- Four Continents and 37,000 Miles in Two Weeks: Introduction
- Four Continents and 37,000 Miles in Two Weeks: United First Class Tampa to Washington to Los Angeles, United Red Carpet Club Washington Dulles, Lufthansa Senator Lounge Washington Dulles
- Four Continents and 37,000 Miles in Two Weeks: Holiday Inn Express Los Angeles Airport
- Four Continents and 37,000 Miles in Two Weeks: reLAX Lounge LAX
- Four Continents and 37,000 Miles in Two Weeks: Star Alliance Lounge Los Angeles, Singapore Airlines Business Class Los Angeles to Tokyo to Singapore, ANA Business Class Lounge Tokyo
- Four Continents and 37,000 Miles in Two Weeks: Singapore Airlines Silver Kris Lounge Terminal 3, a Day at Singapore Changi Airport, Singapore Airlines Business Class Singapore to Kuala Lumpur
- Four Continents and 37,000 Miles in Two Weeks: InterContinental Kuala Lumpur
- Four Continents and 37,000 Miles in Two Weeks: Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur
- Four Continents and 37,000 Miles in Two Weeks: Exploring Kuala Lumpur
- Four Continents and 37,000 Miles in Two Weeks: Plaza Premium Lounge Kuala Lumpur, Sri Lankan Business Class Kuala Lumpur to Singapore
- Four Continents and 37,000 Miles in Two Weeks: Marina Bay Sands Singapore
- Four Continents and 37,000 Miles in Two Weeks: Exploring Singapore
- Four Continents and 37,000 Miles in Two Weeks: Qantas First Class Lounge Singapore, Qantas A380 First Class Singapore to Sydney
- Four Continents and 37,000 Miles in Two Weeks: Holiday Inn Sydney Airport
- Four Continents and 37,000 Miles in Two Weeks: Exploring Sydney
- Four Continents and 37,000 Miles in Two Weeks: Qantas Business Class Lounge Sydney, Qantas Business Class Sydney to Melbourne
- Four Continents and 37,000 Miles in Two Weeks: Park Hyatt Melbourne
- Four Continents and 37,000 Miles in Two Weeks: Exploring Melbourne
- Four Continents and 37,000 Miles in Two Weeks: Qantas First Class Lounge Melbourne
- Four Continents and 37,000 Miles in Two Weeks: Qantas A380 First Class Melbourne to Singapore
- Four Continents and 37,000 Miles in Two Weeks: Qantas A380 First Class Singapore to London
- Four Continents and 37,000 Miles in Two Weeks: British Airways First Class Lounge London, British Airways Club Europe London to Vienna
- Four Continents and 37,000 Miles in Two Weeks: Le Meridien Vienna
- Four Continents and 37,000 Miles in Two Weeks: Exploring Vienna
- Four Continents and 37,000 Miles in Two Weeks: Austrian Business Class Lounge Vienna, British Midland Business Class Vienna to London, Great British Lounge London
- Four Continents and 37,000 Miles in Two Weeks: Star Alliance Lounge London, Air New Zealand Business Premier London to Los Angeles
- Four Continents and 37,000 Miles in Two Weeks: Sheraton Gateway Los Angeles
- Four Continents and 37,000 Miles in Two Weeks: Andaz West Hollywood
- Four Continents and 37,000 Miles in Two Weeks: Conclusion
Over the years I’m pretty sure I’ve stayed at just about every LAX-area hotel, be it through Priceline, on an airline’s dime when being bumped, or by choice.
I stayed at the Sheraton Gateway years ago with my mom on our way back from New Zealand, and it was definitely the nicest airport hotel at LAX. That being said, loyalty programs have gotten in the way since, given that I’ve lately made most of my stays at the Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn in order to earn Priority Club points.
Fortunately I’m now a Starwood Platinum member, which opens up two of the best LAX airport hotels to me – the Sheraton and the Westin.
This time around I stayed at the Sheraton for under $100 for the night, and it didn’t disappoint.
The shuttle bus from LAX runs every 10-15 minutes and it’s shared with a few other hotels, which makes it pretty convenient.
While the hotel has a dedicated Gold and Platinum check-in queue, nobody understood the distinction between that and the normal line, so people just randomly lined up in one queue or the other.
Check-in was prompt and I was informed that I had been upgraded to a suite on the 9th floor.
