Friday, April 2 was the official opening of the Ritz-Carlton Los Angeles. The hotel is a 54-story glass exterior tower and along with the adjacent J.W. Marriott Hotel is part of the L.A. Live Entertainment Complex.
The travel news has been filled with stories about the hotel since the press releases last week. I decided I’d take a look at the stories and the website to check out this new Marriott offering in smog city. I avoid LA every chance I get – “Mom, I had forgotten the sky should be colored blue” – so, I haven’t actually been to the hotel.
The Ritz-Carlton is only 123 rooms and 14 suites located on just five floors, Floors 22-26 of the 54-story building.
Ritz Carlton Facilities:
Ground Floor has private elevator that takes guest to the 23rd floor Ritz Carlton Club Lounge check-in.
Club Lounge on Floor 23 is a 3,400 square feet lounge.
The Lobby Lounge and WP24 Restaurant (Wolfgang Puck) are on the 24th floor.
The Pool is a roof top pool and bar located on the 26th floor. (I have not located any pictures to see the 26th floor rooftop pool on a 54-story tower building.)
Fitness Center is also on 26th floor offering 2,000 square feet of workout space.
All the descriptions mention the views west and to the Santa Monica Mountains above LA and views of the Hollywood Sign.
Ritz-Carlton Spa is an 8,000 sq. ft. facility located on Floor 2.
Floors 27 to 54 are Ritz-Carlton private residences.
Lower floors are rooms associated with J.W. Marriott Hotel.
Ritz-Carlton Hotel Rooms (rates are based on Friday, June 11 standard rates checked April 8 )
Standard Guest Room is 450 square feet. I gauge a room that size as feeling upscale, but I think you have to get to the 550+ range for a room to really feel spacious. ($369 or $439 Club Lounge access)
Executive King room is a corner room with 180-degree views and “voila” – 550 sq. ft. in size. ($419 or $489 Club Lounge access)
Junior Suite room is 600 square feet. ($479 or $549 Club Lounge access)
Club Executive Suite rooms are 1200 square feet. Now this is a sizeable room complete with a dining table, separate lounge area, and separate powder room (I guess this means a toilet and sink?), 42-inch HDTV, walk-in shower with rain shower head, office area with separate seating, dual sink bathroom with built-in mirror TV, and separate bedroom with dressing area. ($2,100 Club Lounge Access)
Ritz-Carlton Suite room is 2,920 sq. ft. on the 25th floor. Club lounge access is one of the benefits of this room.
There are few rate specials on the web for the Ritz-Carlton Los Angeles. A 2010 Romantic Escape Package offers breakfast at WP24, valet parking, chocolate covered strawberries, a bottle of champagne on arrival and late checkout. The rate is $509 for a standard room or $559 for Executive Room without club lounge access. That is an extra $140 per night over the base rate. Valet parking is around $50 for this hotel.
The Executive King with Club Lounge access at $489 per night sounds like the best deal to me.
I will be interested to see how the rates look around August to November, 2010. I don’t follow luxury hotel rates closely, but the trend I have seen over the past two years is for rates at new luxury hotels to start high and then drop to a significantly lower level about four to six months after opening. I’ll check back on the Ritz-Carlton Los Angeles later this year for hotel specials.
Related Links:
Ritz-Carlton Los Angeles Guest Rooms & Suites web page shows some room photos.
Ritz-Carlton Los Angeles website
Ritz-Carlton Press Release for Ritz-Carlton Los Angeles opening
The J.W. Marriott and Ritz-Carlton Los Angeles are part of the L.A. Live Entertainment Complex with restaurants, clubs, and sports venues. http://www.lalive.com/.
Los Angeles Times Architecture Review: the tower at L.A. Live – Christopher Hawthorne (Feb 13, 2010)
Hotel Chatter (Dec. 3, 2009) – A Sneak Peek of the Ritz-Carlton and J.W. Marriott at L.A. Live
