Only a ¼ mile from the sprawling LAX and accessible to-from all LAX terminals with its own 24-hour shuttle, (you do have to locate the terminal to find the van’s pick up location) you are within a half hour drive time, depending on traffic, from all major areas of Los Angeles whether it’s downtown, Santa Monica, Hollywood, Venice Beach or Manhattan Beach. The ground floor-lobby area has plenty of chic living room designed spaces and working areas for guests who need an office-away-from-home. The hotel was an unexpected surprise for my recent post-pandemic voyage from NYC to LA for a two-night stay and I was upgraded to a top floor deluxe suite with a working kitchen, living room, bedroom and en suite bathroom. Using a car service like Uber makes for a relaxing stay because someone else is doing the driving. The best part is the hotel’s rooftop lounge above the tenth floor which has expansive views in all directions. This is a no pet hotel.
Appearance:
The hotel has a cool, glass clad exterior. There is an adjoining car park and the swimming pool with a glass fence is located off the lobby. Free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel.
Number of Nights Stayed:
Two
Guest Room:
Deluxe suite with living room, work corner, kitchen, bedroom with king size bed and love seat, three large closets, en suite bathroom. There is a Nespresso machine with pods for coffee and tea.
Room Furnishings:
There are 168 guest rooms and some suites, three meeting rooms and a rooftop lounge. Ceilings are 10-feet high with large windows and black-out curtains. Décor is neutral colored and modern but comfortable. The bed is superbly comfortable and the sheets are 100% cotton. Excellent reading lights by the bedsides. There are plenty of electric sockets and recharging plugs in all areas of the room and bathroom. Each room has an in-room safe, iron and ironing board. There is a full-length mirror.
Amenities:
Bath and hand towels, wash cloths and shower mat; high power hair dryer; bath amenities by Temple Spa include soap, shampoo and body lotion. Open shelving below the sink is convenient for stashing personal items.
Hotel Restaurant & Bar:
Waypoint Kitchen + Bar serves modern Californian cuisine all day in a casual environment with TV monitors for sporting broadcasts. Room service comes to the door delivered by Hannah the robot waitron. Also in the lobby is a roomy Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf café that offers coffee and tea, beverages and snacks, including a Krispy Kreme kiosk for freshly delivered doughnuts.
Fitness Facility:
The fitness room has plenty of modern equipment.
Hotel Staff:
The timing of my visit was early June and hotel occupancy was still low but there was sufficient staff and housekeeping. Everyone was friendly. Masks were mandatory inside the property during my stay and are also available for purchase if you need one.
Conclusion:
One of the best kept secrets for any traveller to-from Los Angeles is this Curio Collection by Hilton hotel which is anything but a stereotype airport hotel.
Wise Traveller Star Rating: 10/10
Isabelle Kellogg's press relations career, with a speciality in travel and hospitality, enabled her to make an easy transition to journalism and write about the topics she loves.
