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Categories: Hotels, Bars, Restaurants, Venues & Event Spaces [Edit]
Neighborhood: Studio CityRoach infested
Roach infested
Roach infested
The concierge saw one on the wall in the lobby and she took off her shoe to kill it and accidentally flung it at me. Gross! Then I saw another one on the other side of the lobby.
Safety:
- There are no top locks on the door. Bad!
- the balconies are kinda communal and partitions separate them
- The hotel is not enclosed and there are various open spaces for people to come in through.
Overall:
-staff is very friendly and helpful.
-There is ample parking.
-Don't stay here if you are looking for privacy and safety.
-The layout sucks. To get to the elevator you have to go all the way to the back, past the pool. Quite a trek.
-- The pool is HUGE. A+
A few friends came in from Iowa a couple of weeks ago and they decided to get a room here for a week.
I went over there to visit them and I didn't see anything exciting about the hotel itself...it was kinda shabby looking on the outside and upon entering it still didn't look any better.
The room was small....with 2 beds and the balcony faced the pool.
The only cool thing I seen while there was the pool area and the jacuzzi w/ a surrounding outdoor covered cabana area....with a waterfall & rocks formation....and was just a really nice area to have a reception or a party etc.
I noticed that they have the laundry area right inside the pool entrance door downstairs.
Not sure of the cost of this place but it is NOT all that....I was kinda let down.... I had high hopes of seeing this place for the 1st time.
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I came here for an industry meeting a few months ago and I can still remember how much I really disliked this place. As a matter of fact, I just plain hated it.
We sat by the poolside, laptops, notebooks and pens in hand as we waited a very long time for our food to arrive. Did I mention that we were the only ones there? The server was nice, but it just didn't make up for the dry food, weak coffee, and slow service.
We completed the meeting, but the cafe was all but memorable. They won't be back there for a meeting or otherwise and you can just about bet that neither will I.
This is a review of the banquet facilities only...
I was here today for a tax seminar...SNORE FEST I know. I've never been in a room with soooo many unattractive old bald men in my life! Anyway, back to the review. I've been to these seminars in years past at other locations and this one is the best by far.
The ballroom is spacious, the bathrooms are a plenty and the bridges and ponds (with beautiful swans and cute little ducks...awww) just outside the banquet rooms are quite soothing and serene. It's hard to believe you are in the Valley when you come here! Parking is also very easy. No structures, no tickets to pull and no money exchanged. Easy in and easy out...just how I like it ;)
The spread was typical of any seminar: pastries, juice, coffee, fresh fruit, soda and tea. Lunch was also included: green salad, rolls, and every banquet hall staple a creamy chicken breast with steamed veggies and wild rice. Not too shabby! I've had worse.
All in all, this place appears to be a decent location for a wedding, reunion or a bloody boring tax seminar.
TIP: If you attend any function here before 9 am and you're heading South on Coldwater Cyn, cut across Moorpark to Whitsett towards Ventura Blvd to avoid the Ventura/Coldwater intersection. This area BLOWS in the AM hours!
People thought this was:
This is the kind of place you'd go if you wanted to feel like your 75 and retiring from your lifelong job as a Detroit Auto Worker, and the union is gonna front your bill.
I really don't know how the hell I ended up here, but somehow it happened and I was having a good time, but when I looked around, I was kinda appalled that I was even here. What's even funnier to me is the fact that this place is in business in Los Angeles!!! I mean yea, it's actually Studio City but we're still 2000 miles away from Omaha. My suggestion is, just don't do it, so many better places to spend your time in our great city, if you want this kind of vibe, a drive to Nebraska should only take about 20 hours.
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I went here for my principal's retirement party. This parties can sometimes be boring but I thought teachers + booze = a fun time.
First off, there was only valet and it was $6!!! Rip off!!
As for an event place... it's really nice outside. A nice pond, some geese swimming around, lots of plants and a gazebo. The inside is nicely decorated with crystal chandeliers but feels a little old.
As for the food... I went with the Pasta Primavera cuz I heard the chicken sucks. Well the pasta sucked and the chicken was good. Mutha f'er!
And here is the topper!!!!! THERE WAS NO BOOZE!!! What??? Are you kidding me???? A retirement party and no booze? wtf? How are people suppose to get crazy???
Teachers + NO booze = Grumpy time
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Michael S. is right - the Hotel and the 'Lodge' are two different things. Since the 'Lodge', aka the Caribou restaurant and tacky banquet/meeting/party spaces are now closed for what I hope is an overhaul similar to that of the Hotel, this review is only for the HOTEL. (Though I will note that you can peek through the fence and see that the ponds with the swans are still there, which is something they should definitely keep!)
