08/31/08

didn't stay at the hotel, but after being at the bar, i wanted to!

by barefootjumper

we dropped by the bar at the hotel on the recommendation of a friend and despite the very empty saturday night street, were pleasantly surprised at what we found inside.

getting to the bar required walking through the ornate and exotic hotel lobby. entrance, indeed!

the bar is reminiscent of a resort bar with tables nestled into little pockets near the shrubbery around a coffin shaped, color-changing pool. very romantic or perfect place to bring fascinating guests who you'd actually like to speak with all night.

not a scene-y place by any means. a fresh breath of air.

they closed up a little early, which in l.a. means you're back on the hunt before the clock strikes two. luckily, it's right across the street from the 24 hour eatery, the pantry.

07/03/08

Stay at the Holiday Inn (across the street) instead.....

by porsh123

I recently attended a worldwide convention and stayed at the Hotel Figueroa. The hotel was chosen by a member of our group. When I read the reviews of the hotel I was skeptical but kept an open mind. We arrived in our room late at night. The hotel appeared dark and mysterious. I was surprised by the darkness of the room. It was very difficult to see while unpacking our suitcases, even after taking the lamp shades off every lamp in the room.

The next morning we arose (at 6 am) to the sounds of construction. This was not the hotel's fault but it occurred for the 6 mornings we were there. The hotel room had very limited amenities (no coffee maker, no hair dryer, only 12 channels on the TV, no radio). Air conditioning was supplied by a window unit, which was also very loud and needed to be on because of the hot weather. The maid service came after 3 pm every day. By then, we were back in our room and wanted to relax before the evening festivities. The hotel room was not very clean and we fixed the toilet on several occasions. The bath tub clogged every time we had a shower (filled up while we were taking a shower). There is a beautiful pool and bar located at the rear of the hotel. However, I was very surprised that even though the hotel was filled to capacity, there was no one manning the bar at the pool for the entire time we were in the hotel.

Two couples in our party spoke to us about their experience. One waited 3 days for someone to fix their shower. The other couple did not get the double bed they booked. Instead they were given 2 single beds.

I kept an open mind during my stay and enjoyed my time in LA, in spite of the inadequate accommodations. I am happy that my children did not accompany us on this trip. I can not recommend this hotel.

• Pros: Beautiful pool, good location
• Cons: Room amenities, cleanliness, lighting and air conditioning

06/15/08

Wonderful place for adults with class

by smriley1

Notice the negative reviews here are all from people who want some kind of "scene" or have some sort of unrealistic expectations. This is not a scenester, hipster, DJ bar/hotel for party people trying to showoff and score. This place is for people who aren't loud, obnoxious drunks. The patrons are often more mature people who just want to have conversation in an unparalleled setting without having to yell over music and/or frat kids. My girlfriend and I have been going here for years and enjoying the classiness of it all and have consistantly been treated with kindness and respect. Because we are kind and respectful customers. We appreciate that the owner, staff, and security has no tolerance for inappropriate behavior and it's that committment to style and atmosphere that keeps us coming back. My girlfriend and I enjoyed it so much that there was no question we should have our wedding there. Though our event was very small, the staff still treated us as if we were paying a fortune to be there. They were attentive, professional, and made every effort to make our wedding a memorable experience for us and our guests.

To the people who call this place "boring" or "dull," just keep in mind that not every place is designed to cater to YOUR needs. LA is full of party places, so why not go there instead of trying to turn this place into a party? I certainly don't go to a dance club and complain about the noise so why come to the Figueroa and complain about the quiet?

The Figueroa is literally an oasis in the middle of the city. I can't say enough about the beauty of the hotel and the patio. We stayed in a suite for our wedding and it was absolutely breathtaking. If you want a break from the bar scene and just want to enjoy a space and your company, this is it.

05/06/08

Great Private Party Venue

by gonavera

I threw my husband's 40th birthday party at Hotel Fig and it exceeded all my expectations. The manager Uno and his staff are pros and very experienced in handling big parties. Uno accommodated all my requests which included belly dancers, cigar rollers, and a dj. And he was very patient since I was so indecisive at times. Having dealt with a lot of party venues, doing business with Hotel Fig had a very informal way about it...didn't sign a contract until two weeks before, for instance, and they didn't insist on deposits...threw me off at first because I'm used to more formalities and signed documents but it was actually really refreshing and Uno was so dependable and returned all my emails and calls.

We had a blast. All our guests were very impressed with the food, drinks, service and decor. We had a reception at the Nomad Lounge upstairs before being escorted to the Rabat Room and the vibe in there was so cool -- low lighting, rich colors, lots of texture. The hotel had 2 major parties inside and 3 smaller parties by the pool and there were no problems with staffing and parking. They also provided security. I've organized a lot of parties at all types of venues and I wholeheartedly recommend this hotel especially for those looking for a unique and not so "banquetty-hotelly" venue. I can't wait to throw another one...next time maybe poolside.

