Berliner Tor Tours and Activities

Short Stories is always my go to hotel while visiting Los Angeles. I find it fairly central (between Beverly Hills and Downtown LA) to shopping, restaurants, and grocery stores like Trader Joe's and Whole Foods. The hotel sits on a busy street, but you wouldn't know based on the courtyard that gives the hotel a tranquil feel.

I booked my reservation through Expedia for a room with 2 queen beds and paid extra of course for 2 beds. I Checked in and went to the room, it only had one king bed. Went back to the reception and told them I booked 2 beds not one, they said this is what Expedia has booked for you and I have to call Expedia to fix it for me. I called Expedia and they claimed they talked to the hotel. Talked to the receptionist again, she said no one has called. Called Expedia again, talked to their supervisor. He said both rooms are exchangeable depending on availability. I asked why did I pay extra for the second bed, the supervisor wouldn’t answer. I asked for refund for the extra money I paid, my request got denied. I sent the first day of my trip back and forth between Expedia and the hotel to get this resolved, but unfortunately nothing happened. I don’t know who was lying between the 2 Expedia or Riu hotel??? I basically paid a lot and only got one small room that looks like a box with one bed only.

Overall, we were very pleased with our stay. Everything was clean, the room was quiet, staff was helpful, and the location can't be beat. We never heard a peep from the hallway, other rooms, or even outside unless we opened a window. The water pressure in the shower left A LOT to be desired - I assume this is because it is an eco-friendly hotel, but we truly felt like we could not get our shampoo rinsed out of our hair. Breakfast is absolutely worth it, but be aware - you are going to wait. You are going to wait for the elevator to get to your floor. If you're lucky, there will be space for you to squeeze on. Then, you're going to wait to get checked in - and then you're going to wait for another elevator. Then you'll wait for a table. Once we were seated, there was never a true line for food in the buffet line. My advice is to go earlier - Morning 1, we left our hotel room around 9:15 and probably were not seated until 9:40. Morning 2, we left our room about 8:30 and were seated by 8:45 - definitely moved quicker!