Hotel Erwin, A Joie de Vivre Boutique Hotel

What a nightmare.. Bed bugs, no joke.

I'll start with the good for what it's worth. The staff was very friendly and the bar on the roof is a bit pricey but has a great view. Hash also made a great breakfast. As for the bad and the horror. There were a number of little irritating things about the hotel (key cards didn't work for the first three attempts, there was wiring and brackets for a flat screen, no flat screens even though it was advertised, poignant fresh paint smell) but none of this can touch the nightmare that stemmed from this stay. I was sitting on the fold out couch (in a one-bedroom suite) and noticed a bug crawling on me. I was grossed out, but I thought it was a sand fly that must have traveled in from the beach on someone. Once the bug was taken care of I was still leery to sleep on the fold-out so I wore long pajamas. Everything seemed fine but fast forward a few days, when all of a sudden hundreds of red itching bumps started appearing all over my hands, my feet, my neck, and all over my face. I went to the doctor and he confirmed it was bed bugs. In doing research, I now know that the bug I saw was a bed bug (I recognized it immediately) and the fact that I saw it in broad daylight was a clear sign that the room was badly infested. Additionally, the person that stayed in the room with me is also going through this, but they didn't get bites on their face. My life has been overtaken by this horror. I'm a professional and with all of these bites I look like a homeless person. So, besides the terrible irritation and pain I'm in, I look like a disaster, have had to try to clean my home from corner to corner. I still don't know if there is any infestation in my house and can barely sleep at night checking out any and every twinge on my skin. I'm hoping this is where the nightmare ends, but it can easily grow exponentially (cost of an exterminator and pain) if the infestation did in fact follow me home. Honestly, I'd hate for anyone else to go through this hell. I'd pay good money to

Under construction, not ready for a comfortable stay.

First, we did not get the one bedroom suite that I booked. We got a studio instead. The manager, "Vee" was very nice and gave us that night free and did move us to a one bedroom suite for the remainder of the stay. Part of the hotel was still being renovated and some minor things missing or not ready. The staff was very nice and accommodating, but it seemed a bit frantic for that weekend of the opening of the roof top restuarant. Great location for Venice Beach, one block away. Parking was expensive.

Just O.K.

There was only one tiny garbage can in the room and when you have a toddler you need a little more than just one small garbage can. They didn't supply us w/any toilet paper and we were always asking for it. They missed our room one day and did not clean it. And when I checked in the person had a little bit of an attitude. Other than that, the location is great, right on the beach. Definatley a hotel for a younger crowd. Not so much for families.

Former Best Western Marina Pacific, Now Erwin Hotel

The Hotel met our expectations with the exception of the construction currently taking place and the dirt, dust, and closure of elevators. The rooms were spotless and the staff friendly and cooperative. The Valet parking attendants were especially attentive and friendly.

Great Service

I loved my stay at Hotel Erwin, they are located in the heart of the hustle and bustle that is Venice. The decoration of the room itself was great. The room was filled with art from the local artist and bright colors. All of the employees were extremely helpful and pleasant. The valet/parking rate was always lower than the parking in the surrounding areas. I will definatly return.

Area is shady at night. Extremely close to beach. Overpriced!

The beach is so beautiful here, but there are many homeless or needy people in the area. This can cause scary situations at night. Plan on parking and valet related charges. I did expect all of these things before I chose to stay here. That is why I provided a satisfied score. My expectations were sasisfied, but my expectations were average. I would recommend this hotel for people who find that they need a feasible price compared to pricier hotels in the area, and who also know what the area is (good in the daytime). The beach is beautiful. It was the reason we came, and this hotel fulfilled our needs.

A very nice stay

We stayed on the 4th floor in one of the suites. The kitchen amenities were severely lacking, but we made do. I had to ask for dishwashing soap. There were 3 of us and 4 dinner plates, 2 sandwhich plates, 3 forks, 2 knives, 4 spoons, 3 glasses, 4 coffee mugs. I asked for more and the housekeeping was quickly on it and we got what we needed. You get the idea. I had to supply paper towel, napkins, and a cleaning sponge for the sink. The towel rack in the toilet room was in need of repair, and the towel rack in the sink room was missing altogether. The pull out queen couch bed was really bad. The furniture was really nice otherwise and there was a great flat screen TV and fireplace. The location was great for hanging out at Venice Beach. It was close to Hollywood; San Diego was 2 hours south and Santa Barbara was 2 hours north. I would definitely recommend staying here. The staff was always pleasant and helpful.

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2 1/2 Stars

We booked a suite and specified 4 adults. They had one set of towels and one small bottle each of shampoo and hair conditioner and one bar of soap. No cotton swabs or the usual basket of necessities that is expected of a 3 Star hotel. We called for extra towels, but the night front desk said we had to wait the next morning since housekeeping was closed. The next morning, I told the front desk man about the issue and when we came back in the afternoon, it was all taken care of. The space was roomy enough for 4 people. The kitchen was complete if you wanted to cook and eat in. The rooftop offers great views. Walking distance to the beach. The staff was very cordial, helpful and offered pertinent information on the area, the valets were very accommodating and retrieved items we forgot in the car after they had already parked it in the basement. We enjoyed our stay overall and would recommend this as an apartment-type hotel.

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Surroundings

Hotel and personnel were great. Very pleasant and helpful. The area is rather distressing but maybe that is the "draw." Would be nice if there were at least one decent rest. in walking distance. Other than that our experience was very nice. We were dismayed at the many "homeless" in the area - although no one bothered us other than to panhandle a bit.

Good room for the money

Very friendly, helpful staff. Great views from the roof deck. Right on the beach block in the middle of Venice (if that's what you want). Not walking distance to any NICE restaurants. Besides Venice beach, plan on driving everywhere else (but what do you expect in LA) Valet with daily fee required. Hotel in general is medium grade (in a "nice if you had to stop on the highway and get a room somewhere and it was pleasant" kind of way, if you know what I mean). It was well worth the price we paid though.

Definitely needs improvement

Improve courtesy and friendliness of management, Tillis, to guest requests. Parking included should state that it costs $15 per night to park. Also should state that hot breakfast will stop as of Jan 1, 2009. We stayed 6 nights. Maid did not leave towels for 3 although we told manager and left a note for maid. Clerk did bring 3 towels up though.

Friendly staff

The staff was friendly and helpful. The only problem we had was that once the maids left our door open after cleaning. The good news was that nothing was taken from our room, even though the door was wide open for several hours. We notified the front desk and it never happened again.