Most people know I am fascinated by airports and airplanes. I love everything about aviation: watching planes, walking through airports, and flying. Over the years, I have realized that part of this fascination is due to the physical items themselves: watching a plane take off or bask in the magnificent airport architecture is cool. Yet part of the fascination is what airplanes and airports represent: the ability to travel, explore, and discover other parts of the world.
As part of our trip to the United States, I wanted to stay two nights at the LAX Hilton. There is something cool about staying at airport hotels, with their international and travel-focused demeanor. But more importantly, good airport hotels provide amazing views of the airport itself. I remember my parents taking me to the Sheraton at LAX when I was very young to watch the planes from the hotel room. Although I can’t remember anything specific about that one night, I do remember it being quite fun – and a memory I still cherish decades later.
Overview of the LAX Hilton
I booked us for two nights at the Hilton at LAX. Note: I made sure to book a “Runway View” room, which costs extra compared to a non-runway view room. If you don’t care about seeing the runway, don’t worry about this. However, if care about seeing the planes, then make sure you book a Runway View room.
Read More: Out the Window (LAX) photography project
When I was at UCLA, I took a photography class. My professor was Zoe Crosher, a Los Angeles-based photographer. One of her art projects was Out the Window (LAX), which you can check out at this link. In Out the Window, Crosher photographed various hotel rooms around LAX, each one featuring a view of the outside, including planes flying by. The photographs are interesting and the airplanes are just a small piece of the exhibit. Check it out!
The LAX Hilton is located on Century Boulevard, which is the main road leading into LAX. If you are adventurous, you could potentially walk from the Hilton to LAX, especially if you are departing from Terminal 1 (Southwest Airlines) or Terminal 2 (Delta Airlines). The walk is a bit over a mile. But for everyone else, the Hilton offers a free shuttle bus to the airport, which is recommended.
Furthermore, while Century Boulevard is the main entrance into LAX, there isn’t too much exciting within walking distance of the Hilton. The nearest fast food is Carl’s Jr, which is the next block over, and then Denny’s two blocks over. There is a Starbucks in the LAX Marriott hotel next door, and there is zPizza and Jersey Mike’s Subs in the Residence Inn two hotels down. We have eaten at zPizza previously, and we recommend it. In addition, each hotel has one or two very fancy restaurants. However, we have not tried them.
The LAX Hilton has overnight parking available for hotel guests. However, it is around $50-60 per night. If you can pick up or drop off your rental car after or before staying at the Hilton, you can save on the parking fees. You don’t need a car to get to LAX.
Even though we got to the LAX Hilton around 10pm, there were quite a few people in line waiting to check-in. We had to wait in the regular check-in line as we are no longer Hilton Diamond members. Previously, we had Hilton Diamond status since 2019 because we had the top-tier American Express Hilton credit card. Yet, we downgraded the card in 2023 because we moved to staying in long-term Airbnb’s rather than short hotel trips. Once we start traveling intensely again in late 2025, we may upgrade the card again, at least to Gold status, if not Diamond.
The staff were very nice and helpful once we got to the check-in desk. Fortunately for us, they ran out of regular Runway View rooms, so he had to upgrade us to a one-bedroom suite. Score!
Review of One Bedroom Suite
Our one-bedroom suite was located on the 16th floor, which is towards the top of the building (the elevators don’t have any buttons, just a keypad to type in your room, so I don’t know how tall the building is). At first glance, the suite was quite nice, although a bit drab. The living room had a sofa, lounge chair, desk with a padded chair, and a large TV (I think it was 55″). There is also a powder room off the living room, which is a nice touch if you have guests over. Kevin used the desk and chair during the day while we were in the room and he said it was relatively comfortable.

The bedroom has a king bed and another large TV. We super enjoyed watching TV in bed on the big screen, falling asleep to The Amazing Race on the first nice (what is more ironic than watching The Amazing Race while on vacation?). Although the room faces LAX, the airplane noise was not bothersome for us. Note that LAX tries to route all arrivals and departures over the Pacific Ocean from midnight to 6am, which helps as well.

The main bathroom was en-suite with the bedroom, and it was okay. It worked, and it was clean, but nothing spectacular. It was probably the exact same bathroom found in the regular rooms. In fact, other than the TVs and the space, there wasn’t anything special about the one-bedroom suite compared to a regular hotel room. Yet, the room and the bed were quite comfortable, and we didn’t have a single problem during our two-night stay.

What about the Runway View?
Having said that, I haven’t touched on the most important feature of the room: the view of the runway at LAX! A “Runway View” room faces the South Runway Complex at LAX, which are runways 25L and 25R (if approaching from the east, which generally is the case). You’ll see a lot of United and American Airlines traffic, plus a good assortment of cargo planes. As you see in the photo below, most of the cargo terminals are located on South Runway Complex. And, of course, you’ll see a lot of international flights come through on the South side as well.

On the second day, I turned the lounge chair in the living room so it faced the window and put my feet up. I sat there for three hours watching the planes while occasionally working on my laptop. It was so relaxing! The view is perfect for watching planes land and touchdown. If you are more into takeoffs and seeing planes rotate off the runway, the view isn’t that great, except for seeing them out of the far corner of the window. But I loved every moment, and I wish I could have stayed all day and just watched the planes from the window.
Read More: Photographing the South Runway Complex
If you want to get another view of the South Runway Complex at LAX, check out “Wake Turbulence” by Mike Kelley. It is an amazing photograph, which you must see at this link. I won’t try to describe the photo; you’ll have to click on the link and find out.
Even though we weren’t Diamond members and had to use the regular Hilton WiFi, it worked quite well. It wasn’t blazing fast, but more than good enough for general working and web browsing. Our room did not come with free breakfast, so we didn’t try the breakfast or any of the in-hotel restaurants (they were all too fancy for our wallet).
Also, our room overlooked the pool and spa. Note that because LAX is right off the Pacific Ocean, most days are in the 60s and 70s temperature-wise, even during the summer. Only during the summer and the Fall Santa Ana winds may you get temperatures in the 80s at LAX. Remember this if you are planning to use the pool!
Our Rating: 4/5
There is nothing bad to say about the Hilton at LAX, perhaps other than the cost of parking. We enjoyed the room, the staff were very friendly, and the runway view was exactly what I wanted. If you don’t have a car, there isn’t too much truly within walking distance. But if you are only staying over for a night or two, then you shouldn’t have a problem. We also very much enjoyed our upgrade, although besides the extra room, the larger TVs, and the high floor view, there isn’t that much exciting about the one-bedroom suite.
We give the Hilton at LAX a 4/5 because while there is nothing wrong, there isn’t too much that is exciting. It was fine and good, but nothing exciting. If it wasn’t for the runway view and the upgrade to the one-bedroom, I would have rated it meh. On the other hand, it is one of the cheaper, higher-quality hotels at LAX, so keep that in mind.
Have you stayed at the LAX Hilton previously? If so, let us know in the comments!
