Kawada Hotel
Humor and Charm Downtown
Back to Kawada Hotel
Charged the wrong amount on my credit card! Took forever to deal with the problem as well! Charged me 6 nights instead of 1, which is a huge difference. Basically they stole my money, and what a hassle trying to deal with them. They still haven't dealt with the problem although I have proof of only signing for one night. Will be taking this to the police if not cleared up soon.
Reviewed by: A Yahoo! Contributor from on Nov 08 2008
The electricity worked. The AC worked. The beds were comfy. The door locks worked. The nearest fast-food restaurant was only a block away.
Reviewed by: A Yahoo! Contributor from on Jul 07 2008
After finally finding the hotel with no help from the reception staff that i rang on the way, we arrived at the Kawada late in the evening. We were shown to a tiny room with a 'kitchenet' that just took up valuable room and served no purpose what so ever as nothing worked. We went out to grab some food so that we could get an early night. After passing numerous homeless people begging for money, we asked a policeman where we could get some food only to be told that "it really wasn't cool for us to be walking around" and we should get back to the hotel immediatly. Which was horrible. We tried to move hotels as we just did not feel safe, but with no success on limited funds. We used it as a base and nothing else, It does not say anything about this on the website and i really suggest any one thinks twice about staying here.
Reviewed by: Jodie from on Mar 19 2007
I was scheduled for Federal Jury Duty, and this is one of the hotels on thier referral list. For someone that is not familiar with the Downtown LA area, parking was a headache. It's not very well marked where individuals should park for valet parking (there is only "Taxi Parking Only" signs in front of the hotel). When I contacted the front desk to ask where I was to go (since there is numerous parking garages around there but none that obviously if for the Kawada Hotel, the staff was quite rude. The front desk staff (a single individual) was quite short too. The Hotel and room were pretty clean, so that was the one thing I could not complain about. Everything is very dark and dreary though. The "amenities" in the room were at a bare minimum and VERY outdated. Lights didn't work and the ones that did, worked sometimes and the phone was not connected, even after I figured out how to reconnect it, I was unable to recieve outside phone calls. Anything that could make noise, did, and on a regular basis. Between the street traffic, the various appliances, and the plumbing, I didn't sleep more that a few hours that night. If I go back.. I won't be staying here. Also, the restaraunt that is next door, is very nice but also very expensive and there is no other attached food options besides a vending machine.
Reviewed by: A Yahoo! Contributor from on Jan 12 2007
This hotel is not at all what I was expecting. The rooms are extremely tiny -- so tiny that you can't even pull out the chair to sit at the tiny desk. The chair hits the bed. The TV has no reception - a pair of rabbit ears would work better. The VCR is from the 1980s. The TV and VCR are bolted down to the desk, giving you little desk space. There is about 2 feet of walking space between the bed and the wall. The bathroom is dirty and supplies aren't refreshed (like soap). There isn't even room to open up your suitcases. Worst of all, the hotel has paper-thin walls and is located at the corner of a busy intersection, with buses coming to screeching halts every 15 minutes throughout the night (and idling their noisy engines). It's impossible to sleep without ear plugs, and even with ear plugs I woke up to sirens and loud busses. For $125/night, it's probably a bargain compared to other downtown LA hotels, but I'd rather pay $50 more to get a quality night's sleep. What a waste.
Reviewed by: A Yahoo! Contributor from on Nov 08 2006
I STAYED ON MARCH 25,06.THE HOTEL LOOK PRETTY DECENT BUT DON'T GET FOOL. THIS PLACE LOOK VERY UNSAFE & ROOMS WERE FILTHY & SMALL. THE LOCATION IS FAR AWAY FROM ACTUAL DOWNTOWN AREA. COUPLE BLOCKS THERE'S ALOT OF HOMELESS AROUND THE BLOCK. I WAS AWAKE TILL CHECK OUT TIME. UNPROFESSIONAL STAFF & RESERVATION MANAGER IS VERY RUDE.THE HOTEL CHARGED ME TWICE FOR MY STAY WHICH I STAYED ONLY FOR 1 NITE.PROBLEM WASN'T SOLVE TILL A MONTH LATER. FRONT DESK IS NOT WILLING TO HELP AND GIVING ATTITUDE WASN'T ACCEPTABLE.DO NOT STAY HERE.
Reviewed by: lucy from on May 06 2006
You get what you pay for, don't waste your money here.
Reviewed by: A Yahoo! Contributor from on Mar 20 2006
The hotel is situated in a convenient location one block from the subway station. The price is attractive, and with such price don't expect anything more than a sleeping place. Rooms are clean. The small shop inside the hotel offer some convenience if you need to buy a drink, postcards, a map or some little stuff. For those who want to explore historical LA downtown, this hotel is just located in a right location. Yet, the surrounding area is really quiet during the nite time.
Reviewed by: Wai Chak Jack from on Oct 09 2005
We check in on a saturday afternoon after a 45min drive from LAX. This hotel is in the ghetto and 'scummy' part of downtown LA. It is not near anything of interest and takes 45min to drive anywhere good. Checked out after one night in the bronx. I do not reccommend this hotel to any traveller!!
Reviewed by: A Yahoo! Contributor from on Mar 20 2005
The Kawada is all about being unexpected. A decent hotel under $100 in downtown LA? It's unpretentious and the rooms aren't huge, but it's comfortable and well appointed, with a nice in-house restaurant. Smaller hotel feel with a personal touch. History buffs will appreciate the location in "historic downtown" near the LA Times, City Hall, Little Tokyo, Grand Central Market, and other landmarks. The modern skyscrapers of "new downtown" loom on Bunker Hill above. That's right, all within walking distance. LA and you don't even need a car.
