The London Hotel – West Hollywood, California

July, 2008

Above and Beyond

• The London Hotel standard rooms are BIG. You will be incredibly comfortable in them. By comparison, their standard rooms are better than the better known Beverly Hills Hotel which is just down Sunset Boulevard.
• The bedding is incredibly comfortable.
• A fairly large “L” shaped couch makes lounging in the room incredibly comfortable.
• The London Hotel in West Hollywood also has a very large bathroom with a separate shower and bath. The shower has two heads and is very large.
• The London Hotel West Hollywood is very conducive to working in the room. The desk is also BIG with multiple convenient electrical outlets and the TV that sits on the desk faces the bed.
• The London Hotel West Hollywood offers turn down service which includes putting several bottles of water in the room at no additional charge.
• Bravo also to the London Hotel in West Hollywood for including both wired and wireless internet access which is all throughout the hotel.
• The service at The London Hotel in West Hollywood is spectacular. I checked out of the hotel very early on my day of departure. I asked the front desk for a cup of coffee. They called room service who said they would need to brew a fresh pot. The bellman noticed I was in a rush and unbeknownst to me ran to the corner store that was open 24 hours and brought me a cup of coffee. Is this impressive???

A Matter of Taste

• Request a South Side facing room at the hotel. The views are much better. There also are a few rooms that get little light and have dismal views – so be careful.
• The drawer and closet space is just OK so longer stays will challenge your usage of space.
• The clock radio can accommodate your iPod and the hotel has a safe embedded in the closet that is large enough to accommodate your laptop and other items.
• The room comes equipped with a refrigerator/mini bar and a 1 cup Keurig coffee maker.
• The London Hotel in West Hollywood has a modern gym that is open 24 hours per day. The equipment allows one to place their iPod in a holder. The fitness center comes with plush towels as well as included refrigerated water and headsets.
• The balcony is a nice size but is equipped with a small sofa seat as opposed to a couple of chairs or a chair and small lounge chair which certainly can be accommodated.

Needs Improvement

• Absolutely nothing.

My Conclusion

The London Hotel in West Hollywood is a fabulous property located just on the outskirts of Beverly Hills. Having stayed at The London in New York City, I was eager to stay at their new property in Southern California, The London Hotel in West Hollywood.

I was so fascinated with The London Hotel in West Hollywood that I convinced friends from the UK, who were staying at the renowned Beverly Hills Hotel to check out and stay at The London. They did just that, booking both a suite and regular room. They wound up staying for a week and will be returning next year.

Ritz Carlton, Palm Beach, Florida

July, 2008

Above and Beyond

• The rooms at the Ritz Carlton Palm Beach are a nice size with room enough for a small couch.
• I stayed in a typical ocean view room (not to be confused with ocean front) that did have nice views of both the pool and ocean due to the height of my room.
• The desk space is large with multiple electrical outlets for the ability to plug in the modern machinery we travel with.
• The bed is very comfortable and of course, the Ritz Carlton Palm Beach has full turn down service completely freshening the room and bathroom as if it was never used.
• The drawer and closet space is plentiful – fit for one to spend a week or more at the Ritz Carlton Palm Beach.
• I love the Ritz Carlton bathrooms – two sinks, a separate shower and tub, a toilet located behind a door you can close, plenty of towels and wonderful robes.

A Matter of Taste

• The Ritz Carlton Palm Beach is actually located a few miles south of Palm Beach in Manalapan, Florida.
• The hotel is a 6 story structure directly on the beach. The Ritz Carlton Palm Beach has a long beach partly due to the linear structure of the building.
• The room has the “rip” off but convenient mini-bar refrigerator as well as a single serving coffee maker. They do include the coffee and blessedly provide you two bottles of water the exact measurement that you need to pour into the coffee maker. They also provide you simple step by step instructions to make the coffee.
• The balcony size is comfortable for two sitting chairs and a table. I wish it was big enough for a lounge chair so one can return to the comfort of the room and read a book.

Needs Improvement

• One problem with the desk, or the TV, is that you cannot see the TV when working at the desk. I find this incredibly annoying. The safe is located in the closet and of size that can hold most laptops.
• One bizarre find was that the shoe horn and shoe polish sponge were located in the desk drawer. I would never have found this if I was not using the desk and curiously opened the drawer.
• The 24 hour fitness center has with modern equipment although shockingly their weren’t any towels the morning of my workout.

My Conclusion

Like one comes to expect from a Ritz Carlton, the Ritz Carlton Palm Beach is a deluxe hotel.