• Pros: Ambience, Service, Food

01/27/08

No Problems

by yummychk

The Hotel Figueroa is not your average hotel, but very unique in its own right. The lobby area was very exotic with huge chairs and small coffee tables for casual conversation. We had a quick dinner that was not too impressive because of the extremely limited items on the menu. We were expecting a more exotic menu of Moroccan food since that is the theme of the hotel. The bar and pool area was fantastic! Very swanky, very hip, great bartenders and the highlight of our stay!

We were in number 416. It was very small with a king bed. No alarm clock or coffee maker, but lots of charm! Bed was comfortable and the place was very clean. Bathroom was extremely small and had no vent or fan for the shower.

The staff was very professional and helpful. Short walk to Staples Center and the new Nokia theater. If you are looking for a place to stay downtown and you want ambiance, than this is the place for you, but if you are looking for someplace more high end, than this is NOT the place for you.

I had read reviews of this hotel and was a bit worried, but when we parked in their parking lot and came through the pool/bar area, I knew that we were going to have a great time. I don't understand what all these people previously were griping about.

• Pros: Close to Staples Center

08/26/07

I Have Never been treated so Poorly in My Life, Especially on My Birthday!

by cahuja

TERRIBLE SERVICE, very, very rude staff, but it seemed the manager/owner would relay the messages to his staff without speaking to us directly. We had made arrangements to host a birthday party with roughly 90 people..First, we were informed by the parking attentandt, "Israel." that we'd have to pay, even though we were bringing lots of bar patrons, cafe patrons, aka, LOTS OF BIZ!...fine, we moved our car...then they confront our friends, that they can't bring in a Birthday Cake!! yes, a birthday cake..but that we could bring in cupcakes..I kid you not, there was a stand off in the hotel lobby, not allowing us to bring in a birthday cake!!...I have never been treated with such disrespect in my entire life.....We offered to rent a banquet room to eat our cake and the manager who wouldn't speak to us, told his 4 person staff our money wasn't good and we could go somewhere else after inviting nearly 100 people to his understaffed, horrible owner, horrible hotel...we eventually had to arrange a secret Birthday Cake celebration in the cafe!!! SO there owner...We ate our Birthday Cake in your hotel u looser!! .........rumor is that the owner of Standard, Chateau Marmont is buying the hotel anywayz...then maybe things will liven up, and become less fascist!!

CAA

• Pros: Pool
• Cons: Fascist Manager, Terrible Customer Service, No Security

02/06/07

Bad Service

by reneegrauman

The manager is not accomodating and the service is slow. Unfortunately not even the beautiful decor is woth coming here.

• Pros: Beautiful Decor
• Cons: Slow service. Don't expect a lot of people here. The bad managment speaks for itself.

10/02/06

Beauty is very deceiving!!!

by sosjasper

This place is exactly what LA is known for; much like the nightlife that lines Hollywood Blvd. gaze at its beauty from afar because you are NEVER going to get in!

Never have I been treated so poorly by someone who operates his own business. My boyfriend and I attempted to make reservations for 2 1/2 weeks with not much success. The man (a term in which I am using loosely) who takes reservations is apparently the owner continued to tell us that the Hotel was booked out for weeks and that we would not be able to get a room. Not only was he incredibly snooty but he also made jokes out of why my boyfriend wished to take me there, which we felt was very inappropriate.

"the only reason you come her is to try and keep your woman"

At this point we decided to take our names off the waiting list and on Monday called to do so. According to them we failed to make our reservtions the night prior (which was a Sunday and our requests had always been for a Saturday night). We were never told that we had been given a room and in fact sayed that the night in question was booked up by a wedding party!

The oh-so-kind (pardon my sarcasm) reservationist/owner said that he wouldn't charge our credit card this time though.

I'd rather a MOTEL 6 to him any day!

• Pros: pretty
• Cons: the worst customer service -ever (this coming from a someone who operates a cust. service based business)

08/29/06

Don't just go for the soda machine

by tropicalstorm

The badly lit interiors, utter scarcity of service staff and the ancient death trap of a fire escape system make this landmark hotel one of the happiest & romantic places on earth.

03/30/06

Where is everyone? Isn't this Los Angeles?

by traviscattach

I have never been to a more uninteresting venue before tonight. It was a Friday night, and myself and an associate were trying to catch up over a cold beeer, deciding to entertain ourselves at Hotel Fig.

This would be the start of our calamaty when entering the Bar for the first time to know that we are literally the only occupants with similar demographic to anything with cosmopolitan attitudes - other than the 'quazi-baller' ladies sitting at the bar trying to 'steal drinks' from myself and my collegue.

I woudl not go here again, unless you like stoopid looser cougars without any clue of standards - or the alternative gothic go-go dancer-esque qualities of an Inglewood Street vendor... I implore you.

Please consider one of the many other viable options for the DT area.

• Pros: location, Bar (location)
• Cons: Price, Parking, Sstaff, patrons