LAX has a large variety of airport hotels, though despite that there aren’t really any which stand out, especially among my preferred chains, Hyatt and Starwood.
On the Hyatt front, you have the choice between a Hyatt Place and The Concourse Hotel. The Hyatt Place actually looks quite nice and finally seems to have a 24 hour airport shuttle (it didn’t before), while The Concourse Hotel is a mess, though hopefully will be nicer when it’s converted into a Hyatt Regency.
As far as Starwood goes, there’s a Sheraton, Westin, and Four Points. The Four Points isn’t especially nice, so for me it’s between the Sheraton and the Westin. Between the two I prefer the Sheraton for a few reasons:
- They’re better about Platinum upgrades, as they have more suites
- The club lounge is quite a bit nicer than at the Westin
- The restaurant at the Sheraton, Paparazzi, is actually decent
- The Sheraton is one of the closest hotels to LAX, and you can even walk there from the airport if need be
We ended up booking the Sheraton for $135 per night. While not cheap, it was only a bit more than the Westin, so I figured it was worth the premium to stay there. I wasn’t initially intending on writing a review, given that our flight was at 6AM the next morning. In other words, we’d only be in the hotel for about eight hours, and I figured I’d be sleeping for most of that time. However, I got a renovated room (I didn’t even realize they were renovating the hotel), so I figured it was worth a very brief write up, focused primarily on the room.
The shuttle from the airport took forever. I don’t know what it is about the shuttle at the Sheraton, but the one from the Westin passed us three times before the Sheraton shuttle showed up. Maybe it’s just my bad luck, given that whichever shuttle I need always seems to make the fewest appearances.
Check-in was quick, as the hotel is pretty good about having a dedicated SPG line at reception. I was given my room key within a minute, and headed up to the club floor, where my room was located. I was informed at check-in that I had been assigned a renovated room, which I was excited to check out.
The room featured an entryway, with the bathroom on the left and the rest of the room straight ahead. As I walked into the room I immediately smelled paint, as if the room had just finished being updated.
Sheraton Gateway LAX room entrance
I thought the decor was gorgeous for a mid-range airport hotel.
Sheraton Gateway LAX king room
Sheraton Los Angeles Airport king room
As usual, there was a Sheraton Sweet Sleeper Bed, which is half of the reason to stay at Sheratons — they’re among the most comfortable beds out there.
Sheraton Los Angeles Sheraton Sweet Sleeper bed
There was a hybrid between a couch and daybed by the window, which had a wooden, movable table.
Sheraton Los Angeles Airport king room seating area
I thought that was a pretty cool concept since you could slide it wherever you wanted to.
Sheraton Gateway LAX king room
Then opposite the bed was the TV, along with a desk and office chair on the left. That’s right, Marriott, Sheraton’s renovated rooms still have desks, thank goodness. Let’s hope that doesn’t change with the merger.
There were two bottles of complimentary water, along with the single-serve coffee maker, on the desk.
Sheraton Los Angeles Airport king room
Sheraton Los Angeles Airport bathroom
They upgraded the shower from a shower/tub combo to just a plain old walk-in shower, which I far prefer. I can’t imagine ever taking a bath in a nasty airport hotel tub, so they might as well simplify the setup and just have a walk-in shower with slidable door.
Sheraton Los Angeles Airport shower
The toiletries were the Sheraton brand standard, which I don’t love, though they also seem perfectly acceptable for an airport hotel (not so much at a hotel in the Maldives, though).
Sheraton Los Angeles Airport toiletries
I went to bed shortly after arriving at the hotel, and slept until about 3:45AM, at which point I hopped in the shower and took the shuttle back to LAX.
Sheraton LAX Hotel bottom line
This continues to be my “go to” hotel at LAX, assuming the price is right. The hotel is doing a great job with the renovations, making this an even better option at LAX. I’m tempted to check out the Hyatt Place LAX, given that it looks like the shuttle now operates 24/7. It also looks like there’s an Aloft LAX opening this April, which I’m keen to check out, since I quite like the brand.
Do you have a favorite hotel at LAX?
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