JW Marriott Los Angeles, 2020
In February of 2020, I took a trip to Los Angeles for various WW2 events culminating with the Battle of Los Angeles dance and event at Ft. Macarthur. Some of the events were downtown, so I stayed at the JW Marriott Los Angeles as I had in 2019 for the event.Arrival
Flying in Friday to Long Beach, getting my rental car and heading up to downtown took a good portion of my day with the semi-miserable traffic, and I arrived at the valet after check-in time so no special work needed for my room to be ready.I pulled into the carport which was insanely busy as people were checking in already for the Kobe Bryant tribute the following Monday.
After fighting for the attention of a valet attendant and a bellhop, I went into the lobby and into the Bonvoy line to check-in.
I had been upgraded to a junior suite because of my Bonvoy status, overlooking downtown. A very nice perk.
The Room
I went to the very end of the hall, and the last room was the entrance to the corner junior suite. It was quite spacious and lovely, even though it had a linear design.The view was pretty awesome at night.
The Lounge
As I'm sure anyone who's been reading this blog for a while knows, I tend to rave about the lounges at JWs that I get access to as part of my Bonvoy status. Since this one was in the United States, the evening service is suspended on weekends (I know... the horror) and alcohol is for purchase, but at a much lower rate than the publically accessible bars.So I can only comment on the breakfast service, which was pretty good for the US. They had a convenience store style wall of fruit, yogurt, and other 'take aways' in addition to the main food offering, a pastries area, the beverage area, and seating inside and out (it is Southern Cali after all). As usual, there is a chef making eggs to order, but the full offering available is a lot less than Asia, although this JW lounge is really high on the list in the context of the USA
Facilities
The swimming pool area is really nice, but I didn't take the opportunity to utilize this one in the unseasonable 45 degree weather. The gym was nice, shared with the spa for the Ritz Carlton that is attached to the same property.They have tons of event space and are connect to the convention center and Sprint Arena for those into the basketballs.
Summary
A very nice 4 star hotel. It has a first-floor lounge for drinks and spa at the property, a private valet pickup area underground with seating, and attached restaurants with walking access to all of LA Live. Even given the star-studded atmosphere inherent in Los Angeles, they have gone out of their way to take care of me here.Tips: Book a room that contains lounge access if you do not have Bonvoy status to get you in already. It's not that close to the rest of downtown; rideshare is probably better than walking.