We were here for a long weekend, and had a great time. I wanted a place where I could relax with the fam and have the peeps over to play, and the SLH was perfect! There was poolside live music Friday and Saturday nights, a DJ during the day on Saturday, and since Sunday was Mom's Day, a great jazz trio, with a hollow-body, a double bass and a... oh, who cares. Peeps came over both Saturday and Sunday and swam and had lunch, which the friendly pool bartender brought over. My little guy spent long hours each day bobbing around the pool. The other folks lounging were a mix of Omahans and locals in tats (I don't think they monitor for guest status too carefully). The only downers of the pool scene were: no notice on check-in of the nighttime music, which went until 11pm (kinda late for a preschooler); a private party in one of the rooms on Saturday morning with Mexican music blasting until the DJ finally arrived to save us at 1pm; and the (also unannounced) Mothers' Day brunch poolside, which hogged up one whole side of the pool and all the tables and umbrellas ALL DAY so people were desperate for a place to lounge and lurking near our staked-out spot hoping to nab something when we weren't looking (and we were totally sitting there, not just throwing our towels down).
The cafe is a great little coffee shop, totally charming, completely decent food and the fact that you can get delivery at the pool rocks. There's a little gym, with two recumbent bikes, a treadmill, a stair climber (?) and a weight system (the kind with the pulleys that's at every gym). I had the place to myself, for the most part. And they take dogs! Despite what their notices say online, they do take dogs. The whole place is old-school in a cool way, not run down at all.
We were on the ground floor with a slider into the garden and a little space to sit. The bed did not have a nasty polyester motel cover on it, and the room was simple but totally adequate.
All in all, it's a great option for those like us who want a family vacation that's not completely corporate and sterile, with an easy hop into town and a decent pool scene.
So I came out to Los Angeles to try out for a then unknown show called "Big Brother" and the put me up here for a week. Although this was a LONG time ago I remember the rooms as being pretty boring - two beds, a porch, boring blah decor. Nothing special about that.
I would eat in the diner in the morning, nothing special about the food.
I laid out at the pool, nothing special going on.
I checked out the bar - boy was nothing going on there ....obviously nothing special.
Now knowing the area it would be a place I would put my parents if they came out and visited, they don't really care about anything special as far as accommodations. It's has beds, it's clean, it has a diner and a bar. They always seem to have wedding shows there too. There are swans in the pond by what I think is a restaurant.
I guess that's special.
People thought this was:
Check out the pool bar on a weekend afternoon. Good crowd. Interesting and sociable people are the rule there. Lots of musicians seem to stay at the hotel and Ive enjoyed quite a few conversations with rockers you would recognize.
Why won't yelp have halves? 3.5
Neat pool
Clean rooms
Very "LA"
Kid-friendly
Drinks and food close by
Good neighborhood
Kinda retro (in a good way)
The hallways smell funny
They could stand to update the carpets
Full of, no CRAWLING with posers....it iS LA I guess...
Visited the Sportsmen's for dinner and Karaoke in the lounge tonight (Tuesday), since we had heard through the grapevine that there was Karaoke fun to be had.
The food was OK - nothing special at all (overpriced!). The Karaoke is alright if you like slower, older, favorites - we tried to bust out the rock and got nothing but yawns, but they got full on riled up for some Neil Diamond "Sweet Caroline". The crowd is definitely not super huge, I think the longest the wait got to was 30 min.
The sound system is definitely not so great - the mics are pretty dry and the music is low. Majorly lacking in bass as well.
The Year is 1965. It is Hip to Be Square, or is it Square to be Hip? The Sportsmens Lodge (is it a Motel or Hotel) is so uncool it is cool. They remodeled (gawd) but left the green indoor outdoor carpet around the pool . Everything is perfect. I love this place and so does Hollywood. they shoot alot of sitcoms, commercials and movies here. I met Eddie Murphys cook in the elevator. I also walked intoa an outdoor wedding reception in my bikini cutting thru to my room from the pool. Hello
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Probably deserves an extra half-star, but since that's not possible...
Sportsmen's is a much nicer complex than the exterior or location would have you believe--the gazebo area complete with rose garden, stream, and swans is a lovely stroll and makes you forget you're just off the 101. The renovations are nice--beds are comfortable, service is friendly. The suites with fridge and balcony are particularly nice. Room service food is only so-so, and the on-site amenities just don't seem worth it considering you're right on Ventura. Great pool, though definitely out in the open--the better rooms are pool view and guests definitely people-watch.
