Ok for business - not for a vacation

The public areas of this hotel are indeed grand and gorgeous. Very well restored and kept up. For that reason alone I would recommend going for a drink. As far as a place to stay, it is fine for business in the downtown area, but not a good place for tourists. The nearby area is downright dangerous and extremely depressed. The Water Grill, which is nearby, looked good but a bowl of clam chowder was $12.00 - entrees were in the 30+ range. I did not think the facilities of the hotel were all that great, other than the bar, and it is an outrage that they charge $7.00 on top of your room rate to use the pool and sauna. The pool is small and the jacuzzi holds three people - both were full of kids when I went to look. The service was mediocre. It was pretty quiet on the Sunday afternoon when I showed up, and the staff were very informal - joking and flirting with each other. I thought about upgrading to their "club level" which has supposedly been renovated, but found those rooms just as worn down as the rooms in the rest of the hotel, and the lounge was not that nice. Overall I had a feeling that the room was not very clean - probably because the furnishings, etc.

were a bit worn and dingy. The feeling you get in the public areas is that the hotel was designed for a lot of foot traffic - the fact that it is quiet now makes it feel a little ghostly. I stayed on a reduced rate and I was satisfied - but I would not pay their advertised price to stay in this hotel.

Gorgeous Hotel

This hotel is gorgeous...lobby very impressive and the bar scene elegant. The room I had was nice..corner room on the 7th floor.

However, the carpeting and furnishings could have used some attention...all a bit dated. The TV was tiny and no mini bar. The carpeting was frayed and scratches all over the tables beside the bed.

The bathroom was nice, large with a window that opened. Toilet was REALLY loud. Pretty hotel, but for the $, I expected to be much nicer.

It definatlely needs some attention...hallways were stinky...

Movie star glamour at the Biltmore

If you want to expierience a taste of old world Hollywood glamour the Biltmore serves it up royally. Never left the hotel from Friday afternoon until late Sunday morning. It was the perfect splurge. After checking-in I booked a manicure/pedicure in the Aveda salon. Others were getting fantastic hairdos for big nights out! When I was eating in the lovely fountain atrium room, there was also a beautifully presented High Tea offered. The evening brought a constant parade of designer clothes through the halls and lobby that was like a live issue of Vogue or Elle. Unable to get tickets for my own night out at the new Disney Concert Hall, I strolled through the grandeur exploring the many photos of past Oscar Award Ceremonies and dignitaries visits. Actually not too much was missing from my "step back in time" to a almost forgotten world of elegance and grace.

History and Room Great!

My husband and I stayed here for two days during a get-away trip to LA.

We really loved the hotel. The room was clean and unusually large. One thing to remember: parking at the hotel is expensive ($22/day) and, unfortunately, necessary. So, if you got a good rate like we did and you're on a budget, remember to take that into account. The hotel looks like the relatively new owner, the Millenium Group, has done extensive renovation work and, for the most part, it was nicely done! Most of all, we loved the history and lavish feeling of the lobby and ballrooms. We even got to peek into a very extravagant wedding that was going on in one of the ballrooms--it gave us the sensation that we were glimpsing into the hotel's ritzy past! The location is great. True, on weekends, it's pretty dead. And yes, it's a big city, so there are homeless folk. But if you don't head down 5th too many blocks and take the normal practical precautions, you should be safe. Even though it's quiet downtown on weekends, there's still a lot to do and you don't have to contend with hordes of people and traffic. We walked 10 yards to Water Grill to eat--wonderful. Also in walking distance is the Grand Central Market where you can get very yummy tacos and some nice local color; the new Gehry-designed Walt Disney opera house; and, in the winter, when we stayed, an outdoor ice skating rink! Another small tip: Watch out for "hidden" costs in addition to the parking. The pool and workout room costs $7/day if you don't have a Club room reservation.

Also, remember that you will be tipping your bellmen and valets (not to mention bartender & housekeeper). Also, the drinks at the bar are very expensive, so if you're on a budget, don't order drinks without making sure you know what you're going to pay. Their special Black Dahlia drink is about $15 (but there are at least 3 shots of alcohol in there!). Likewise, their new salon Visage is quite expensive. However, I got a great highlighting job there with no reservation!

