The Sonesta Hotel Los Angeles at LAX excels at being an airport hotel that knows what it is: a place for business and leisure travelers staying near the airport that feels like home. It’s also a foodie hotel with sushi flown in from Japan and an Executive Chef with the youngest one out of all Crowne Plaza hotels.
What is the Sonesta Los Angeles at LAX?
The Sonesta Los Angeles at LAX is a 4-star hotel about 2 miles from the airport with a 24-hour shuttle running every 20 to 30 minutes. It’s part of a line of hotels that features budget brands such as the Red Lion all the way up to the extra fancy Royal Sonesta properties. There are even Sonesta cruises. You can join the Sonesta Travel Pass for accruing rewards and gaining extra perks such as late checkout. As perks can change, always ask when booking at this and other locations what perks for members are free for you.
Pro Tip: I hate waiting for shuttles, so I took the Sheraton Hotel shuttle that’s close by and arrived first. It’s not because the other shuttle comes more often. It just happened to arrive before the other one. I took the hotel shuttle back to the airport. Give yourself an extra half hour to an hour to before your flight takes off for transit. LAX traffic is almost as bad as Los Angeles traffic.
How was my experience staying at the Sonesta Los Angeles at LAX?
The Sonesta Los Angeles at LAX exceeded my expectations for an airport hotel. It has surprisingly good food, a funky gym with artificial grass, and airport views. When I was a little girl, my dad would take us to the Piedmont Airlines airport lounge in Charlotte, NC, to watch the planes take off. From my room and all the rooms that have odd numbers at the Sonesta, you can see the airplanes taking off and landing.
If you’d also love a runway view, ask for an odd number room when booking your reservation and a higher level floor. I stayed in an executive king room. It was a spacious and a comfortable resting spot, and the conference I was attending was less than a 10 minute walk away.
One thing to never underestimate is L.A. traffic. I called an Uber to downtown L.A. It took over 15 minutes to arrive, and I was late for my appointment. Since the hub of my activities was within half a mile of where I’m staying, I chose the right hotel. But if most of my activities were near downtown, I would have picked a different one.
The Cool, Healthy Restaurants
Before staying at the Sonesta, I learned about Executive Chef, Jose Camarillo, who is the youngest executive chef in all the Crowne Plaza hotels, but what I didn’t know ahead of time was the story of the sushi chef who creates and prepares the sushi menu for the sushi bar and Century Taproom & Lounge.
Kuni came to Los Angeles in the late 90’s after studying sushi making in Japan, his country of origin. He mixes all the heart of traditional Japanese sushi with the flavors and preferences of California. My favorite item on the menu was a Sonesta Roll, a a cucumber-wrapped spicy tuna and asparagus roll served on top of a salad.
Many healthy options are available at the hotel restaurants including gluten free options, vegan, vegetarian, healthy choice, and well-being dish.
The sushi restaurant is the only restaurant of the four that isn’t open 7 days per week. If you want to try the sushi, book the hotel for a Wednesday through Sunday night.
Restaurant Hours
Yokoso Sushi Bar: Wednesday–Sunday, 5–10 p.m.
Century Taproom & Lounge: Brick oven pizzas and draft beers Daily, 4 p.m.–12 a.m.
The Landing Restaurant: Breakfast restaurant with a buffet and a delightful breakfast burrito big enough for two people. Daily, 6–11 a.m.
Boulevard Market Café, A snack bar for quick breakfast and lunches to stay or to go. Breakfast: 6–11 a.m.; Lunch/Dinner: 11 a.m.–12 a.m.
Hotel Logistics
Type of Hotel: 4-Star.
Address: 5985 West Century Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90045.
Room Service: 24 hours a day.
Pet Friendly: Up to 2 dogs or cats per room, extra fee.
Parking: Valet and self-park.
Impromptu Business Meetings
For business travel, as long as someone else hasn’t booked it, a conference room with full technology can be ready in as little as 15 minutes. This is great for last minute meetings, meetings with people flying in, or the big break you got from sitting next to someone on the plane who could greenlight your Netflix show.
Pros
- Conveniently located near the airport, SoFi stadium, Kia Forum, and Intuit Dome.
- Comfortable beds. I always remember the hotels that don’t have them.
- Meeting rooms with full tech ready in 15 minutes.
- Airport views. You can image your next trip seeing aircrafts taking off to destinations all over the world.
- Surprisingly, a foodie hotel.
- Pet friendly for all your canine and feline friends.
Cons
- The heated pool’s on the smaller side. It was perfect for me because I didn’t have time for a lot of lounging.
- Inconvenient for distant Los Angeles attractions. For instance, this isn’t the most convenient hotel if most of the attractions you are looking for are near Hollywood.
- Not really a con, as it’s still close to the airport, but you should catch a cab if you are running late for your flight and the shuttle isn’t arriving for another 15 minutes.
Who should stay at the Sonesta Los Angeles
- A business traveler needing quick meeting space or a convenient hotel near the airport.
- Someone who wants a chill night before a flight and an amazing sushi dinner.
- Someone flying in (or a local wanting a shorter drive) for an event at SoFi Stadium or Kia Forum.
Who shouldn’t stay at the Sonesta Los Angeles
- Someone who is looking for a hotel with a resort style pool. The pool is on the smaller side.
- Someone who wants to be close to downtown LA. Since Los Angeles is a very high traffic city, it’s important to find a hotel that’s near the attractions you’re looking for.
Sonesta Hotel Los Angeles at LAX
In My Expert Opinion
I was impressed in so many ways with this hotel. Map out where you need to be and it’s nearby. If I were staying for longer and going to locations in the Los Angeles, California area that aren’t within a 5 to 10 mile radius of the hotel, I probably would have picked a second hotel for those nights.
