Conrad Los Angeles

We stayed a weeknight at this hotel due to attending the LA Opera across the street at the music center in downtown LA. After two terrible Hilton experiences at LAX in recent months I was nervous, especially for this price (used 195,000 points). Early reviewers had been positive about the physical attributes of the hotel but were quite negative about a poor level of service. I think those reviews dated to the initial days of the hotel in 2024. We absolutely loved our stay here from the moment we drove into valet parking to the moment we checked out. The service and personal attention were spectacular. It is a nicely appointed modern hotel with a boutique feel despite being a 28 story Frank Gehry designed high-rise. You enter a compact lobby area on the 10th floor with a bar, terrace and restaurant that feels quite luxe. Our room while compact had everything one needed due to interesting picture windows and sliding panels that cleverly hid the bathroom. The furnishings were not worn yet and were quite comfortable, including an L-shaped sofa and elevated coffee table. It is highly automated with electronic controls everywhere for lighting and window shades. That takes a while to figure out. Also the TV does not extend to face the bed area. The climate control is absolutely silent. Plugs for charging are within easy reach. Everything is clean and neat with ample towels and toiletries. It has a fantastic three way shower with automated controls. The bed and pillows were supper soft and thick. At night there was a turn down service with robes and floor towels and slippers set out, plus glasses with water and ice by the bedside. This was a thoughtful touch. The bathroom was spruced up as well without needing to ask. All the staff were super accommodating and friendly. We splurged and had a room service breakfast which is rare for us to do. It was elegantly set up on linen with coffee and tea poured for us. You simply push a button on the table when done and within five minutes somebody appears to take the service away. No trays sitting on hallway floors outside doors. It is a hushed environment. We did not hear a single bit of noise from either the street or within the hotel. I cannot recommend this hotel highly enough if you are willing to splurge. There is only valet parking at $70 a night. It is in a somewhat quiet part of town, but convenient to the music and performance venues and several museums.

I stayed at the Conrad previously in 2022, and returned recently for another couple’s stay. Both times were in celebration of important life events. The Conrad is just as clean, modern, and inviting as it was the first time. The soft product has also improved significantly. There were several hiccups with the front desk staff and housekeeping during our first stay, whereas this visit was seamless. Special thanks to Diana R. at the check-in desk who was absolutely wonderful. She noticed it was our second visit, noted the special occasion, and made our stay feel very special.

The Conrad is the best hotel in DTLA. I’m now here monthly for work and have stayed in plenty of higher-end DTLA hotels, and none of them compares in terms of the quality of the amenities and service. This includes the Intercontinental, which has more of a glitz factor but costs twice as much and provides comparable service at best, as well as the Omni, which costs about the same as (sometimes a bit less than) the Conrad but doesn’t even come close in terms of the quality of the food, service, amenities, etc. The Conrad is modern, immaculately clean, and beautifully maintained. This includes the pool and the gym, which are usually empty but are regularly refreshed with new towels, chilled water, etc. All the staff are professional, courteous, and above all, proactive! For example, I get a number of discounts with my Amex Platinum card, and at most other hotels it’s an annoying hassle to make sure they apply those discounts at the end of the stay. Here, the staff did it automatically, without me having to say a word. That is a first-class customer experience. I will be back regularly and regret not having stayed at the Conrad on prior trips.

This was my first ever stay at a Conrad hotel and so I was very interested to see how it compared to my usual Hilton / IHG hotels in DTLA. Suffice to say that the Conrad blows them out of the water, but there’s still some room for improvement. Arrival was by rideshare and the hotel’s entrance is on the third floor. I was greeted and asked if I needed any help with luggage and escorted to the elevator that would take me up to the 10th floor lobby. First impressions were very good: a polite, friendly, welcoming arrival. The lobby experience was not so good though. There was literally no one at the desk. I’d checked in online and had a digital key but wanted a physical key for my wife. For me, walking into the hotel lobby and there being no staff there is a significant failing from a hospitality perspective. There was clearly only a single person working the front desk and he was away. When he came back I got my key but the whole experience felt a bit perfunctory. There was an assumption I’d stayed here before but I had to ask where the elevators were etc. This is the main reason this isn’t a five-star review. First impressions count significantly and the Conrad dropped the ball here. The room was spectacular. I’d been upgraded to a one-bedroom suite and it was magnificent. I had a view over the concert hall. The blackout blinds were effective. The bed was a little firm but I slept well. The motion sensitive lighting is a nice touch as it saves you crashing into things if you need to get up during the night. The control panel is perhaps a little much but it worked as designed. The shower was powerful, and hot. The vanity has ample room too. I ate breakfast the first morning. Service was slow to the point another guest had to ask for his food to go as he wasn’t able to wait any longer. I found the service to be attentive, but it was slow. The food was excellent though. However, it’s not cheap. I had - in essence - scrambled eggs on toast with jamon iberico and coffee and it came to just shy of $50 including tax and tip. My wife and I ate in the bar one evening. For one appetiser, one grilled cheese, wine and soda it was $140 including tax and tip. The food was good but the menu is a little limited. However, service was exceptional. The bar was busy but we didn’t feel neglected in any way. Service was overall very good indeed. Misty was able to arrange a late checkout and was very helpful. Stephanie in the bar was welcoming, friendly, and made a real effort to get to know us. All the staff we interacted with were very professional. When my wife left her phone charger in the room the concierge actually escorted her back upstairs to help retrieve it. Personal touches like these are very much appreciated. We tried to use the hotel car to go to Union Station but it wasn’t available. We ended up taking an Uber instead. If the car service is as popular as it seems to be then perhaps it’s time to invest in another car as having a service that’s unavailable more often than not isn’t good. In terms of location the Conrad is in a nicer part of downtown. The area around the hotel is clean and feels safe. There are some restaurants within walking distance and I didn’t feel as on edge as I would elsewhere. Overall I had an excellent first stay at the Conrad. This is a very well-run hotel and the quality really stands out. It isn’t cheap, however. I’d definitely stay here again but only when my employer was paying the bill!

Elegant and modern hotel but with some design flaws. The in-room coffee maker was plugged in behind the dresser-cabinet and did not work. It took a herculean effort to move the coffee-maker to another part of the room with a working socket. Why plug in the coffee-maker behind a virtually immovable piece of furniture. The restaurant, San Laurel, is SUPERB! Service is extraordinary as is the food. On fair weather days it is terrific to sit on the adjacent terrace away from the somewhat noisy restaurant and enjoy the LA sights in the distance including the San Gabriel Mountains.