This Best Western has its good points, and it's bad. Overall, the property is in good shape and the staff is friendly and professional. That said, I probably won't be back.
Sometimes hotels think they're improving their facility, but they must not ever stay at their own hotel. In this hotel's case, they have installed motion sensor lighting in the rooms. This is trendy, being billed as energy-saving and convenient, while it is anything but. Reading a book? The lights go off and leave you waving your arms in the dark to get them back on. Sleeping at 4 a.m.? Not any more. The light pops on for no readily apparent reason. Need to get up and get a drink of water or use the restroom without waking your spouse in the middle of the night? Forget about it - the hall light, and the bathroom light and fan all go on and there's nothing you can do to prevent it!
In addition, many hotel AC/heating units allow you to have the fan run constantly, providing white noise to help you sleep. In this area of Long Beach, you get a lot of traffic and train noise, but while the AC unit has a button for keeping the fan on, in my room, it didn't work.
And while I was a fan of the bumping, thumping elevator, the breakfast was one of the worst continental breakfasts I've found at a Best Western, though the attendant was very good (their staff at the hotel were all very good). The waffle came across as having the flavor and texture of a used dish sponge.
With so many nicer hotels a couple miles away downtown (where you probably want to be), and often for not much more money than this one, it's hard to find a reason to return.
Unless, of course, you like random lights going on throughout the night.
- Best Western Long Beach
- Long Beach Best Western
