Location: West Hollywood, CA

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The Room: Very simple considering the hotel location and remarkably different from the vibe you get from walking through the lobby. With an all-orange bathroom and blue/white everywhere else, the decidedly retro color scheme gives rooms this room the only charm it needs to keep from being just “standard”. Rooms are clean enough, but with Hollywood being Hollywood You might be forced to wonder what happened in your room last night. In most rooms you’ll have either a patio or a small balcony, a nice way to enjoy the excitement by the pool (on the first floor) or a view of the neighborhood. (1st floor rooms with patios are subject to some noise, but seem to quiet down after 11pm).

Service: Front desk service has always been great. It may be that I’m staring at the human aquarium behind the front desk or distracted by the seemingly endless party by the pool, but I always seem to be greeted with a smile and friendly attitude.  Room service is slightly pricey but always quick and tasty. Over a few visits I’ve had  standard breakfast and coffee service, both were acceptable to good. The valet was particularly helpful and speedy…Good with directions and treated my rental Kia like it was something much nicer.

Perks: No real extras unless you want to pay for the aromatherapy candle or mix CD you can buy from your rooms mini-bar/snack/goodies supply. Very simple setup.

Location: Above Average. The Standard is a reasonable distance from tourist attractions. You can get to them easily by car or taxi, but not a simple walk. Personally, I prefer having a car when in LA.

Lobby: The lobby is pure LA trendy. From the aforementioned human aquarium to the lively bar/pool area… you’re certainly not in Kansas anymore.

Parking:  Average. $29 a night for Valet. Expensive, but good service for the price in my experience.

Overall: Average. The Standard’s website claims that they are “anything but”, which I can agree with…except when it comes to the guest rooms. The lobby/bar/restaurant are fun and flashy, but the rooms are quite standard aside from the retro curtains, orange bathroom and ikea furniture. One extra note: I’ve recently read guest reviews that mention the “creepy” hallways. They ARE dark and a little drab…That said,  I rarely find myself spending much time in the hallways of hotels.

The Deal-How I got it: Booking with the hotel directly seems to get you an upper level room away from the noisy pool area. Booked once on Orbitz and got a first floor room with a patio separated from the pool area with a tall fence with a thick mesh fabric so outsiders can’t see in. Paid roughly $120 for the first level special on Orbitz and have paid up to $175 for higher level and sometimes slightly larger rooms.

Rating: 2 Hops (out of 5)