Reviewed by: A Yahoo! Contributor from on Sep 10 2004
Humor and Charm Downtown
Back to Kawada Hotel
Charged the wrong amount on my credit card! Took forever to deal with the problem as well! Charged me 6 nights instead of 1, which is a huge difference. Basically they stole my money, and what a hassle trying to deal with them. They still haven't dealt with the problem although I have proof of only signing for one night. Will be taking this to the police if not cleared up soon.
Reviewed by: A Yahoo! Contributor from on Nov 08 2008
The electricity worked. The AC worked. The beds were comfy. The door locks worked. The nearest fast-food restaurant was only a block away.
Reviewed by: A Yahoo! Contributor from on Jul 07 2008
After finally finding the hotel with no help from the reception staff that i rang on the way, we arrived at the Kawada late in the evening. We were shown to a tiny room with a 'kitchenet' that just took up valuable room and served no purpose what so ever as nothing worked. We went out to grab some food so that we could get an early night. After passing numerous homeless people begging for money, we asked a policeman where we could get some food only to be told that "it really wasn't cool for us to be walking around" and we should get back to the hotel immediatly. Which was horrible. We tried to move hotels as we just did not feel safe, but with no success on limited funds. We used it as a base and nothing else, It does not say anything about this on the website and i really suggest any one thinks twice about staying here.
Reviewed by: Jodie from on Mar 19 2007
I was scheduled for Federal Jury Duty, and this is one of the hotels on thier referral list. For someone that is not familiar with the Downtown LA area, parking was a headache. It's not very well marked where individuals should park for valet parking (there is only "Taxi Parking Only" signs in front of the hotel). When I contacted the front desk to ask where I was to go (since there is numerous parking garages around there but none that obviously if for the Kawada Hotel, the staff was quite rude. The front desk staff (a single individual) was quite short too. The Hotel and room were pretty clean, so that was the one thing I could not complain about. Everything is very dark and dreary though. The "amenities" in the room were at a bare minimum and VERY outdated. Lights didn't work and the ones that did, worked sometimes and the phone was not connected, even after I figured out how to reconnect it, I was unable to recieve outside phone calls. Anything that could make noise, did, and on a regular basis. Between the street traffic, the various appliances, and the plumbing, I didn't sleep more that a few hours that night. If I go back.. I won't be staying here. Also, the restaraunt that is next door, is very nice but also very expensive and there is no other attached food options besides a vending machine.
Reviewed by: A Yahoo! Contributor from on Jan 12 2007
This hotel is not at all what I was expecting. The rooms are extremely tiny -- so tiny that you can't even pull out the chair to sit at the tiny desk. The chair hits the bed. The TV has no reception - a pair of rabbit ears would work better. The VCR is from the 1980s. The TV and VCR are bolted down to the desk, giving you little desk space. There is about 2 feet of walking space between the bed and the wall. The bathroom is dirty and supplies aren't refreshed (like soap). There isn't even room to open up your suitcases. Worst of all, the hotel has paper-thin walls and is located at the corner of a busy intersection, with buses coming to screeching halts every 15 minutes throughout the night (and idling their noisy engines). It's impossible to sleep without ear plugs, and even with ear plugs I woke up to sirens and loud busses. For $125/night, it's probably a bargain compared to other downtown LA hotels, but I'd rather pay $50 more to get a quality night's sleep. What a waste.
Reviewed by: A Yahoo! Contributor from on Nov 08 2006
I STAYED ON MARCH 25,06.THE HOTEL LOOK PRETTY DECENT BUT DON'T GET FOOL. THIS PLACE LOOK VERY UNSAFE & ROOMS WERE FILTHY & SMALL. THE LOCATION IS FAR AWAY FROM ACTUAL DOWNTOWN AREA. COUPLE BLOCKS THERE'S ALOT OF HOMELESS AROUND THE BLOCK. I WAS AWAKE TILL CHECK OUT TIME. UNPROFESSIONAL STAFF & RESERVATION MANAGER IS VERY RUDE.THE HOTEL CHARGED ME TWICE FOR MY STAY WHICH I STAYED ONLY FOR 1 NITE.PROBLEM WASN'T SOLVE TILL A MONTH LATER. FRONT DESK IS NOT WILLING TO HELP AND GIVING ATTITUDE WASN'T ACCEPTABLE.DO NOT STAY HERE.
Reviewed by: lucy from on May 06 2006
You get what you pay for, don't waste your money here.
Reviewed by: A Yahoo! Contributor from on Mar 20 2006
The hotel is situated in a convenient location one block from the subway station. The price is attractive, and with such price don't expect anything more than a sleeping place. Rooms are clean. The small shop inside the hotel offer some convenience if you need to buy a drink, postcards, a map or some little stuff. For those who want to explore historical LA downtown, this hotel is just located in a right location. Yet, the surrounding area is really quiet during the nite time.
Reviewed by: Wai Chak Jack from on Oct 09 2005
We check in on a saturday afternoon after a 45min drive from LAX. This hotel is in the ghetto and 'scummy' part of downtown LA. It is not near anything of interest and takes 45min to drive anywhere good. Checked out after one night in the bronx. I do not reccommend this hotel to any traveller!!
Reviewed by: A Yahoo! Contributor from on Mar 20 2005
The Kawada is all about being unexpected. A decent hotel under $100 in downtown LA? It's unpretentious and the rooms aren't huge, but it's comfortable and well appointed, with a nice in-house restaurant. Smaller hotel feel with a personal touch. History buffs will appreciate the location in "historic downtown" near the LA Times, City Hall, Little Tokyo, Grand Central Market, and other landmarks. The modern skyscrapers of "new downtown" loom on Bunker Hill above. That's right, all within walking distance. LA and you don't even need a car.
Reviewed by: A Yahoo! Contributor from on Sep 10 2004
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