Just back from a week in LA - 3 days @ Loews Santa Monica, 4 days @ Anaheim Marriott for a cheerleading competition.
I can honestly say that we had much, much better service at the Marriott - even with the staff tearing their hair out with the entire place full of cheerleaders - than at the 4.75 * (don't forget that .75 as the reservationist reminded us) Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel. And absolutely better pampering at the PBH (and RPR!).
Good things - Platinum upgrade to a ocean front suite was beautiful, although the suite was very small and did not sleep 8 as promised (the sofa was not a sofa-bed as we were told). So, not only was the suite small, but we had to stuff rollaways in there to accomodate the other two kids. It was so tight , the room service guy had a hard time even rolling in the table when we ordered dinner one night. But then again, I have been spoiled with the Villa Suite
However, the master bedroom was huge and the view of the Pacific was to die for.
Bad things:
They kept checking us out, even though our confirmation clearly stated that we were staying for 3 days. So, everytime we returned from the beach or dinner, we would be locked out of the back (beach) entrance to the hotel. This meant walking all the way around the block to the front entrance to have our keys reactivated. But the bad service (and one I never experienced at the Universal Loews hotels) is that they had the nerve to tell us that it was our fault - that if you put the hotel key next to a credit card, it would deactivate it. UH...No...the keys were in the cardboard sleeves and nowhere near the credit cards. And only the suite keys would be deactivated, not the attached double bedroom.
The shower leaked. And Leaked. And Leaked. It would completely soak through the bath mat and a couple of towels just for a short shower. We went through many, many towels
And forget getting it fixed. It got to the point that I was beginning to want Dave the Plumber at PBH (the one that told me you weren't allowed to flush toilet paper down the toilets at PBH on another thread). And they couldn't move us as the hotel was full with big shots - Nick Kid's Choice Awards people were staying there and having breakfasts/meetings/etc. But alas, much to my daughter's dismay - no Timberlake sitings.
And just lots and lots of little things that made me really notice the lack of caring on their part. Maybe it was because they were catering to a hotel full of celebrities and little peons like us didn't really matter. But it made me really appreciate the above and beyond service that the Loews "theme park" hotels give their customers over the 4.75 star Loews Santa Monica.
So, kudos again to the great customer service at the Loews "themepark" hotels. You can teach a lot to your California brethren about how to treat the average family
I can honestly say that we had much, much better service at the Marriott - even with the staff tearing their hair out with the entire place full of cheerleaders - than at the 4.75 * (don't forget that .75 as the reservationist reminded us) Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel. And absolutely better pampering at the PBH (and RPR!).
Good things - Platinum upgrade to a ocean front suite was beautiful, although the suite was very small and did not sleep 8 as promised (the sofa was not a sofa-bed as we were told). So, not only was the suite small, but we had to stuff rollaways in there to accomodate the other two kids. It was so tight , the room service guy had a hard time even rolling in the table when we ordered dinner one night. But then again, I have been spoiled with the Villa Suite
However, the master bedroom was huge and the view of the Pacific was to die for. Bad things:
They kept checking us out, even though our confirmation clearly stated that we were staying for 3 days. So, everytime we returned from the beach or dinner, we would be locked out of the back (beach) entrance to the hotel. This meant walking all the way around the block to the front entrance to have our keys reactivated. But the bad service (and one I never experienced at the Universal Loews hotels) is that they had the nerve to tell us that it was our fault - that if you put the hotel key next to a credit card, it would deactivate it. UH...No...the keys were in the cardboard sleeves and nowhere near the credit cards. And only the suite keys would be deactivated, not the attached double bedroom.
The shower leaked. And Leaked. And Leaked. It would completely soak through the bath mat and a couple of towels just for a short shower. We went through many, many towels
And forget getting it fixed. It got to the point that I was beginning to want Dave the Plumber at PBH (the one that told me you weren't allowed to flush toilet paper down the toilets at PBH on another thread). And they couldn't move us as the hotel was full with big shots - Nick Kid's Choice Awards people were staying there and having breakfasts/meetings/etc. But alas, much to my daughter's dismay - no Timberlake sitings.And just lots and lots of little things that made me really notice the lack of caring on their part. Maybe it was because they were catering to a hotel full of celebrities and little peons like us didn't really matter. But it made me really appreciate the above and beyond service that the Loews "theme park" hotels give their customers over the 4.75 star Loews Santa Monica.
So, kudos again to the great customer service at the Loews "themepark" hotels. You can teach a lot to your California brethren about how to treat the average family
per night at Santa Monica and $20.00 per night at the Anaheim Marriott.
. But for my stay at Universal in November & this stay, I have remembered to put my # in the reservation 
.
