Blog 20: 2/27/2023: Trip Report!
My overall experience on four flights…We’ll start at the beginning with the first flight, UA 238;
Initial Flight Reviews:
On the 737-MAX 8 flight (238) it was a short hop from Cleveland to Chicago, so there was no meal service but the cabin service itself was excellent, and drinks were ice cold which was extremely nice. The arrival to ORD (O'Hare) was early by 15 minutes which was also a pleasant surprise. The seats were comfy, made of upholstered leather and the IFE system was more than I could have asked for on a short flight. Hundreds of movies, games, and music were at my disposal for only a 58 minute flight.
Boeing 737-800 of United Airlines
On landing approach to Chicago-O’Hare International
On Flight 1853, my primary flight to Los Angeles, the aircraft operating the flight was a Boeing 757-300 long-range narrow body airliner, and decidedly less advanced than the smaller 737-MAX series. The flight crew was cheery, efficient and served breakfast (a sausage frittata with spinach, cheese sauce and Italian sausage slices, fresh fruit, croissant and Greek yogurt) timely once we had reached and stabilized at cruising altitude (28,008 feet). Veronica, the purser, was wonderful and saw to see that all our needs were met. While there was no built-in in-flight entertainment (IFE), WiFi was available for purchase at $8 for the flight for your personal device. Unfortunately I ended up spending $16 to have WiFi on both flights to Los Angeles as I mistakenly thought the $8 was for the day.
Boeing 757-300
United Airlines’ 757-300, identical to the 757-300 I took to LAX and back
Next time and for your flights and peace of mind, just save the potential aggravation and buy the WiFi day package.
Overall, I was very satisfied with United. I never regret being a premier member.
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Hotel Reviews
Thompson Hollywood, rooftop poolside terrace
It really was not quiet this nice. See below.
Thompson Hollywood hotel
Dates of Stay: 2-18-2/22 (2023)
Room: king bed, city view
Overall, this was a huge disappointment. I had high hopes for the Thompson Hollywood. Firstly, there were no defined pool hours (when I called down to the front desk, their ambiguous answer was 'sunrise to sunset'), they had poor to questionable aesthetic choices in the hotel and the rooms which made relaxing very difficult, to say nothing of actually sleeping. The general staff seemed apathetic to lethargic or otherwise unconcerned with guests' needs, unless of course that guest was an incredibly attractive woman. The exception were the valets who were spectacular and absolutely earned their tips. The air conditioning/HVAC unit was obnoxiously loud and contributed to the overall discomfort. The WiFi failed to stay connected to my personal devices. There was no refrigerator to speak of, so we had to make best use of the mini bar in the room. There was also no room to drop off the car for the valet and had to take up space in the hotel driveway. Finally, there was noticeable and obvious damage to the room furniture which lowered the class factor overall in my opinion.
Rating: 2/5 Stars
Le Meridien Delfina Santa Monica
Front Entrance, the hotel is massive and much better overall than the Thompson
Le Meridien Delfina Santa Monica
Room: Ocean City View Suite
Overall, the Delfina is a very nice hotel, I have very few real complaints, so I'll be nitpicky. There were no hot tub operating instructions listed on the TV - everything else was listed in terms of swimming and other amenities and even dining but we needed to have an engineer come up to work the hot tub for us. The cordless phones on the suite did not work at all though the speaker operation option worked well enough. All parking at the hotel was valet only, though this does seem to be L.A.-centric.
Make sure you sign up for Marriott Bonvoy membership (which is free to enroll) otherwise this hotel will charge you 15 dollars or so a day for internet usage at the base level (they have increasing levels of internet usage for increasing prices, regardless of membership). The HVAC system seemed an afterthought or installed as a replacement, or otherwise something you'd find in lower end apartments. For the maximum allowable booking on United's site, I expected a bit more. But, again, I'm nitpicking. It was far better than the Thompson Hollywood hotel, and they did offer complimentary champagne at check in, and at all hours. The valets were also very nice and professional.
Rating: 4.1/5 Stars
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Return Flights
Return Flights
Flight 1897: 757-300, LAX-ORD
Flight 2345: 737-800, ORD-CLE
Flight 1897 from LAX to ORD, operated by a 757-300. My initial return flight was aggravating. The flight was delayed by nearly four hours, having supposed to have taken off at 2:20 PM but finally pushing back from the gate at 6:30 PM due to weather and additional technical problems. A separate 757 was wheeled in from elsewhere in the airport, no registry was available at the time. None of this was the crew's fault, and they were absolutely lovely. The purser, Greg, on the flight was fantastic and catered to our needs, even supplying 5,000 compensation miles to my account after the in-seat power was discovered to not be functioning.
United Airlines’ Boeing 757-300
Parked at SFO - San Francisco International Airport
Source: Planespotters.net
The WiFi also did not seem to be working well on this aircraft though the food was quite good for what it was, with a gourmet cheeseburger being offered as the main entrée with a vegetable puree - still not sure what that was, and a warm multigrain dinner roll. For dessert, a salt-coated chocolate-stuffed bun was served. I applaud the effort but it wasn’t very tasty. Not a terrible experience but certainly not great. I blame this on the plane being hastily prepared after a nearly four-hour delay.
Dinner on 757-300, LAX to ORD
Plated on fine china, Gourmet cheeseburger with capers, Vegetable spread, warm multigrain roll, Salted chocolate-filled bun, and mimosa to drink
From the descent and approach to ORD, 757-300 from LAX
Downtown Chicago can be seen in the foreground left of center. The deep blackness is Lake Michigan
As a result of the lateness of the previous flight, I spent the night at Chicago O'Hare international airport, crashed on a couch cushion at my departure gate. I took Flight 2345 from ORD to Cleveland, operated by a 737-800, the same as my original departure flight. A 45 minute hop, it went by quickly. I didn't bother paying for internet service on such a short flight. Basic drink service was offered in the form of water, orange juice, or your choice of alcoholic beverage. I had an orange juice but it was fairly bland. I'm convinced this was a massive fluke for United Airlines and I won't be too harsh on my judgment.
United Airlines Boeing 737-800
Being prepped for takeoff from ORD
Total cost: Just over $2,000 USD for all four roundtrip flights in First class (I was moved to Economy Plus for the short return trip from Chicago to Cleveland but I earned First class points and miles for the trip because of the unusual circumstances). Flights are being paid off through financing via UpLift which I completely support.
Thompson: $1,800 USD for 4 nights in downtown Hollywood (I would not pay this again)
Le Meridien Delfina Santa Monica: $1,500 USD for 3 nights, 4 days in Santa Monica, a block from the Pacific Ocean and famous Santa Monica Pier in the most upscale suite available.
Overall I was satisfied but L.A. is definitely a city for the particular. A week staying there was far too long. I will be putting up a poll to let you all decide my next trip!
