Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites
The Westin Bonaventure Hotel is not exactly what you would call a hotel. Its a mini city all by itself. Over 20 restaurants, a spa, a health club, finess and business centers, a gigantic lobby with fountains and trees and even a Starbucks, 12 glass elevators sliding up and down the 35 stories, and God knows what else spread over an entire block in a prime downtown Los Angeles location.
All of this is exactly what made me a bit hesitant about spending a week in LA based out of the Westin Bonaventure. For starters, it was a huge capitalistic enterprise a-la Wal-mart, and if my rabid liberal groupies in San francisco found out I had stayed in one of these energy guzzling capitalist pig hotels, I'd probably lose 'respect'. Secondly, when you consider the size of the hotel - 35 stories with 1,354 rooms and suites, well...I'd say that personalized attention would be very far down on the list of priorities for the staff. Even if some of them are good at their jobs, the incredible crush of guests and the pressure of running such a huge place would make anyone a bit frazzled around the edges, so you can expect a lot less smiles and lot more 'what'd you want now can't you see I'm busy' kinda looks. Lastly, I'm a vagabond tourist by nature and by birth, so I have this deep antipathy towards tourist traps which charge you for stuff you never planned for, or wanted. I prefer the simplicity of a B&B where what you see is what you get, and you walk in, use the bathroom and the bed, eat the free breakfast and then checkout, with both sanity and wallet intact.
Unfortunately, all of the above perfectly sane and reasonable reasons fell on deaf ears, because my family was really ****ed off with the lack of amenities and sub-standard rooms back in Monterey, and what they wanted was pure, unadulterated luxury and a hotel which offered them everything they wanted, and then some. So here we are, at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites, Los Angeles, for a fun-filled week of theme parks, zoos, beaches, shopping, wining and dining and schmoozing with the stars in clubs and restaurants between West Hollywood and Beverly Hills. I feel like I'm stuck in a Matrix, and struggling to break free, but the machine keeps pumping scores of guilty pleasures into my brain, and there's nothing I can do except enjoy the pampering. While the gang was busy unpacking and squealing over the Starbucks coffee maker and the view of the city from the floor-to-ceiling windows and jumping on the Heavanly Bed and all, I made a quick getaway for a drink and an exploration of the hotel. Which was easier said than done. I could spend a week here exploring only the inside of hotel, and leave the sights and sounds of LA for the next trip. As it was, I decided to restrict myself to a drink, and after getting my bearings, made my way to the revolving BonaVista Lounge on the 34th floor. Have to admit the view was simply superb and I loved the way the LA skyline slowly comes into the picture as the lounge rotates. I also noticed the LA Prime Steak House, which promised New York style prime beef and seafood. Mental note to come back here at first possible chance to get away again.
I could devote a dozen posts to the grandiosity of the Westin Bonaventure, but I guess you get the picture. Room rates start at $249 plus taxes, so inspite of all the upscale amenities, it's still pretty reasonable, especially if you're looking at Los Angeles family hotels. As a lonely traveler looking for adventure and a taste of life on the road, I wouldn't touch the Westin Bonaventure with a ten foot pole, but when you're with family, especially one which is thristing for some luxury and the good life LA style, you couldn't find a better place than the Westin Bonaventure.
Info: 404 South Figueroa Street Los Angeles CA 90071;(213) 624-1000; www.starwoodhotels.com/westin/bonaventure
