When I realised I would have to route through LAX, and potentially spend a couple of nights in LA, to get home on United Polaris from Seattle, I knew I should make it a priority to stay at the Conrad Los Angeles. After all, what better than to check out and review an almost brand new hotel? The hotel had been heavily hyped up though, or maybe as a Hilton loyalist I paid more attention to any media about the hotel. As I’ve mentioned in several reviews, I’m a big fan of Conrad hotels in general.
Being a US hotel after all, my expectations of the hotel weren’t that high. Early reviews from other Hilton loyalists also suggested the hotel was a little stingy with upgrades, which is always disappointing. I figured the hotel wouldn’t match up to the (social) media hype.
Unfortunately, I was spot on. That’s not to say the Conrad Los Angeles. Objectively speaking, it was very nice. Being an almost brand spanking new hotel, everything looked great. The room was a little compact, but I liked the minimalist design. The overall feel was certainly a lot more pleasant than most US city hotels. Would I stay there again? With rates now considerably reduced, it’s a lot more palatable. The level of upgrade I got was definitely weak, but in terms of freshness and comfort, in my opinion this should be one of the better choices in downtown LA.
Booking
With a couple of nights to kill in LA, I would have liked to stay at the Conrad Los Angeles on both nights. Unfortunately, cash rates at the time of my stay were astronomical. I had been monitoring the hotel’s rates ever since it opened (knowing that I would likely stop in LA on my way home). In that first few months, the lowest rate for the lead-in Deluxe City View rooms hovered around the USD700 mark. Even for a new hotel, that seemed far too high.
A glance at the rate calendar now shows that rates here have dropped drastically. The lowest available rates now seem to start around the USD350 mark (SGD463). That seems far more reasonable. Perhaps the “new hotel” shine has started to come off, or demand simply didn’t match expectations at the early rate levels.
However, given the high cash rate at the time of my stay, I opted to redeem a Standard Room Reward at 90,000 Honors points instead. That’s quite a sum of points, but at a value of USD0.005 per points, it still cost quite a bit less than the rather obscene cash rate. Standard room rewards are still at the 90,000 level, so given the current cash rates, paying cash probably works out to be better value currently.
Hotel background and location
Like the Sheraton Grand Los Angeles I stayed at for my first night in LA, the Conrad Los Angeles is also located in downtown LA (DTLA), albeit about 6 blocks north. The Conrad LA is located near Civic Center/Grand Park Metro station. The walk from the Metro station does require an uphill climb to the hotel along West 1st St though.
The area immediately surrounding the Conrad lacks the volume and choice of amenities compared to the Sheraton Grand, but it was quieter, and Grand Central Market is just a couple of blocks anyway.
The Conrad LA is situated in The Grand LA, a brand new retail, residence and hotel complex deigned by world-renowned architect Frank Gehry. He is perhaps best known as the architect of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, and The Walt Disney Concert Hall across the street from the Conrad LA. I’m not expert on architecture, but it was certainly a change to stay in an urban hotel that wasn’t in some cookie-cutter skyscraper.
Arrival and check-in
I took the subway from the Sheraton Grand to the Conrad. Making the uphill climb with a suitcase was definitely not fun. I entered through the driveway that runs through the complex. A guard/concierge enquired if I was checking in, asked for my last name and informed the front desk that I was on my way up to the lobby on the 10th floor.
When I got to the lobby, a staff member was waiting and offered to help with my luggage, which I declined. The lobby actually seemed like a pretty nice place, with a somewhat tropical feel. A bit of an oasis within the LA metropolis. The F&B venues were all located on this level, with bars at either end of the lobby. Because of this, the lobby does get noisy in the evening when the restaurants are full.
The reception desk was off to one side of the lobby. There was no one at the front desk, so check-in was quick. The staff informed me I had been upgraded to a Premium View room, which I didn’t bother pushing further since I was only there for one night and wasn’t planning to spend much time in the room. I was also reminded that I get a USD25 dining credit per night as an Honors Diamond member, which could be used at anytime and at any of the in-house F&B venues.
Once check-in was done, a staff member escorted me to the lifts and up to my room.
The room
The Premium View room measures 348sqft, or roughly 32sqm. Not overly spacious, but the minimalist design makes good use of the space. It’s the same size as the entry-level Deluxe room, just different side of the building. My room faced Grand Ave and The Walt Disney Concert Hall across the road on one side, and the LA courthouse on the 1st Ave side.
In keeping with the minimalist style, the wardrobe was the open sort that many new hotels, or at least many new Hilton group properties I’ve stayed at in the last year, seem to favour.
