First stay at the LA Airport Marriott. More to say than I have time to write, but in a nutshell:


1. Overall, staff and service are excellent. Van at the front desk is a model example of not only making you feel welcome, but getting the job done so that you are really and truly more comfortable.


If you happen to be a member of the Concierge Club on the 16th floor or can get it added as a perk, the service there is also extremely friendly and they serve a good complimentary breakfast (in room breakfast is way overpriced), afternoon hors d'ouvres, late night deserts and have free computer access (the FedEx center downstairs charges .40 cents a minute! What?!).


Vuksan in their JW Steakhouse is a fabulous server.Food was quite good, although I only ordered appetizers because the mains are so pricey.


2. Building itself is the biggest problem. It seems that they have been working on renovations, but the age of the facility keeps creating problems. Here's one: the ventilation system. I checked in, and immediately out, of three different rooms because the A/C made the same horrible whistling sound. According to the maintenance, this happens when small pieces of insulation in the ducts stick out and catch the airflow, and there is nothing that can be done... Absolutely crazy making noise is you are sensitive!


The roll away bed I ordered seemed to also be from 1950, and it is painful to sleep on -- not just soft like most roll aways, but more like a box spring. You can feel the coils everywhere!


The workout room is fine, with numerous treadmills w/ built in TV's and weight machines.


Service: A
Facilities: B
Building itself: C-

I had read some negative reviews, though fewer about this than other LAX hotels, so I booked here for a couple international trips. However, I had a fine stay, both in April and May 2009. The staff was without exception courteous and capable. The shuttle was reliable (though you had to plan because it only leaves every 30 minutes). The room was very attractive and the bed very comfortable. I had no problems whatsoever except that I think I set my air conditioner a bit wrong because it went off unexpectedly until I turned it back on. The gift shop even has some great fresh food options, if you want a healthy snack!

Although it's an airport hotel expectations are higher when it's a Marriott, but they really shouldn't be at the Marriott LAX.

Courtesy shuttle was fine, arriving at the hotel it's nothing to look at from the outside, the lobby isn't very inviting too, it has all the restaurants leading off it and all looks a little dismal and dated. Check in was OK and whilst I had requested a high floor was only given floor 8. The rooms are typical Marriott that have been refurbished and have good beds and nice bed linen, however, rooms are small with really tiny bathrooms. We ate in the high end restaurant on the evening, nothing good about this at all and very pricey, OK it's an airport and it's also LA but it really should be better, my guess is the sports bar is a better choice and better value! The pool area is nicely done and if you have time it looks really good but that seems about the best part along with the fitness room which was also good but there really must be better hotels in the area and the Renaissance certainally looked it, this will be the for me the next time we are in the area.

Almost everything went our way when we stayed at the Los Angeles Airport Marriott. The courtesy shuttle pulled up to the stop at our terminal just as we were walking out. A couple minutes later we pulled into the hotel. From the outside, the hotel doesn’t look like much. The entry into the lobby, however, is very nice.

The bellhop brought our bags to the bell captain. We were arriving at midnight, but this capable airport hotel is accustomed to late arrivals and ours posed no problem to the reservation desk (we had rung ahead to confirm, of course). We were given a room with a king sized bed on the eighth floor, away from the elevator. The bell captain brought our bags to our room.

The rooms are not big, but they are nicely furnished. Not too dated. The fixtures and furniture aren’t too cheap. Our room was almost spotless. It had been cleaned to a very high standard. Except, the windows did need a clean, but I wasn’t too concerned. The soundproofing is adequate. I heard very little jet noise, and we were practically on the tarmac, the hotel is so close to LAX. I heard a few doors closing in the hallway in the morning, but otherwise it was quiet enough.

There isn’t a mini bar in the room, but ice and vending machines are nearby. The downstairs bar was closed on our arrival, but I suppose we could have ordered drinks from room service. The bed was very comfortable. Unfortunately we did not receive the feather free linens that we had requested. Nice LCD television. No problems accessing the internet ($12.95 for 24 hours, includes local calls and domestic long distance). We appreciated the safe. Enough room for our many bags.

The bathroom is small, but again it has nice fixtures. Good tub and ample pressure from the shower head. Plenty of hot water.

Complimentary USA Today in the morning. Complimentary tea and coffee is available in the room. We did not order breakfast from room service. We liked the Starbucks in the lobby. We got a couple lattes and breakfast rolls. I wish Starbucks had had croissants!

Unfortunately, during our stay, only the hotel restaurant was open (not the sports bar, which we thought had the most appealing menu, or the steak restaurant). The child was not inclined to sit down for a meal at the restaurant, so we had to skip it.

One of the best things about this hotel is the outdoor pool area. The heated pool is huge, with a large area that is only two feet deep. The child loved it. The pool is on the ground level, and is surrounded on all four sides by the hotel. Very sheltered. There is a hot tub/jacuzzi as well. Lots of lounge chairs and nice outdoor landscaping make it the perfect place to get some sun. There are amenities for smokers in this area, and this space is large enough that you probably wouldn’t even notice them lighting up. No food is allowed by the pool.

The gym looked well equipped, but I didn't have a chance to use it. Lots of meeting room space at the hotel. A convenience shop is also at the hotel. There is a business centre and a place to print out boarding passes.

We ordered room service for lunch. We got a hamburger and fish tacos. They tried to accommodate the child’s food allergies, but I recommend that if you need a special order, you be very specific and quiz them on all ingredients to assure that everything is okay. Still, very good service and we were quite happy with our meal.

We ordered a wake-up call so we could have an afternoon nap, and it worked. The clock in the room worked as well, although the last guest had set it 30 minutes fast. Another tea and coffee from the Starbucks. Nice one.

We requested and were granted a very late checkout of 5:00 p.m. We used the express check out service. There was supposed to be an additional charge, but it did not appear on our final bill, despite discussions with At Your Service and the reservation desk. I guess the charge was waived. Um, good?

This hotel is a busy airport hotel. Lots of business travellers, airline crews and layover folks like us. The hotel staff was friendly and accommodating. Again, the hotel has an inviting lobby, and a lot of guests were hanging out there, during the morning and in the afternoon.

On checking out, the bellman arrived promptly to assist us with our bags. We had to wait about ten minutes for the complimentary shuttle, which runs about every 25 minutes but is not on a schedule.

No problems being dropped off at our terminal, although if you are flying Qantas like we were, be sure to double-check your terminal, as Qantas has desks in TWO international terminals.

Happy to recommend the LAX Marriott. Don’t confuse it with the Marriott Courtyard, which is nearby. If you don’t expect too much, the LAX Marriott is a great airport hotel. If we have another LA layover, the LAX Marriott will be our top choice.