Cecil Hotel (Los Angeles)

Last fall this was a real budget lodging with dodgy surroundings, suspicious long-term guests but an adventurous divey quality to it. And the                                price was not to be beaten. Back then rates were about $23 and there were also 3-day and weekly specials. It was choice lodging for budget travellers visiting Los Angeles.

Now: Cecil touts itself as an European style hotel. Its renovations have progressed and a huge red "Under New Management" banner hangs on the side of the building -- while the classier vertical marquee blinks unlighted in parts.

Not a good sign. The place was still immaculately buffed to a shine but I immediately noticed two other things: the laundry room was nicely refurbished to also serve as a television lounge and more young tourists were passing through. Then I got sucker punched with the new and improved rate: $50! That's a two-fold jump in under a year!

What did this new and improved rate offer? An unimproved and cold room. Guess that's the European part....

Surprisingly the furnishings 
were more spartan than before

While radiators are present in the rooms, the hotel lacks central heating and had a shortage of portable heaters to go around. It is no fun trying to sleep in a cold room. The television sets still had no remote controls. Probably to keep the perpetually lower class dole dependees from hawking them for a quick fix but, really, changing channels manually is so 1980's.

A fantastic rate can still be had but only online.

On the other hand, walk-ins and good ol tender are are sold rooms at 3x the amount offered via online sites

You must book online. How adventurous. News flash management: bums aren't the only folk who pay in cash!! As the hotel continues with its improvements --an investor's meeting was going on the morning I checked out and I overheard some suit announcing the hotel's plans for supplying wi-fi throughout the building. Hopefully, central heating and cooling are also top priorities --I expect travellers will outnumber residents. And remote controls are reunited with television sets.