LAX UNION STATION

I am arriving on CS late in evening. Plan to take Fly away shuttle to airport in AM. Is area around Union Station safe at night? Any cheap lodging recommendations? Thanks

The Metro Plaza is only a 5 minute, 2-3 block walk from Union Station. It can be seen from the main door. It's not the Ritz, but it's very acceptable. Many of us stay there.

The Metro Plaza Hotel is a couple blocks away. Closest hotel, reasonable prices, and not a complete dive.

Honestly don't know why there aren't any more hotels close to the station, and how the Metro Plaza can keep the rates as low as they do being about the only real player in walking distance from LA Union Station.

When staying near LAUS I've generally used the Miyako Hotel one stop further West on the Gold Line light rail link in Little Tokyo. It's nothing fancy but it gets the job done.

Link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g32655-d223046-Reviews-Miyako_Hotel_Los_Angeles-Los_Angeles_California.html

I've visited about a dozen hotels near LAX over the years but they all felt pretty generic regardless of branding. When staying near LAX pick whatever brand you like or buy on price and chances are it'll be very similar to all the others.

Define ‘cheap’?
Of the two hotels mention by others here:

Metro Plaza Hotel
http://metroplazahoteldowntownla.com/content/index.php?section=Home
Studio (standard) room = $119

Miyako Inn
http://www.miyakoinn.com/
Standard King = $152.10 (AAA rate) ... otherwise $175.68

There are a lot of 'cheap' motels around, but many may be questionable.

You can go to Google maps, enter the address for Union Station and then on the left you'll see :

Explore this area

Search nearby

Click on 'Search nearby' and enter "motels". Some will pop up on the map (but not all)

We are discussing hotels in Downtown Los Angeles and in that context, $120/nt is very reasonable.

To the OP... Metro Plaza is probably your best bet. It's one of the most modestly priced hotels in Downtown and it's got the easiest walk to from Union Station (through a reasonably safe neighborhood).

If it's too expensive the other option would be to find a hotel near LAX. The only issue with that is... you'll have to take the FlyAway to LAX and transfer to your hotel shuttle at the airport (assuming it has one). It's doable, but it will make for a long night.

Another way to search for hotels and centering the search on the Metro Plaza (the closest to the station) is to:

• Go to TripAdvisor http://www.tripadvisor.com/

• Check "Hotels", enter Los Angeles and the date and click "Search Hotels"

• On the next page select "By Ranking" on the "Sort By" line

• The Metro Plaza is currently ranked 161 of 328 hotels, so go through the pages until you find it

• Select "Metro Plaza Hotel"

• On the next page (Metro Plaza's page) click on the map on the right hand side to expand it full screen and get this: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g32655-d77829-Reviews-Metro_Plaza_Hotel-Los_Angeles_California.html#MAPVIEW

This map has all the hotels in the area centered around the Metro Plaza. Hovering will reveal the hotel name and advertised lowest price. Clicking will open up the TripAdvisor page for that hotel giving more details including reviews. Google Earth will have images from above and at street level allowing you to see what the neighborhood actually looked like (at the time those images were captured).

crabby_appleton1950 said:

Define ‘cheap’?

Of the two hotels mention by others here:

Metro Plaza Hotel

http://metroplazahoteldowntownla.com/content/index.php?section=Home

Studio (standard) room = $119

Miyako Inn

http://www.miyakoinn.com/

Standard King = $152.10 (AAA rate) ... otherwise $175.68

There are a lot of 'cheap' motels around, but many may be questionable.

Click to expand...

For me the Miyako represents what I consider a relatively clean middle range hotel. LA is a huge hotel market so chances are you'll be able to find something in virtually any price range or comfort level. For the more adventurous it might make sense to focus on leveraging a deep discount through an opaque booking service such as Hotwire or Priceline and then hire and Uber or Lyft car to get you there.

You could consider bailing off the CS at the Bob Hope (Burbank airport) at 8:30PM if on time. I think there are some cheaper hotels there. The first Surfliner is at 9:04AM into LAX. (30-35 min run time).

When is your fly away shuttle?

tomfuller said:

You could consider bailing off the CS at the Bob Hope (Burbank airport) at 8:30PM if on time. I think there are some cheaper hotels there.

Click to expand...

The only hotel within reasonable walking distance of the station is a Marriott, roughly 2 blocks away. The only other hotels I've seen with shuttles from/to Bob Hope Airport are a Courtyard by Marriott that's about a mile away, and a Holiday Inn in downtown Burbank, 2 or 3 miles away. I suspect they're all at least as expensive as the Metro Plaza.

This is what you get on Trip Advisor for Burbank and clicking on the first hotel on the list: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g32123-d673251-Reviews-Hampton_Inn_Suites_Los_Angeles_Burbank_Airport-Burbank_California.html#MAPVIEW

Even Hostels in downtown LA are $100+

http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/Stay-on-Main/Los-Angeles/26580?dateFrom=2015-04-03&dateTo=2015-04-04&sc_sau=avdc&sc_pos=1

mlant552 said:

I am arriving on CS late in evening. Plan to take Fly away shuttle to airport in AM. Is area around Union Station safe at night? Any cheap lodging recommendations? Thanks

Click to expand...

On what date are you arriving? How far in advance you book can affect the price.

Here is what I did this past weekend.

I stayed at the Travelodge LAX by the airport. The prices when I booked were the same price as the Metro Plaza.

I loved the Travelodge. It's an old classic hotel. It was very clean and well maintained. In the middle of the hotel they have a pool with lovely flowers and trees. I paid more and had a pool view room. They serve breakfast in the morning. There is also a Denny's attached to the hotel. There is a very small convenience store at the hotel. They have a complimentary shuttle to take you to and from the airport. I felt very safe here. You could take the Flyaway to the airport and have the hotel pick you up.

I wasn't against the Metro Plaza just wanted something different. Was very pleased with my decision.