People thought this was:
This was a nice place. The building is old and needs updating both inside and out. Everything is smaller scale then it is today, small hallways and a mini elevator, but rooms are decently updated. Bathroom was small though. The staff was great! We got free parking, even though it costs $10/night. Our room was upgraded to poolside and a larger bed without any extra fee. They really tried to accomodate us. Looking over the balcony at the pool was nice. I didn't bring my swimsuit, but there was a bunch of people lounging by the pool and at the umbrelled tables. There was a poolside bar and they played live music. I really wanted to relax there, but didn't have the time. Overall, outdated, but accomating and friendly staff, with nice pool area minus the fake grass!
Who is crazy now? I don't know who thinks who is more crazy me or my friends.
They think I am crazy because I take photos everywhere and I explained Yelp to them but I just don't think that they quite get the obsession of mine with the whole picture and review thing that pays nothing to me.
I think/thought they were crazy about Arbonne which is why we came here. Both my friends sell this product on the side because they love it and I have to admit it is a great product but multi-level marketing?
In one of the banquet halls there was a monthly meeting and I came with them but first we stopped by the bar and had some appetizers and a couple Mai Tai's. The food was decent and the drinks were good and actually the meeting was pretty good too.
BTW...one of my friends that sells this product on the side DOES NOT NEED the extra income she just loves it.
If AL or KO are reading this I really don't think your crazy. We all know who the crazy one is....me.
Oh did I mention we arrived around 6pm and there was a shoot out across the street?
People thought this was:
When I first drove up, I was confused...
Lodge? Safari? The front exterior sports a bit of both.
I've stayed here before and after renovations; the rooms are nice and it's in close proximity to Starbucks, Ralph's, Twain's and Jerry's so the minimal hotel restaurant hours didn't dissuade me all that much. I was well fed and well caffeinated through all my vacations.
The gazebo area is gorgeous and the pond is pretty but...murky. LOL. I fear for those fish. But still, very nice outdoor setup. I've had poolviews and parking lot and didn't notice a huge difference in the noise factor unless an event was going on in the lot by the gazebo. I wasn't bothered either way.
It's a bit pricey but I've always been able to get great group rates when booking with my friends or special event rates if something is going on the week you're there. They've got tons of stuff going on during the summer and you can usually do some fun celeb spotting by the pool. Just watch out for the redheaded kid with the water gun. Never fails to show up.
All in all, it's more like 3.5 stars.
Oh and just out of sheer randomness...check out the jewelry display in the lobby entrance leading to the pool. They have some really fun and unique baubles.
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I was at Sportsmans about April or May of 2008. We loved it so much we are going back in 2 days time. Last time we stayed for 5 days, this time for 7. The rooms are large and comfortable, great balconys with lots of room and seating with a small table. The views are awesome. The staff extremely helpful and courteous. Made us feel right at home. They catered to our every need. They were in the process of revamping the check in area, but that did not hinder us at all. I can not wait to return in 2 days time. Great pool, an elevator if needed. Outstanding service. Even checking out at 2 AM they had a bellboy come and get our things and load it all up for us. Just Awesome!
Good floor and lots of room for salsa dancing....Great location!!!
A bit tacky, a wee sporty, and loads lodgey alright. Any place where someone can just hang up their hat for a drink, and then before you can say "da, da, da", gets pulled into a Ukranian wedding reception, gets five stars from me.
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I travel to Los Angeles with frequency and have stayed here many times. With the lack of nice hotels in the Valley this place in not bad overall. Currently they are renovating their rooms so that should help improve the experience of staying there. If you are a pool person you will love their almost Olympic sized pool. The hotel does have some interesting legitimate ties to old Hollywood as well. They do a large event business and at night the music bounces around the inner courtyard. If you are looking for quiet over scenic ask for a room on an upper floor facing the rear parking lot.
People thought this was:
I have been to a variety of ongoing meetings here and the location is ok, but accomondations not great. Food is just so so, and if they have a bunch of different events happening, be prepared to pay for parking, even if you park your own car. Ugh.
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I didn't stay here - but on Wednesday night they have a jazz open mike night. Some of these muscians are smoking. For all the open mikes I've been to, Cathy , who is the host, is a pro and keeps the show moving - changing musicians and singers in and out. The night I was there I heard songs from jazz standards, interpetations of jazz standards and a few latin jazz numbers.
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