The Selloff I Was (partly) Responsible For
How I Was (partly) Responsible for the Death of the Thompson Hollywood
I previously mentioned in my hotel list-article that I was partly responsible for a hotel losing its doors and selling off its brand assets.
I had stated I would explain that scenario, so here we go.
In 2023, my boyfriend (now-husband) and I decided to have a winter vacation in Los Angeles. Given that his job is remote, and works for my company, travel is always an option. We stayed at two hotels on this eight day trip. The Thompson Hollywood Hotel, and the La Meridien Delfina Santa Monica. While the latter was an amazing hotel, and is now a Marriott property as changes and contractions are part of the constant fluctuating nature of the hospitality industry, the former, the Thompson Hollywood failed miserably in nearly all aspects.
An excerpt of my review follows as it highlights the dismal nature of this supposedly glamorous hotel on Hollywood Boulevard.
"We stayed in the premier king bed, city view room, one level below their so-called Grande Suites.
Overall, this was a huge disappointment for both of us. I had high hopes for the Thompson Hollywood Hotel. Firstly, there were no defined pool hours (when I called down to the front desk, their ambiguous answer was 'sunrise to sunset'), they had poor to questionable aesthetic choices in the hotel and the rooms which made relaxing very difficult, to say nothing of actually sleeping.
The general staff seemed apathetic to lethargic or otherwise unconcerned with guests' needs, unless of course that guest was an incredibly attractive woman. In other words, the attitudes of the staff were based on absolute sexism."
This aspect was made explicitly clear on a Saturday night when I came back from the pool, entered the elevator, only to rnd up sharing it with six other women who only came to the hotel to use the rooftop nightclub. Members of the staff met us on every floor bit (which was nice) yet only catered to guests they felt were visually attractive.
The exception were the valets who were spectacular and absolutely earned their tips. The air conditioning/HVAC unit was obnoxiously loud and contributed to the overall discomfort. The Wi-Fi failed to stay connected to my personal devices (phone, smart-watch, tablet, laptops).
There was no refrigerator to speak of, so we had to make best use of the mini bar in the room. There was also no room on the street or curbside to drop off the rental car for the valet and we therefore had to take up space in the hotel driveway. Finally, there was noticeable and obvious damage to the room furniture which lowered the class factor overall in my opinion.
The Thompson Hollywood rebranded quietly and quickly after we left.
Yet due to so many well-known travel reviewers, vloggers, agents, (yours truly included) and even standard guests leaving poor reviews, myself included, this led to a truly negative marketing impact. The Thompson Hollywood was sold off by Hyatt to Marriott (the brand with the largest footprint in Los Angeles now, and the greater L.A. metro area), expanding the latter's footprint in downtown Los Angeles. The Thompson is now known as The Hollywood Grande Hotel and while they have their own listed amenities, the pictures and videos and reports from my colleagues show that the Hollywood Grande has not changed from its time as the Thompson Hollywood under Hyatt.
Thank you for reading, and remember you can count on Brooke In The Air Travel to keep an eye on the best hotels not just in Los Angeles, but in the world at large! Simply join us at brookeintheairtravel.net!
