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Halfway between Los Angeles International Airport and Orange County Airport, The Westin Long Beach is in a convenient location for anyone who is there for either business or leisure in Southern California. It’s near the Rainbow Harbor, The Queen Mary, and the Convention Center. We decided to visit for a short weekend with our dogs as we heard that the area was super dog friendly.

We’ve stayed at plenty of hotels with our pups and the pet fees generally range from $50 to $100, so when we heard that The Westin in Long Beach, California had no pet fees whatsoever, we couldn’t believe it. This was our first experience at a 4-star hotel that had absolutely no pet fee.

We enjoyed our time here with our pups, but we have some mixed reviews of this hotel. Here’s our brutally honest review of The Westin Long Beach.

LOCATION

The Westin Long Beach is about 26 miles southeast of Los Angeles International Airport and is situated in downtown Long Beach. The hotel is within walking distance to many attractions and is across the street from The Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center. It was the perfect place for either business or leisure and we were there to treat our pups to a fun weekend at Rosie’s Dog Beach.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

The lobby was gorgeous, spacious, and radiated an amazing natural light. We arrived around 9:30 AM and requested an early check-in at the time of our booking. Early check-ins aren’t guaranteed, but they did an amazing job accommodating our request. We were able to check into our rooms at 11 AM and received a call from the staff as soon as it was ready. We were very impressed with how quickly they were able to get us a room.

THE ROOM

We stayed in Room 1244 and it was an average size room for a hotel in the U.S. We were hoping to get an upgrade with our Marriott Gold Elite status; however, all of the suites were unavailable to the public at the time due to the pandemic. Since we were on the 12th floor, we had a great view of downtown Long Beach.

Bathroom

We have mixed reviews about the bathroom. There were some things we absolutely loved and other things we really disliked.

PROS:

• The counter was spacious and wrapped around the entire bathroom, so there was plenty of room to store our toiletries and makeup bag.

• The mirror was huge and the best part was that the entire mirror was framed with lights. The lighting made it so much easier to apply our makeup and it just makes everything look so glam.

• There were plenty of plush towels and hand towels. One of our pups needed a rinse, so the extra towels came in handy.

CONS:

• We are not fans of rainfall showerheads and although it was equipped with an adjustable hand shower, it did not work that well.

• The shower drain was definitely clogged as it did not drain properly. We hate that feeling when your feet are sitting in a puddle of water during a shower.

• The toiletries are VERY limited. We received a travel-size bottle of shampoo, conditioner, lotion, and a bar of soap. For a 4-star hotel, we’re used to at least some Q-tips and cotton balls.

Heavenly Beds

We absolutely loved our beds. It was just the right amount of firmness and the pillows were heavenly. We woke up feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day with our pups. We think the pups enjoyed the bed too.

RESTAURANT & BAR

We had dinner, drinks, and breakfast at The Westin’s Navy Proof Food & Spirits and have very mixed reviews about our experience.

Dinner

We ordered dinner for carryout to take up to our room so that we could let the pups relax. Crystal ordered the Navy Proof Burger and enjoyed her juicy burger. I (Candy) ordered the Turkey Club and it was pretty average. I was expecting something a little more exciting for a $15 club, but it was something I could have easily made myself. The portions for both meals were plenty and if we had known how generous the sandwiches were going to be, we probably would have shared one entree.

Bar

Our bar experience ended up being the worst bar encounter ever. We ordered two margaritas to enjoy in our rooms with our meal. When we got to our room, I removed my lime to squeeze into my drink and right where the lime was placed was a huge chip in the glass. I was worried that the glass might be somewhere in the drink, so I immediately took it back downstairs to get a new one.

This is where our experience went downhill. When I explained to the bartender what had happened, he just stared at me and basically didn’t understand what my concern was. He then asked if I just wanted a new glass implying that he would just pour the drink into a new glass. I replied, “No, I would like a completely new drink.”

He then stared at me and then walked away and slowly made a new drink. To be clear, I wasn’t mad or even asking for a free drink. I just wanted another one in case the original drink had a piece of glass in it. There was another customer sitting at the bar who witnessed everything and she looked at us in shock and even commented that his attitude was bizarre. Crystal and I used to be in the service industry when we were in college, so coming from experience, it was a little shocking.

Breakfast

We initially did not have plans to eat breakfast at the hotel, but it was raining so our options for outdoor dining with the pups were out of the question. We both ordered the Market Omelette and it was sadly one of the worst omelets we have had.

The egg was overcooked and instead of fresh mushrooms, it was canned mushrooms which tasted awful. I also asked for no cheese, but that request was ignored. I would have sent it back, but the cheese actually made the eggs a bit more bearable.

Crystal’s croissant was stale and my toast was average. I was hoping for a better selection of jam as well, but I was given a small plastic portion cup and it tasted a little old. With the cost of my meal being $26 ($20 plus tax and tip), we expected a lot more. The only thing we enjoyed was the free coffee that was from Starbucks. The service was great, but the meal left us extremely unsatisfied; especially after the price we paid for it.

STAFF & SERVICE

The majority of the staff was very friendly and helpful with the exception of that one bartender. Even the security guards at the hotel made us feel welcome. We really appreciated that we were able to settle into our room before noon and that we got a great view of downtown.

AMENITIES

We didn’t have the opportunity to use any of their amenities, but they do have an outdoor heated pool, whirlpool, fitness center, full-service business center, and valet dry-cleaning.

PARKING

Self-parking was available for $30 per day and there were plenty of parking spaces in their garage. We prefer self-parking since we like to be able to get to our car without having to wait for a valet attendant. Some hotels only offer valet, so we were happy to see that there was a self-parking option.

FINAL THOUGHTS

We really appreciated that the hotel was super dog-friendly and that there was no pet fee. The location was convenient for many dog-friendly establishments and the property was very clean and felt safe. This hotel is rated as a 4-star hotel; however, it did not feel like one with the questionable bar experience, the horrible breakfast, and faulty shower drainage. Crystal gave it a 3.5 out of 5, but I would say it was more like a 3-star hotel.

We stayed at this hotel on June 27, 2020, and the staff did a great job adhering to the CDC guidelines. Cups were individually wrapped, there were plexiglass shields at all the service counters, and the staff only came into the room on an as-need basis.

THE WESTIN LONG BEACH
ADDRESS: 333 E Ocean Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90802 (MAP)
PHONE: (562) 436-3000
@westinlb

Check their current rates HERE.