While I was preparing for my recent trip to LA, I had a really difficult time deciding where to stay. One positive thing to note is that there are a lot of options to choose from. But, the amount of options also made it overwhelming for someone who doesn’t know anything about the city. When I searched for hotels the list went on and on: downtown LA, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Burbank, Malibu, El Segundo, Marina Del Rey, etc. My husband actually made the call and we stayed in El Segundo at the Hyatt Place. We had an excellent stay, and you can read my TripAdvisor review here.
Here’s the top four considerations we used to make our hotel decision:
1. Location: We mapped out everything we wanted to do while we were in LA and surrounding area before we chose a hotel. Based on our activities, we knew two things:
- it made more sense for us to stay somewhere central
- we needed to rent a car
We found a place that was central to our activities, a nice area (based on Google street view), near shopping and restaurants, and close to major highways. There were some nice options in other areas, but they didn’t meet all of our criteria (not that we are super picky… just moderately picky).
2. Reviews on TripAdvisor: We will not stay anywhere without reading reviews on TripAdvisor. I look at the great reviews and the horrible reviews to see both ends of the spectrum, and guest photos. The most important thing I want to know about is the cleanliness of the hotel. After I am satisfied with the cleanliness of the hotel, I like to know about the service, comfort, and amenities before making a choice.
3. Free Breakfast: I’ll admit it, I like going somewhere with breakfast. It doesn’t have to be a grand affair, but it’s one less thing I have to worry about each morning.
4. Parking: I only care about this if I’m renting a car. If I am, I want to know how much parking costs and if there are a lot of spots available.
Do you have any tips you use to pick hotels? What do you look for when making your decision?