The minibar console was bigger than usual. The minibar fridge itself was the sensor type, where guests are automatically charged if an item is removed. The front desk had warned me it was “very sensitive”. I guess they had many incidents of guests moving things and getting billed for it, then arguing about it at checkout. I did manage to place a couple of drinks on top of the minibar items without triggering the sensor.
There was a Nespresso machine and a kettle, which was uncommon for a US hotel to provide without request. The supplied Nespresso capsules were actually from the iced coffee range, except the decaf capsules of course. It was great to see capsules that fit the weather and season of the year. The complimentary bottled water was Evian, rather luxurious for a hotel. The minibar prices though, were pretty shocking, at least to me.
The bed was great, much better than what I had at the Sheraton Grand. This was no doubt a factor of the hotel being open for a couple of months. The bedside had USB-A ports and Type-B power outlets. The control panel for the lighting was a touch panel. There was a button for the electronically controlled shades as well.
The TV positioning was actually a bit weird. It was on a wall that was offset in front of the windows, leaving a gap behind it to the window. This eats up a bit of the space, but I guess allows for larger windows and more natural light.
By the window on the Grand Ave-facing side, there was a chaise lounge. The room didn’t have a proper desk, just a coffee table/ desk by the chaise lounge. This was a nice spot to relax, and I actually ended up spending a couple of hours just lazing here in the afternoon.
The bathroom was a semi open design. Part of the vanity area had a sliding door that could be opened to the room. The shower and toilet doors were mostly opaque, so closing the outer panels was more a matter of lighting than privacy. The bathroom amenities were Byredo Mojave Ghost; this was actually the first time that I encountered these after the change from Shanghai Tang.
The shower was actually rather high-tech, with buttons to turn it on/off and switching between the handheld shower head or the rain shower. Adjusting the pressure and temperature still required turning dials though.
Overall, my only gripe about the room would probably be the relatively small size. I’m used to Conrad hotels having larger than normal rooms, so this 338sqft/32sqm room was on the smaller end of what I normally expect at a Conrad. Other than that, it’s a nice room. I would say it’s more of a modern, minimalist luxury, unlike most Conrad hotels which have a more classic luxury décor. Of course, that’s a result of how new this hotel is. Newness is a strong draw, so of course I’d prefer staying here to an older property.
Food & beverage
For the main F&B venues, the Conrad Los Angeles has collaborated with Spanish celebrity chef José Andrés. These are San Laurel and Agua Viva. Besides these restaurants, there’s also the Airlight poolside bar, with food from Agua Viva, and The Beaudry Room, a bar located near the front desk area. More info on the F&B venues can be found here.
Since I had other meal plans and was leaving too early for breakfast, I used up my Honors dining credit with a nightcap at The Beaudry Room. Since it was warm, I had it at the outside area. The outdoor spaces on the lobby level were quite nice at night, complete with a fireplace. Service wasn’t too great though, the bartender who initially attended to me looked like he’d rather be somewhere else.
Facilities
The Conrad Los Angeles is equipped with an outdoor swimming pool, spa and gym. One feature missing is an Executive Lounge, which sadly is something most Hilton properties in the USA lack, particularly after the pandemic. The pool seemed a pretty popular spot in the afternoon. When I explored the area, all the deckchairs were taken and there plenty of guests in and around the pool. Because of the crowd, I couldn’t get any photos, so here’s some from the hotel’s website:
The spa and gym were located on the 9th and 8th floors of the hotel respectively, below the lobby level. The spa has a pretty extensive menu and is also quite popular, judging by the amount of social media coverage and patrons I saw visiting the spa for treatments. More information on the spa can be found here. The staff were pretty friendly, with one staff member taking the time to share some info on the spa and the gym downstairs.
The gym was slightly compact, and most of the equipment were cardio machines. It was all brand new and in great condition of course. It’s open 24h and accessible via the spa, even outside of the spa’s opening hours. To be honest, the gym space looked a little uninspiring for a new hotel, and felt like the space was an afterthought.
Conclusion
Being a brand new hotel, the Conrad Los Angeles was a world away from US hotels I’ve stayed at. It’s modern in and out, and despite the slightly small room size, is more or less befitting of the Conrad brand. It didn’t quite live up to the hype, though few things do. I wouldn’t call it a great hotel, but it’s nice, new and pleasant to stay in. It’ll certainly be interesting to return to see how it feels once the “new hotel” has totally worn off. For now, with the considerably more reasonable cash rates nowadays, it’s rather attractive proposition for a stay in downtown LA.
Other posts in this series: