All day today at work I felt like a Mexican jumping bean because I couldn't wait to get home and start writing! As you may have read in earlier posts, I just returned from a five day business trip to Los Angeles. I have been incredibly lucky this year and have had the opportunity to travel all over the country for my new job. This past week's trip to Los Angeles we nothing short of superb.
Wednesday morning I woke up at 6:00am and headed to Logan airport. I took this photo through the glass after I got through security (thank you, iPhone):
After a flawless, direct flight on Jet Blue (the best airline in America) we landed safely at LAX and took a taxi to our hotel.
When booking our travel for this trip we had four hotel options. We checked out each online and selected the hotel that had the best photos of the guest rooms. That lucky winner was the Omni Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.
From the minute we arrived I knew I would love the Omni. How can that be, you ask? Well, as soon as our taxi came to a stop, the bellman was right there to open our door, take our luggage and hold the door open to the hotel lobby. Now that is service! This happened every time we came home for the rest of the week.
We took one step into the lobby and both of our jaws dropped. Check out this scene:
The sculpture peeking out behind the foyer is very cool and modern.
Additionally, the hotel has the most gorgeous flower arrangements! That is not normally something I would notice, but these were stunning.
Before you reach the registration desk there is a table with ice cold, lemon water. My coworker drank this every single time we came home.
When we checked in, we were greeted by the most friendly staff and headed right up to our rooms. My room was on the 9th floor. The design of the room was serene and composed of calm, neutral colors.
The textures of the headboard and the bedding were beautiful, very Pottery Barn.
The textural elements continued with the armoire:
The room also had a comfy arm chair perfect for slouching into at the end of a long day.
For me, the room's wow factor was the bathroom. It had a gorgeous vanity, a bathtub and a stone shower. A separate tub and shower? Hotel bathroom heaven.
Overall, the room was a great home for my five days in L.A. The bed was incredibly comfortable. I crawled in every night, snuggled deep under the covers and didn't wake up until my alarm sounded. Every time I stepped into the bathroom I felt like I was in a spa. The closet was spacious and had plenty of hangers for the multitude of outfits choices I packed.
Even more than the room and the gorgeous lobby, the thing that made my experience was the hotel concierge, Amy Leland. During our time at the Omni we had many questions. We needed to find a copy center, a drug store, a nail salon and we needed several restaurant recommendations. Amy always delivered and recommended two of the best restaurant we visited the entire trip. Every time we walked through the lobby she said hello and asked how everything was going. She called us her "Boston sisters." I would stay at the Omni again just to take cues from Amy.
A few areas for improvement: the hotel walls are very thin. Let's just say, I could hear people really enjoying their vacation. Second, the hotel restaurant, Noe, was horrible. The server was clueless and the food was terrible. The restaurant has a beautiful outdoor patio was fire pits and live jazz. Go and have a glass of wine on the patio, but stop there. Also be advised that the Omni is located in the financial district and as such, there isn't really anything in walking distance food or fun wise, just a Starbucks.
A major thank you again to Amy, the concierge at the Omni for making our stay absolutely incredible. We can't wait to come back and see you!