The suite was very nice with the bathroom at the entrance, leading to a seating area with a couch and some chairs. That led to a desk and then the bed, which was extremely comfortable with lots of pillows.
Suite looking towards bed and desk
Suite living room
Comfortable bed
Bathroom
Shower
View from room
The furnishings were far from luxurious, though given the rate and the fact that it’s an airport hotel, definitely nice.
The next morning I had breakfast in the club lounge, which had a good spread as far as airport Sheratons go. There were pastries, fruit, bread, cereal, yogurt, etc.
The evening spread was also quite good with the usual fare – cheese, veggies, chips, etc.
Club lounge entrance
Club lounge
Club lounge
Club lounge tables
Breakfast spread
Tea and coffee
The highlight of the hotel had to be the Paparazzi Bar & Grill. It’s probably one of the nicest airport restaurants/bars I’ve been to, both in terms of food and service. I met a couple of friends there and we shared some appetizers.
Paparazzi
Dinner
Dinner
I was just spending a night at the Sheraton Gateway before heading to the Andaz for a couple of nights and figured that would be the extent of my stay. However, two days later after checking out of the Andaz at 2PM it occurred to me that my redeye on American wasn’t until 1AM, so I decided I might as well book another room at the Sheraton to get a bit of rest before the redeye. The fact that my stay would earn credit towards Starwood’s generous second quarter promotion was the icing on the cake.
Per a friend’s suggestion I requested a corner suite during my second stay, which featured even better views and was even larger.
At the end of the day this is an airport hotel, so don’t expect to stay here on vacation and be blown away. As far as airport hotels go, though, this is definitely the nicest I’ve stayed at near LAX, especially as a Platinum member, given their excellent treatment. I’ll be back!
The good things about LAX Westin are they serve breakfast to PL and it is easy to get BRG there. Got two in this coming Sep already.
@ Gary -- Hah, I agree the Westin isn't *great*, though there's not much competition among LAX airport hotels for being the "best." Westins have heavenly beds (even if they're stained pretty badly at the Westin LAX), which is better than just about any other property, except the Sheraton.
@ Carl -- Have you taken a look at AAA rates?
@ Andy Bluebear -- I remember taking pictures of the corner suite, though for whatever reason I can't find them. I checked again.
In general Sheraton's breakfast at the lounge is average at most when comparing with Hyatt's... Even though I am only 5 stays away from qualifying PL tier this year, the only real attractions of the program so far are the 3-to-1 free nights and hit or miss upgrades.
How do you get the Sheraton for under $100? It always seems to be over $150 when I check it. It has another advantage - you can walk to Avis, Budget and the LAX transit center if you need a car or want to take a bus to head to Santa Monica or Westwood or even BH the next day.
Dig the convenient Starbucks in the lobby, as well.
I do have to take slight issue with one thing -- "I’m now a Starwood Platinum member, which opens up two of the best LAX airport hotels to me – the Sheraton and the Westin." The Westin is a dump..
This is my most favoroite hotel at LAX over the years. It's cheap, and if you use points, it's cheap. I was never fond of the pillows.
No pics of the corner suite?
Am glad you enjoyed it Lucky. I stay here once or twice a month, even if i am in town for 3 or 4 days. Just a wonderful property with a terrific staff who understand the little things.
I agree it is the BEST LAX hotel.
Other amenities I think are cool: free Wii in lobby for the kids; a very nice pool and jacuzzi with good poolside service and the hotel will accomodate you in your long-term parking needs, too.
Nice review, Ben. If we remember that most airport hotels are functional, rather than 'resort' types, they are usually adaquate. The tired, often internationally connecting pax does not need a lot of glitz, but does appreciate clean surroundings, 24/7 services and a reasonable aray of snack options. Those same less-than-resort hotels can be a God-send for bumped folks with vouchers. A bumped voucher plus some loyalty status with the brand usually achieves a pleasant stay,...
Nice review, Ben. If we remember that most airport hotels are functional, rather than 'resort' types, they are usually adaquate. The tired, often internationally connecting pax does not need a lot of glitz, but does appreciate clean surroundings, 24/7 services and a reasonable aray of snack options. Those same less-than-resort hotels can be a God-send for bumped folks with vouchers. A bumped voucher plus some loyalty status with the brand usually achieves a pleasant stay, while those holding only a voucher may suffer a bit. I think it important to remember that these are two different hotel classes and that serve two very different purposes. -C.