamond member and the first time I am staying after the breakfast credit implementation. I was flying to LAX on a whim and decided to just get the cheapest hotel that I had status with which end up being the Hilton LAX! I just wanted something affordable and basic to get over the jetlag. Welcome to my brand new trip series where I will be sharing my ANA error fare as well as my impromptu trip to Los Angeles. From the booking process to the flight and even after the trip. It was an adventure! This was epic! The Hilton LAX is a huge property!
Booking Process & Pre Arrival
I book directly with Hilton for this stay and got the cheapest guest room for 203 USD including tax. Yes! You read that correctly! This is how expensive hotels are in the States. I could have got a villa in Thailand. I will be just staying here for a night. A day out from my stay, I can see from the app that I was upgraded to a Superior Room. I am thankful given how usually status doesn’t matter in this part of the world. This is the best non-suite room. Hilton Los Angeles Airport features 1234 guest rooms and suites spread across 6 categories. You can find the breakdown below. This is one of the largest Hilton hotels in the world.
| Rooms | Bathtub | Room Size | No.of Rooms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guest | Yes | 25 – 27 Sqm | 856 |
| Runway View | Yes | 25 – 27 Sqm | 92 |
| Deluxe | Yes | 34 Sqm | 103 |
| Superior | Yes | 27 Sqm | 147 |
| One Bedroom Suite | Yes | 61 – 70 Sqm | 30 |
| One Bedroom Presidential Suite | Yes | 118 – 149 Sqm | 2 |
Checking In
The hotel offers a complimentary airport shuttle service 24/7 which runs approximately every 20 minutes. At LAX airport the hotel shuttle can be found on the upper level (departures level). To take the shuttle from the hotel to LAX, it leaves from the front driveway outside the main lobby. I waited around 20 mins for the shuttle since I had just missed it. There is no fixed timing for the shuttle since it runs on a loop.
It is a comfortable van with plenty of seating and even luggage storage areas. The driver is helpful with your bags. I got to the hotel at around noon. There is a long wait at the reception, even at the elite line. It is funny how you are first greeted here. Instead of thanking you for being a Hilton Gold or Diamond member. I was asked if I am a Diamond or Gold member. I did appreciate them enforcing the elite line usage. Thankfully once the associate got my passport and verified my details, she did thank me for being a Diamond Member. I could check in at this time since I had status and I had the keys in no time.
I have reconfirmed an upgrade to the superior room with my late check out extended till 1pm after asking. I also received info on the breakfast credit and for LA it is 18 USD per person per day. Simply book for 2 pax and you will get both credits. There is a constantly long wait for the elevators given how crowded it is here. The hotel is super crowded this week for a dance competition. It is crowded. Fun fact, the SQ crews are also staying here. Again?
Superior Room
I was assigned a superior room on the 17th floor, room 1780 to be exact. The room is pretty spacious and much bigger than expected. This is the highest-level non-suite category. Sadly, I don’t feel the same about the decor. If you are a Hilton loyalist, the decor and look of the place will become immediately apparent to you. This is one of the older looks. Upon entering you have a spacious entranceway with a full-size mirror perched on the wall. This will come in handy for a fit check. I would love it if they have some hooks by the side here.
On the right, you can find the wardrobe which is on the smaller side. It comes with plenty of hangers and an ironing kit. You can also find a portable luggage rack here.
The bathroom is also on the right. I would say that this is the worst aspect of the room. The bathroom is small and comes with a single sink. You also get those 1990s-era shower and tub combo w shower curtains. This is hands down my least favourite type of configuration. Towels are provided and you can find the amenities in large pump-size bottles. As usual, Crabtree and Evelyn’s products are offered. You can find a hairdryer under the basin. No other amenities are provided. I am sure that a dental kit or something will be available upon request.
I hated that the shower only comes with a wall-mounted showerhead. I wish there is a handheld one. The water pressure is excellent and I had a good shower. It does take some time to get the ideal temperature and that can be tricky.
The main space of the room is in a rectangular configuration. It’s on the spacious side and can even fit an extra bed if you are in a bigger group. The minibar area is along the wall to the left. It is more like a coffee machine. You can find a coffee bean drip coffee machine that is prevalent in the States as well as bottles of drinking water. Do note that there is no fridge provided. You can find some glasses and an ice bucket.
Next to it is the chest of the television. The spot also offers some additional storage areas. The television is of fairly good quality and a good size for the room. It comes with a good number of cable television channels.
Following on, along the wall, you can find the working desk. Power outlets are within reach and the armchair provides decent back support for a short period of work. The premium Wi-Fi is very fast and the connection is good.
The plush king-size bed takes up most of the space in the room. Despite my criticism of hotels in the States, I have always been impressed by their beds. It is also always pretty high, which I loved. The mattress has a nice balance and I had a lovely rest. The pillows were kind of mush but thankfully we can request extra pillows and the housekeepers were more than happy to provide them. The sheets were kind of scratchy.
Flanking both sides of the bed, you can find nightstands. On first look, you might not find outlets by the side but they are located on the lamp itself. Do note that it is only receptive to US adapters outlets.
By the window, you can find an armchair and a small coffee table. It is always nice to have some extra sitting in your room. It also offers some extra space for your bags.
The room doesn’t come with much of a view. You do have LAX in the background and the carpark. It is nothing exciting and my curtains stay drawn. The blackout curtains are great which is especially important for an airport hotel.
Fitness Centre
The fitness centre is located on the lower lobby level and is open 24 hours. No reservations are required. To get there, you need to use the car park elevators to go one level down. It is quite a nice place and spacious. This will be great for getting a workout after a long travelling day or before your flight. I am glad to see that it is large since the demand will be high coming from having over 1000 rooms here. They have types of equipment ranging from treadmills to bikes. Bottles of water, as well as towels, are provided here.
Pool
The outdoor swimming pool is located on level 3 and is open from 7am to 10pm. This is not a place that you would wanna spend your time in. It doesn’t look that welcoming at all. It is more of a place to swim to exercise and leave straight away. Towels are provided but I do not see any bottled water. There are some sunbeds by the side of the pool too.
Runway on 16th Bar
The hotel has an exclusive cocktail bar on the 16th floor known as the Runway on 16th. This is reserved for only Hilton Honors members. But to be honest, everyone is a member, there is not much of an exclusiveness. It offers handcrafted cocktails, and you’re free to admire LA sunsets, watch aeroplane landings and takeoffs, and listen to vintage vinyl records. You can use your breakfast credit here too. I did not get a chance to check it out since by the time I got back it is closed. It is open from 4pm to 8.30pm. If I am not wrong this used to be the executive lounge in the past.
The Bistro
The Bistro is open 24 hours and offers breakfast items either for takeaway or for sit down. You can also grab some light snacks or coffee here. I went to take away something from the bistro for dinner and you can use the breakfast credit here too. I guess this is where the flexibility comes in. I got the Italian Pizza for 24 USD after tax. It was nicely covered by my credit. It was a good portion and freshly made but the credit seems to be frozen or bought. It was alright but nothing memorable.
Breakfast at The Cafe
Breakfast was served in The Cafe from 7am to 10am. It is located on the ground floor by the lobby. Complimentary breakfasts are no longer offered to Gold and Diamond members but instead, you get a credit that ranges between $10 to $25 USD per day per guest. This is provided for up to 2 registered guests. The credit differs by market and you can find the breakdown below. The advantage of this is the flexibility as you can use it throughout most of the hotel. The trick here in the States is to always book for 2 pax even when you are staying alone.
For Los Angeles, breakfast credit for Hilton Honors Diamond Members is $18 per day per guest. I was down at the cafe to check out the breakfast. They have some nicely designed bundles or sets that cost exactly $18 USD. Do note that this is not including tips. I got the Blueberry Pancakes bundle that comes with coffee or juice. Prices here are definitely on the higher side. It is a little sad that breakfast is like this in the States when I could have a feast in Tokyo or Bangkok.
It was pretty busy in the morning at about 9.30am. The restaurant was a little dated but offered a homely vibe. Seatings are based on servers due to the tips system. The food was pretty good and a huge portion as it is over here. The whole meal came up to $19.71 after the taxes so your credit won’t cover this. It also doesn’t include the tips that I gave which was around $4.
Conclusion
I stayed on the worst day ever! This got to be one of the busiest days with the dance party! The Hilton LAX is a popular crew hotel. Multiple airlines put up their crew here on a layover in LA. I saw SQ, Cathay and Qatar. I had a rather comfortable stay and it is a good place to check out areas near Santa Monica. I also get to visit the nearby iconic In-N-Out Burger store which is on my bucket list. It is a fuss-free property. The breakfast credit was very new to me and I did enjoy the flexibility about it. I don’t think I will choose to stay here again as I am not a fan of huge properties. You got to wait for everything from the elevators to the food and check out. Next up, another Hilton property in LA.
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