I had the opportunity to spend a Saturday night at SPG’s Le Meridien Delfina Santa Monica Hotel. This is an SPG category 5 hotel located in Santa Monica California just outside of Los Angeles. I made a last minute booking and the only rooms available were double queen bed rooms:
SPG website booking offer
I selected to pay 12,000 Starwood Starpoints for the one night, no taxes, however they did charge an $18 facility fee to cover high speed internet, 4 hour bicycle rental and valet parking. When we checked in around 10pm we were told that the hotel was sold out but as an SPG Elite member we were upgraded to room 609 with a balcony and an ocean view. We confirmed a 4pm check out when we received out keys. The view was actually of an aging apartment building next door and we could see into the rooms of the neighbors. The room had only a partial water view and the balcony was so small that it could accommodate only one chair. The room was as described on the booking page:
The bathroom had dim lighting, was cramped and seemed outdated to me. On the properties website their prior guests had complained that the toilet was too small for an adult and most likely was only sized for a child. I completely agree with this description. My pet peeve was seeing the hinges painted over with layers of paint and visible signs of rust and paint peeling along the bottom of the bathroom door. The room description said that it was a “Newly renovated” room. This was an outright misrepresentation. The shower head had a water restrictor that slowed the flow considerably. Since we are in a major drought, I can overlook the water restrictor, but as a local resident I am already trained in water saving methods and already turn off the water while lathering and shampooing. The shampoo and soap was very nice. There was an Illy Cafe espresso maker in the room that came with a complicated set of instructions, that I did not have the patience to be bothered with. It must have been part of the French decor.
Another complain that another guest had was that the valet took too long to bring the car when it was requested. I did not find this in my stay and the car was brought promptly on busy Sunday morning and was waiting for me by the time I came downstairs. I did not use the pool or restaurant as my stay was too short. There was no club lounge. The lobby staff as pleasant and efficient when checking me in, asked if I needed assistance to the room and I declined. This property was the former Sheraton Delfina Hotel and has been rebranded as a Le Meridien property. For the price it was an efficient hotel and a good value compared to the Marriott, Fairmont and Loews properties nearby. I would not recommend it as a resort or vacation destination. I would stay here again in a pinch if business brings me to Santa Monica again.
I received the folio by email at 3am and all charges were correct for the $18 fee. By 10am the next morning the housekeeper was banging on the door wanting to clean the room. I will never understand why late check out guests are not confirmed with the housekeeping staff prior to them disturbing guests.
Have you stayed at this SPG property? If so what was your experience? Please reply in the comments area below.
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Review: Le Méridien Delfina Santa Monica .@spgassist #travel #hotels I had the opportunity to spend a Saturday night at SPG's Le Meridien Delfina Santa Monica Hotel…