This is an HONEST review and one that I wish I didn’t have to write. I visited Sonesta Redondo for business and was happy with the location, no issues there. I had made my booking through Hotels.com. They do have valet for $36 a day which is pricey, but nice for going in and out constantly and not having to worry about parking yourself for a just a bit more per day, which I used (valet). The room is okay, bed is nice and the overall room is just older and outdated compared to similar price point hotels nearby. The air conditioner is strange and has a panel that extrudes from the wall and shower is very short. The only true issue I FIRST experienced was that the toilet really struggles to flush, you just got to hold down the handle or it won’t do it and break (which ours did). Then Sun morning where at 5am the smoke detector provided a rude awakening with the chirping beep of a low battery for a while. I waited for maintenance to come swap the battery and by the time they made multiple trips and constant beeping, I was awake so that was frustrating loosing some hours of sleep at a hotel. I’ve never experienced this before & was disappointed…but it didn’t stop there. While visiting for business, the event we were here for was running behind and would probably require a checkout around 4pm to be safe. I spoke to Nadine at the front desk to ask what could be done for a late checkout and made it clear that if it was too late, I would be happy to pay either - late checkout fee - half day fee - or even just buy another night stay if necessary I was unable to get enough time I asked for a manager in hopes of being able to squeeze an extra couple hours for a fee as I was getting no where. I was informed that I could get till 3pm for a late fee (which I did ask to be waived for the inconvenience of their smoke detector battery waking me up, which she denied and confirmed it was “just part of the experience”) after a lot of back and forth and unfortunately, it just didn’t work for me as I wasn’t even confident in a 4pm checkout, but was hopeful it would be enough or I could wait in lobby after. I asked to buy a night or pay half day, etc and couldn’t pay either because to my surprise, they were OUT of rooms. I confirmed several times there was NO OTHER room type or any other way to get any room in general not just my type. Crystal, the manager, confirmed no rooms at all. In fact she said they were “overly sold” meaning they not only did not have any rooms, but didn’t have enough rooms for additional bookings made and they were hoping for “cancellations or changes” to be made to other guests to make it all work. I left the lobby planning on leaving at 3pm and waiting for hours in the lobby. Then, I got the idea to check online and what did you know… I could buy a room online! Not just 1 room either, I could buy ANY room type, any location (including ocean, pool, partial, non) and any bed type. There was low quantities on SOME, but not all and there was plenty. I checked this on Sonesta’s direct hotel website. Then, I checked on hotels.com which showed the same thing. I went back, spoke to both Nadine and Crystal (manager) and asked how if I booked online I would get a room since they are sold out entirely according to them. They acted shocked and said but did you check the Sonesta website and I confirmed I could book any room on both Sonesta’s website, hotels.com, and even others…they could take their pick and it could be done. So why is that if they’re “sold out”. Crystal (the manager) stumbled through her “Um’s” and confusion and tried to frantically check the computer for some new excuse. New excuse…”oh you booked through a 3rd party and we cant extend 3rd party booking.” To which I asked, “but I thought you were sold out?” And again, struggled and tried to make excuses about how they are sold out blah blah blah. Booked another night for same room & magically, I was able to stay in the same room EVEN THOUGH they are “SOLD OUT” & “overly booked”. My Sonesta first experience & got management who outright lies.

We had the pleasure of staying at the Sonesta Rendondo Beach the end of July and had a fantastic time! Starting with a friendly greeting from Jessie at the front desk to the fantastic service of Accardo at the lobby bar! All the staff had a friendly comment on passing them and Jessie and Accardo always had a smile and took fantastic care of us. The hotel is a short walk from lots of amazing restaurants and actually has it's own hidden gem on site called Sol. We ended up there our first night simply since it was close on travel day but ended up being amazed at the food and service! Juan helped us to catch our second wind and the Executive Sous Chef Hayato's creations turned our meal into a tapas night as we all ended up sharing our plates so everyone got a taste. We had such a nice time we went back for our last night and had one of the best Sushi boats ever! I highly recommend the hotel and especially Sol if you're in the area for an amazing meal! A big thank you to all the staff!