Hotel Review: Hilton Checkers Los Angeles

After a day at Disneyland and a hotel night down in Orange County, we needed a hotel that was closer to LAX before jumping on the inaugural Delta flight to Papeete, Tahiti the following morning. While there are a number of great airport hotels in Los Angeles, once our plans were finalized to go to the Lakers game, we wanted a hotel within walking distance to Crypto.com arena.

I had been wanting to check out the new Conrad hotel in downtown LA, for which I have heard good things, but because of their high rates, I looked at other options. I had stayed at the Hilton Checkers a few years ago whenI was on a similar companion pass trip with my dad. That stay was one of my best hotel experiences to date thanks to an upgrade to the Penthouse Suite.

Although there were similarly priced properties closer to the stadium, including a Sheraton and Curio by Hilton, we ended up booking Hilton Checkers for old times’ sake and so I could write a proper review of the hotel.

This review is part of my Trip Report: Southern California 2022:

• The Final Companion Pass Flight: DCA-SNA
• Hotel Review: Sheraton Park Hotel Disneyland
• The Happiest Place on Earth: My One-Day Disneyland Experience
• Lakers vs. Nuggets: Box Seats
• Hotel Review: Hilton Checkers Los Angeles

The Room

We booked the hotel with hopes that we could get the same upgrade to the penthouse suite that we had a few years ago, which consists of multiple rooms within the suite and it is the only  room on the top floor of the hotel (and is next to the hotel’s large rooftop terrace). Unfortunately, the hotel was having an event the following morning on the terrace, so the room was reserved.

The check-in agent offered us a 1 King Terrace suite, but due to the shortness of our stay and because it had a king bed, we declined and opted for the two-queen room we had previously booked.

You could definitely tell the age of the hotel room from the moment you walked in, but the room had held up well over time. The most recent renovation of the rooms was in 2008. Upon entering there was a closet immediately to your left with double doors that opened wide and the bathroom entrance to your right.

Inside the bathroom, the amenity products were Crabtree and Evelyn soaps that Hilton typically uses. It was a standard bathroom, although the finishes were nicer, there was more crown molding and the shower/tub combo had been tiled, which is better than an insert.

A little further into the suite was a vanity housing the TV, mini fridge, and coffee maker. The TV, which was about 50-55 inches, seemed newer than some of the rest of the furniture. Beyond this area was a desk with a swivel chair and then a red loveseat with an ottoman and an arched lamp.

The desk was actually under a window, which would have made me think we had a corner unit, but the window faced more windows on the other side of the hotel, as well as a limited view of the street.

On the other side of the room there were two queen beds and a nightstand. The beds were comfortable but nothing to write home about. As I said, this was just a typical hotel room so nothing too special. One thing that I thought was particularly nice was the crown molding in the room, which made it feel more premium.

Overall, it was no penthouse suite, but the room had everything we needed for a quick stay and despite its age, the nicer finishes of the room helped it stand out compared to other Hilton properties where I’ve stayed in the US.

The Service

When I messaged the property inquiring about the upgrade to the penthouse suite through the chat feature in the Hilton app, they were quick to respond. The reception manager, with whom I spoke, seemed like she was genuinely trying to get us upgraded into that requested room. When it wasn’t available, she apologized and kindly offered us the other suite option.

From dropping the car with the valet to check-in, it was a smooth process. The check-in agent was quick to thank us for our loyalty to Hilton and let us know about the option between the king suite or the standard two-queen room, as well as explained different details of the property, such as breakfast.

We did not have any more interactions with staff during our short stay, but during check out, the agent was helpful in allowing us to split the stay among various credit cards (we had multiple card-linked offers we wanted to trigger).

The Property

I would not expect that much from an older property in a downtown financial district compared to a newer hotel such as the recently built Conrad Los Angeles.

The hotel felt very Hilton and from the exterior, the only issue was that there is no true driveway in front of the hotel. Rather, you need to pull up and unload from the side of the street.

Inside the hotel, you could definitely tell that it was a historic hotel, but also the Christmas trees and decorations were a nice touch for the holiday season. The lobby and bar area definitely felt small, which is okay most of the time, but when a line started building up for the front desk, it suddenly felt very crowded in the small space.

I did not get a chance to make it to the gym in the hotel, but one was offered. The rest of the hotel seemed to follow the similar trend of classy but older, which was also shown in the hallways that felt more premium.

Despite not having more of a ‘property’ due to being a city hotel, the hotel is clean and didn’t feel dated as much as a more classical elegance. Due to this nature, some of its design is more awkward such as lower ceilings in the lobby, but overall I liked the property.

Booking

We booked a two-queen room for about $190 and with California’s high tax the total rate came to roughly $220. The valet cost was $51 so our total stay came to $280-ish after everything. This was not bad compared to the rates nearby properties were charging and I felt it matched the services provided, although not any exceptional deal.

As a diamond member, $18 of a breakfast credit was available per guest, which covered the continental breakfast price, but the full buffet would cost an additional $7 (the only differences were three hot trays including eggs, sausage, and bacon). We just had the continental breakfast since all I wanted was fruit and because I knew there would be better food in the Delta lounge at LAX.

The Last Point

While I enjoyed my stay at the Hilton Checkers in Los Angeles, it was not nearly as special as my trip a few years ago. I don’t really have any complaints, but at the same time, there is nothing I can particularly rave about. It was a comfortable hotel stay and the staff were very helpful.

If I attend another event at Crypto.com arena or have a need for a hotel in downtown LA and rates are reasonable, I will not hesitate to book another stay. At the same time, I would not go out of my way to book a stay here when there are more exciting properties in the region such as the Hollywood Edition, tConrad downtown or the new Hilton LXR in Santa Monica.