Whenever I have a layover in LAX I always dread trying to pick a layover hotel. I've tried almost every hotel around the airport and I just can't seem to find something that's acceptable. I've had issues with loud guests in neighboring rooms, horrible smells all around the hotel, and just general unfriendly staff.
To date I have only found one hotel that I like staying in because it happens to be well cared for, however it's difficult to book and expensive. That being said I may have found another top hotel around the LAX airport that hits all of the check boxes and is reasonably priced.
I spent just a day layover at the Hyatt Regency Los Angeles International Airport before embarking on a longer trip and with one exception I think this is my new go-to hotel.
Booking
Hyatt is generally straight forward with their booking process and offering great rates. I ended up booking this layover in cash for $149 for a 1 King Bedroom. I wouldn't generally be booking this hotel with points however as they go for a minimum of 12,000 points a night which I find a bit on the step side.
Location
You couldn't ask for a closer and more perfectly positioned airport hotel. Right on Century Boulevard it is within easy walking distance to the terminal if the complimentary shuttle is running behind or traffic is bad. If the traffic is good you can be from the terminal to the hotel in under 10 minutes which is very impressive.
The complimentary shuttle driver was my only exception to a rather great hotel airport stay. The driver drove with a lead foot, slamming the gas and the break all around the airport. At times I had to hold on to the support bar for the luggage rack so I didn't go flying around the shuttle bus. It was not the best experience, but at least I got to the hotel pretty quick and in one piece.
Check-In
The hotel lobby is going through a bit of a remodel since I visited this hotel in the year prior do half of it was under construction. The lobby area is modern and well appointed. What I found a little odd was the way in which you enter the hotel from taking the shuttle bus, they drop you off in the back of the hotel. It was an awkward experience and the check-in desks were hidden around the corner so it took a moment to realize where you needed to go.
That being said, the front desk staff were very kind and helpful. And made sure to give clear directions for the hotel elevators as they were hidden amongst the construction.
The Room
My 6th floor room faced the airport terminal area and had a good view of the traffic entering the airport on the busy evening and you could see some of the airport operations along the cargo area and the south complex of the airport. The windows were thick and had glass both on the inside of the window and outside of the window, I didn't get woken up a single time during the night for an airplane taking off.
The bathroom was modern and the walk in shower had a nice rainfall shower head that produced more than enough pressure for a nice refreshing shower. Like most hotels they are replacing individual amenities for bulk products bolted to the wall. I don't mind this one bit and it served their purpose very well to get me clean during my shower.
There's a nice storage area right next to the door that has more than enough storage if you happen to be spending a few nights there. I found the lounge couch to be perfect as I sit here at the end of the day writing this review, it's comfortable and I can see a nice view out of the window and glance up at the TV.
Food
There is both a bar area and a full restaurant on site. During the time that I visited the full service restaurant was under construction and all food was being served out of the bar area. The bar area was remodeled from when I last visited and it had updated modern looks to fit with the rest of the lobby area and TVs everywhere. Seating was also plentiful with a long table for large groups and some high and low top tables for smaller groups of diners.
The wait staff were fantastic, one of the problems that I usually run into with hotel bars is service can sometimes be very slow. However this wasn't the case, The bar area was busy with Thursday Night Football fans and upon sitting down I had a server shortly after to take my order.
I ended up having the grilled chicken sandwich with onion rings, and I must say that was probably some of the best bar food that I had. The chicken was juicy and the portion was satisfying. The onion rings were perfectly crispy and the interior onion was juicy. You could tell that some love and respect was put into making that food and it was well worth it. However, it does come for a price, for a soft drink, chicken sandwich, and the $2 upsell for onion rings my total was $25. Not terrible for hotel food but still on the upper end of what I would pay for a meal like that.
Service
I cannot praise all the hotel employees enough, they were all very friendly and perfectly content with a short conversation. I felt like they were engaged with gusts and the attentiveness with the bar staff was refreshing from other experiences. My only exception was the shuttle bus driver, who doesn't seem to be employed by Hyatt but rather the parking garage next to the hotel that they share the shuttle with. I'm usually not a huge fan of having to hang on tight to my seat so I don't go sliding around.
Final Thoughts
This Hyatt Regency is on my "nice" list when it comes to airport hotels. It was very satisfying after a few recent stays at some less than stellar hotels in the area. Once construction is done I'm sure the lobby area will look stunning and if the bar food is anything to judge by the full service restaurant will be fantastic. I will probably book again the next time I need an overnight connection at LAX.