Beautiful hotel with lots of history

We recently spent 4 nights at the Biltmore. The room was small but lovely and the beds comfortable. This hotel has a lot of history and is very well preserved. Our room had a limited view of Pershing Square where the homeless slept at night. The hotel itself was very nice but the location was not the best for walkers.It was a little scary on the weekend when there was not a soul around except for the homeless. The bus stop 2 blocks away was like a bad movie; ladies selling cigarettes, men fishing cans out of the trash and of course panhandlers. On Monday when we left the hotel and headed toward the financial district it was a different world. Lots of restaurants and shops and working people everywhere. As I prefer to wander by foot and sight see around town, I would probably stay further uptown next time, but the hotel itself was something to marval at.

A Treasure of a Hotel!

I just returned from four days at this beautiful hotel. (August 2003) The hotel is truly stunning, with Hollywood history and afternoon tea every day. The staff was courteous, friendly, and helpful. Every request was handled efficiently and with a smile. The room, though small, was lovely, well arranged and very comfortable. There is a daily, but reasonable, fee for the health club, and a visit to the pool, or the jacuzzi and sauna is a must! The location downtown, which concerned me when I booked there, turned out to be one of the best things about it. It is adjacent to the terrific Los Angeles library and lovely little parks created in commercial areas, some with water gardens where one can sit with a latte. The Museum of Contemporary Art is an interesting (short) walk up a hill. A film crew was shooting a film as I passed by. I would return to this little jewel in a heartbeat!

A Horrible Experience

Booked a room for my son & fiance over the phone as a birthday present.

When they arrived, desk wouldn't accept the reservation without me faxing a copy of my credit card and drivers license. I took care of this hours before, I had been told by reservation clerk. Then double charged for valet, although included in package. Kept waiting for almost an hour to check in while I made copies of my license and credit card to fax to them. Son's girlfriend cried all night in room as, they were too late for comedy show and dinner show after long wait at hotel check-in. Second day, female employee came outside as they were loading car and said, in front of other guests, we hadn't paid for valet service. Went back in and stated that valet was part of package deal.

This was the third time they tried to charge valet that was included in package rate. Horrible, horrible experience and birthday.

Beautiful. We were treated like royalty.

Enjoyed our stay. They treated us very well. I can't say enough about the beauty of this building. I actually asked if we were allowed to take pictures, because I felt like we were in a museum.

Excellent Service and Treatment

I stayed at the Biltmore over the labor day long weekend after booking a relatively inexpensive room on expedia. They gave me a free upgrade to club class because the hotel was not busy. The room was big, clean, very nice and the club service was the best i had ever experienced... great club area and facilities, great food, breakfast etc. The service was excellent and the room was great. Would definitely return when back in LA.

For such a beautiful hotel, the service sucked !

My girlfriend and I stayed here in May, 2002.

We stayed two nights over the weekend, and got a great rate through Expedia on it . Everyone I asked about the hotel said it was very beautiful inside . Like them , we thought the public areas in the hotel are very elegant and impressive . However ,I was very disappointed in the hotel staff . When we first checked in, I found they had put us in a room with 2 twin beds . I called the front desk and told them I had reserved a queen size bed . A few minutes later the bell hop moved us to another room ( supposedly better ) but the single bed in it looked like another twin size one . When I phoned the front desk , the lady told me " It's a CALIFORNIA Twin bed , it's slightly smaller " . I couldn't believe this bogus story ! I told her I was FROM California and I knew better . I wanted a REAL Queen size bed , like I had reserved . Finally we got a third room and it was a very nice room . It was a King size bed and had a living room in it . We really enjoyed this spacious room , but it faced into the hollow square of the building ( where we could hear the large air conditioning units down below ) .

In the morning I went to the Puck Cafe ( in the hotel ) for a coffee and bagel . I was not impressed by the cafe either . The coffee was burnt and they TOLD me to butter my own bagel . So much for service in a 4 star hotel !

One great thing about this hotel though , is the L.A. architecture tours that are operated out of the hotel's lobby on Saturday mornings . We took a 2 hour walking tour of downtown and it was fantastic .

If I go back to L.A. for another trip I would like to stay in this nice hotel , but I would be VERY wary of their service . Lastly , the car valet service was $20 a day ! You need it though , because the area 2 blocks away on Broadway looks like the ghetto .