Hotel MDR Marina del Rey - a DoubleTree by Hilton

The pool is nice, but I found the hotel cheap-looking and uncomfortable, and I won't return. I love Hiltons, and this place shouldn't be called a Hilton. The location isn't great. I live nearby and booked rooms for friends so we could get to the eateries and shopping I wanted to show them. That part worked out, but it has nothing to do with the Hilton. We waited more than an hour for our rooms, and one hadn't been cleaned at all when we finally got in. The rooms aren't well maintained. Ours had an old, uncomfortable bed, dull sheets, a small bathroom, and too few towels for two people. The front desk seemed unsure what they were doing. They gave me the wrong bills, had the wrong room number, and I paid for two rooms. They were nice, but if I hadn't checked, I would have paid far more than I owed, and who knows what happened to my payment. There's nowhere decent to eat at the hotel.

Tony at the front desk made our arrival feel special. My fiancé and I were exhausted from the trip, and he went out of his way to get us into a room before the usual check-in time. He offered to hold our luggage right away, and the room he found was ready, comfortable, and spotless in no time. The whole staff were excellent, and having a room prepared so quickly gave us a chance to rest and get our energy back. Their care and the comfort of the stay made this one of the best hotels we've had the pleasure of visiting.

Bugs showed up in our room every day, including spiders in the sink, cobwebs in the corners, and three pincher bugs. I was so worried about them that I unpacked my suitcases outside when we got home. The carpets were stained and paint was chipped all over. A hallway door near the housekeeping laundry was left open to the outside, which I'm sure didn't help with the bugs. We came with our family hoping for a clean, comfortable stay, but had to ask for fresh towels every night after being out sightseeing or traveling. On our first evening, we called the front desk and waited an hour while my kids sat in the shower. I finally went down to ask again, then waited another five minutes while they tracked some down. Housekeeping didn't come during our stay, and the staff we passed in the hall were rude. After asking several times, we still couldn't speak to management. I would never book here again. Spend a little more elsewhere.

The front desk said the mix-up was because I had misunderstood my reservation. They offered loyalty points, but didn't seem to intend to provide them. I'd booked a pool view and got a direct view of the restrooms instead. To catch even a corner of the pool, I had to press my face to the window. There was a furnished private patio too, though reaching it meant climbing through a window. I stay at plenty of Hilton properties, but this was a one-time experience for me.