Hyatt Centric Delfina Santa Monica

Let’s start with the good part. We booked with a suite upgrade and the suite was huge. Front desk and bell staff are lovely. Now for the rest. There is no window in the bedroom. The main room has a balcony overlooking the hotel driveway and a bunch of soviet-looking apartment blocks. (photo). You need to press a tiny unmarked button on the side of the temperature bar in the shower for hot water and pressure. If you don’t figure out this clever puzzle, you get to shower under a trickle of freezing water. Also, in response to the welcome message on my TV, I am not MRS Sarah Anderson. It is not 2019. And it is not zero degrees farenheit in Los Angeles. (photo) Streaming services on the TV do not work. Netflix and Youtube are supposed to be options, but when I pressed the buttons for them I got an error message. When I asked at the front desk the manager told the desk attendant they hadn’t decided whether or not to renew the contracts so they just didn’t work. (Pro tip for management, when I had streaming issues in a good hotel they offered me a streaming stick — just $17.99 on Black Friday sale!) HVAC returns are filthy and bent. Pot light over the shower was caked with dirt. Looks like there was no deep clean after renovation. (photo) The super soft foam bed is incredibly uncomfortable. Like sinking into an overheated bathtub full of styrofoam peanuts. In short, never staying here again. Just left the beautiful Hyatt Centric in New Orleans and the contrast was stark. Read less

Stayed at the Hyatt Centric Delfina Santa Monica last weekend to watch a Cirque du Soleil show at the Santa Monica Pier and personally would never return. Based on various reviews I read before coming, even those from when it was still a Le Meridien, I already anticipated the property to be dated and came with an open mind to manage my expectations. But once there it was really hard to wrap my head around how they actually made this place a category 6 as is. I understand that categories are determined by typical cash prices, and that the cash prices are high for this particular property because of its location in Santa Monica, but similarly priced hotels in the area have far more favorable TripAdvisor reviews and would be worth checking out before even considering coming back to the Hyatt Centric just because it’s a Hyatt, even for a Hyatt loyalist. I know there’s a multimillion dollar refresh in the works as part of Hyatt’s acquisition of the property, but the worst part of our stay was less about the property, but the staff. I understand there are still growing pains as it transitions from Marriott to Hyatt, but it wasn’t even the staff’s lack of education concerning Hyatt policies that was off putting, it was the terrible attitudes. Of the 3 interactions I had with different front desk staff, not a single one of them was pleasant. Check in wasn’t terrible, but not great either. When I walked up to the desk to check in, I handed over my ID as I said I was here to check in, and no words were exchanged until I was asked for my credit card and handed my keys. No “hi,” no “welcome,” no “how can I help you,” just took my ID, handed me keys, and answered my question about where Globalist breakfast would be. The next day after breakfast I went up to the desk and asked if I could get late check out and was met with a sigh and eye roll before being asked if I was a member. I said “yes, Globalist” and they just typed away before telling me they could do 2pm and handed me new keys. The worst was at check out when the woman actually started arguing about the resort fees. I asked for a printed bill and informed her I got charged for resort fees. She insisted they only get taken off on award stays and I told her that for Globalists they get taken off on all stays. She then retorted with “I’ll go get my manager SO THEY CAN SHOW YOU ON THE POLICY WHERE IT SAYS IT’S ONLY ON AWARD STAYS.” Seriously? What was the point in adding the extra beyond “I’ll get the manager” other than to be rude and confrontational? She goes to the back and comes back out and says “We’ll take it off but only this one time.” I clarified for her again that it’s for all stays with Globalist, and she just scoffed with attitude saying “No it’s not, but we’re doing you a favor this one time.” I just walked away not wanting to argue, completely dumbfounded at how terrible everyone at the front desk was here. Despite the experience with the front desk, most of the other staff were great. All the staff at the restaurant were very nice and as attentive as they could be given how busy it was. I felt really bad for the valet because they seemed quite stressed at how long it would take to get the cars. That’s another negative about this place, it would take over 20 minutes to get our car each time. But it was hard to be upset because they really did seem stressed about it and weren’t cavalier or just brushing it off. So I don’t know what the situation with the valet is and why it takes so long, but the guys really were trying and were visibly stressed they weren’t getting the cars out faster. Overall my impressions of the hotel were lackluster. Its current state prior to renovations isn’t really worth being a category 6, and the nearby hotels in its price point seem like they’re worth checking out before ever coming back here, but what really made the stay terrible was the front desk staff. Not only are they not up to speed with Hyatt policies, but their customer service needs major improvement. Read less

Excited to have the Delfina Santa Monica in the Hyatt portfolio! Amazing location - easy walk to the beach, restaurants on Main Street Santa Monica and easy access to I-10 / 405. Ocean view rooms are very nice. The Hyatt team members were very accommodating with requests during this stay. Great to have coffee service start early (6:00 am) for the business travelers. Read less