Description: The convention office took care of picking our hotels. We had to list our preference choices and then put it into their hands. Everyone was scrambling for the Hyatt, as it was the nearest hotel, not only to the convention center, but nearest to the water. I must have made the "B" list, as I was awarded my second pick - The Westin.
The Hyatt
is by far the nearest hotel to the Convention Center. It connects to it via a small walkway and is only a few feet away. The airport van let all of us off at the convention center. Those at the Hyatt were already home, while we Westin folk had to walk a fair distance to our hotel.
The Hyatt is indeed just across the street from the harbor and overlooks Shoreline Village and the Queen Mary in the distance. The entire front of the hotel is glass and the views from these rooms are what folks hope for.
The hotel is a new steel and glass structure. At sunset, it catches the colors and is gorgeous. The hotel has 522 rooms, so is a fairly large hotel.
It has a nice, heated pool on the ground level and seemed to be a popular spot with our convention-goers. The lobby is busy.
I felt our staff at the Westin was a bit more polished and more professional. Several people had run-ins with the Hyatt staff over missed phone calls, wake-up calls, or bad information. A group of us tried to eat on Sunday at the Tides. We were placed at a makeshift table and never even saw a waiter. We left for some place that seemed to have it more together.
I was told the rooms were nice. They were a bit on the small size and pretty much the standard Hyatt room. The rooms with a view were desired, while the back rooms had a view of the roof of the convention center.
In comparing the pros and the cons of the two major convention hotels, I have to say the Hyatt does have the better location. It's only a few steps from the center and is a bridge walk away from Shoreline Village. However, I feel the Westin offers a more luxurious feel, has larger rooms, and the staff is more professional. Overall, the feel of the Westin was calmer and more sophisticated.
If you find yourself in Long Beach for a convention and you have the two hotel choices, you will have to decide if location or service is the more important feature for you and make your pick from there.
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