Historically Hyatt’s footprint in Los Angeles has been woefully lacking. Until recently the only “real” full service Hyatt hotel in the Los Angeles area was the Andaz West Hollywood (then there’s also the Hyatt Regency LAX, but that’s not exactly a destination hotel). Recently Hotel Figueroa in DTLA joined Hyatt, belonging to The Unbound Collection. Well, this weekend yet another Hyatt full service hotel will open in the area.
Thompson Hollywood basics
The Thompson Hollywood will be opening tomorrow, as the hotel is accepting reservations for stays as of Sunday, August 8, 2021.
Thompson Hollywood lobby
As the name suggests, the hotel will be located in Hollywood, on Wilcox Avenue, near Hollywood and Vine. While there’s certainly allure among some tourists with the idea of being “in Hollywood,” historically it hasn’t exactly been a great place to stay. There have been lots of great new restaurants and attractions opening in Hollywood, but personally it still wouldn’t be my first pick of places to stay in LA.
Thompson Hollywood will feature 190 guest rooms with 24 suites, two restaurants, a rooftop pool deck and lounge, a gym, and 15,000 square feet of meeting space. The rooms do seem to be on the smaller size — base rooms start at just 270 square feet, and base suites start at a mere 410 square feet.
Thompson Hollywood guest room
In general I’m a huge fan of the Thompson brand. The way I view Thompson, it’s probably slightly more premium than Andaz, but a step down from Alila and Park Hyatt. Thompson properties are generally beautifully designed, and have a focus on good food & beverage outlets that are popular with locals (while all hotels like to pretend that their outlets are a “hub” for locals, in the case of Thompson that’s actually the case).
Thompson Hollywood restaurant
Thompson Hollywood rates & points redemptions
Rates at the Thompson Hollywood are steep, though have already dropped a bit pre-opening. When rooms first went on sale several months back, rates started at ~$400 per night, while now they’re starting closer to ~$300 per night. However, that’s for an “interior” room, which doesn’t sound particularly appealing.
If you do book a revenue stay here, I’d recommend doing so through the Hyatt Privé program, so you can receive extra perks, like free breakfast, a property credit, and more. Also keep in mind that if you stay at the hotel in the first few months of opening you’ll receive 500 World of Hyatt points per night, thanks to Hyatt’s ongoing new hotel offer.
I thought the hotel was being rather optimistic when it was pricing at $400+, so personally I think the current ~$300 rates are more likely to stick, and might even still be a bit on the high side. While I’m sure the hotel as such will be nice, pricing would have to be significantly more attractive for me to want to stay here, accounting for the location (based on my preferences) and the size of the rooms.
For those redeeming points, the Thompson Hollywood will be a Category 6 World of Hyatt property, meaning that a free night redemption will cost 25,000 points per night.
That’s an aggressive award category, and it seems to me like this should be a Category 5 World of Hyatt property. I value World of Hyatt points at 1.5 cents each, so to me spending 25,000 points per night is the equivalent of spending ~$375.
Unfortunately the Thompson Hollywood also has a $25 daily “destination fee,” which is an increasingly common money-grab we’re seeing at city hotels. Fortunately World of Hyatt Globalist members don’t have to pay this on any kind of stay, while all other World of Hyatt members don’t have to pay it when redeeming points for their stay.
What about the Park Hyatt Los Angeles?
Back in 2016 it was announced that a Park Hyatt would be opening in downtown Los Angeles, in the new Oceanwide Plaza. Based on the original plans, the hotel was already supposed to be open at this point.
So what’s the latest on that? While Hyatt claims the property will be opened in 2021, there’s no way that’s happening. Last I saw, construction on Oceanwide Plaza has been stalled for a couple of years now, and there’s no end in sight for these issues.
The Chinese development company behind the project was having issues with late payments and mechanics liens, and couldn’t maintain sufficient capital. So if the Park Hyatt Los Angeles does end up opening, it’ll be at least a couple of years down the road, and that’s probably even optimistic.
This would be a return to Los Angeles for the Park Hyatt brand. There used to be a Park Hyatt in Century City, but Hyatt stopped managing that property in 2006. At that point it was rebranded as an InterContinental.
Bottom line
Hyatt’s footprint has historically been lacking in the Los Angeles area, so I’m thrilled to see another full service property opening this weekend. I love the Thompson brand, though I don’t particularly love the room sizes, the location, or the World of Hyatt hotel category. Nonetheless I look forward to checking out this property at some point.
What do you make of the Thompson Hollywood? Would you consider staying there, or what’s your favorite points property in Los Angeles?
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