Palihotel Hollywood near Universal Studios

The elevator was out of order, so I had to carry my heavy suitcase up several flights of stairs without anyone offering to help. When I got home to the UK, I saw I’d been charged $40 a day to park, something nobody had told me when I booked or checked in. Some parts of the hotel were lovely, including the pool area and its decor, and the bed was very comfortable. Other parts felt shabby, with fixtures coming off the walls and various holes in the room walls. I’d accidentally booked an extra night I didn’t need. The front desk told me to change it through the website, but the website told me to speak to the front desk. I gave up and checked out a day early. I felt the desk could’ve made more effort to help. With a few tweaks, I think this hotel could be fantastic.

The room looked decent, with that retro Palm Springs decor, but the place still felt like a budget motel dressed up a bit. Even though we had one of the nicer room types, the quality was disappointing. There was basically no service, worse than I'd expect at a budget motel. I wouldn't spend $200 a night here.

I was wary after reading bad reviews, but I'm glad I gave it a chance. We stayed Saturday through Monday for two nights and paid $429. A bit more than I'd prefer, though fair for the location. The staff were friendly throughout. The room was small but clean, comfortable, and laid out well. We were in a quiet room at the back, away from Sunset Blvd, and slept well. The design has a fun retro-modern feel, and the pool area has that Palm Springs retro-chic look. There's secure underground parking, which is useful in LA. I think it was meant to cost $35 per night, but I wasn't charged. The hotel is also walkable to Hollywood Blvd, restaurants, and bars. Bossa Nova was delicious and reasonably priced. The area felt like ordinary LA to me, though visitors from out of town might feel uneasy seeing people of color, lower-income residents, hipsters, and working-class folks. If you're near places like In N Out, Starbucks, and Chick Fil A, you know you're in a pretty safe neighborhood overall, like this one. I'd definitely stay again sometime.

The cafe and atmosphere were good, but the stay had some real problems. Our room still had the previous guests' belongings and trash scattered around. I tried calling from the room several times and nobody answered. I also asked the front desk to arrange a 6 am taxi, but no cab had been ordered when pickup time came. They got a replacement quickly, though we were still late.