We spent a weekend at the Hyatt Place “Glendale / Los Angeles” in Glendale, California and I would not return due to the pervasive smell of marijuana and subpar breakfast.
Review: Hyatt Place Glendale / Los Angeles
As we tried different hotels looking for the right fit after the tree accident, this hotel offered a convenient location in the heart of downtown Glendale at the corner of Wilson and Central and offered a manageable commute to school for the kids. I was hopeful we might spend some time here on a long-term basis, but it became clear after two nights that this was not the right place.
Prices fluctuate quite a bit at the Hyatt properties in LA. We paid about $170/night here when the Hyatt Place in Pasadena rose to over $450 for the weekend. Yes, the insurance was paying, but I was not about to extend so much out of pocket and then end up fighting for reimbursement or being told that I spent too much on a hotel room. Throughout this process I have kept hotel costs reasonable.
The Smell
Anyway, we arrived on a Saturday afternoon, checked in without issue, but when we got off the evaluator on the eighth floor, the entire floor smelled like marijuana. It was overwhelming and disgusting. I’m rather agnostic about whether marijuana should be legal, but it is a smell I truly detest. It drives me crazy.
Thankfully, inside the room there was no smell, but every time I walked out into the hall I smelled pot. I smelled it down on the second level as well where the fitness center and pool were.
Room
The layout of our room was very standard for a Hyatt Place, with a living room area with couch and coffee table and then two beds in the sleeping area.
Tea and coffee were available, plus an empty refrigerator.
USB-A ports were located under the TV and on bedside lamps.
The bathroom had a walk-in shower and toilet, but no bathtub. Shower amenities were in bulk dispensers.
Our room looked out too the city and at night there was a drive-in movie in the parking lot below.
Pool
The pool heater was broken…the water was freezing cold (which for us in Southern California mean about 65ºF). Swimming in lukewarm water was no fun. On the day of the departure the pool area was closed and guys were working, so I am going to assume that problem has been resolved.
Fitness Center
A small fitness center is adjacent to the pool with strength training and cardio equipment. I did not use it – I used my own gym instead.
Breakfast
A complimentary breakfast buffet was available mornings from 6:30 am to 9:00 am (7:00 am to 10:00 am on weekends). Quite frankly, I found the quality of the eggs, meat, and just about everything to be a disappointment. The fruit was not ripe and the coffee was downright nasty (so thin it was but a light translucent brown).
The coffee was so bad I paid $2.75 for a couple of Starbucks coffee from the hotel bar, which was also bad…but at least it was strong.
Location
The location of this property is quite convenient. You can walk to the Americana at Brand (outdoor mall) or to the Glendale Galleria (indoor mall). There are restaurants, coffee, shops, bars, and the historic Alex Theatre along Brand Boulevard.
Of course with two young kids restaurants are best avoided, but I did take them to Taco Bell…
Parking
Valet parking is available in front of the hotel for $38 per day. There is a public parking structure (the old Sears) nearby that costs about half that. I found a parking spot on the street.
CONCLUSION
I don’t do well with the smell of pot and so even if it was just one guest who has now checked out, I am not going to chance it again. The smell of pot is now quite hard to avoid to Southern California, but the eighth floor corridor of a hotel should be one place where it is possible to avoid it. But the poor breakfast and coffee did not help matters and I found the nearby Hyatt Place Pasadena better on virtually every level.
I used to like Hyatt Place properties as I find them convenient when staying outside downtown areas or staying close to airports. However, my experience lately has left a lot to be desired and I am now avoiding them. Stained carpets, dirty couches, extremely cheap quality bed linens and towels, empty large bottles of soap/shampoo in the shower, noisy and inefficient AC/heat system inside the rooms, etc… I also had bad experience with shuttle in cases I arrived late from a flight and it took forever for the shuttle to show up and in cases I had ti get a Uber to get to the hotel. Also, most of their properties attract entire sport teams with teenagers that stay there for local tournaments which turns the place in to total zoo with kids running around, elevators that take forever, etc… Last, although I rarely eat breakfast at hotels, theirs is disgusting. Everything is overly processed and bad quality. I also ordered a latte (had to pay for it) and had to dump it into the trash after the first sip as it was undrinkable. Overall, I have been very disappointed with Hyatt Place and do not plan to stay at their properties again.
Every time I have asked for management to enforce the no smoking rules at Hyatt the response has been to avoid acting afraid of drug traffickers retaliation. Inaction constitutes endorsement. Hyatt should be honest about welcoming drug trafficking on their properties.
What srig traffickers? You make it sound like a cartel is operating in the lobbey of the hotel.
I agree about hating the smell of pot. It’s one reason I have stopped traveling to Las Vegas. The smell is everywhere.
The reality is its becoming a thing everywhere. At the Dolder Grand in Zurich last week groups were smoking weed outside the bar in the smoking area and it was getting everywhere in the restaurants and lounge. It’s amazing how much everyone goes wild over cigarette smoke, which is far less bothersome to me, and just ignores weed as if it is somehow the better of the two. It is so much more pervasive and, agree Matthew, it’s an awful smell.
Isn’t smoking weed illegal in Switzerland? I stayed at the Dolder in July and outside the bar people were smoking cigars but not pot.
I asked the server and they said it’s not legal but tolerated to the point that no one will do anything about it. He said it’s a growing issue on weekends ant many hotels and the smoking area outside has become a sort of free for all.
If I smelled pot (or cigarette smoke for that matter), I’d be worried about being charged a smoking clean-up fee. I’d report it immediately so there’s less a chance I’d be accused of being the culprit.
Thanks for the review. Living in Pasadena, it’s nice to learn about local hotels for when traveling friends inquire. Have you/will you be reviewing the Pasadena Hyatt Place? I watched it being built, as I used to spend quite a lot of time at the Pasadena ice rink across the street, and have wondered how it is inside.
We actually spent most of our time in the Hyatt Place Pasadena. It was like night and day compared to the Glendale Hyatt Place. A review is coming. Of the Langham as well.