We came to Los Angeles for one reason: to watch Son Heung-min and LAFC open the season against Messi and Inter Miami at the Coliseum. The plan was Friday to Monday. Then a massive winter storm hit the East Coast, every flight to New York was cancelled, and our long weekend became five nights.

If you're going to be stranded somewhere, the Conrad Los Angeles is a very good place to be stranded.

How we booked: Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts and Hilton Gold, stacked

We booked through Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts, and it paid off. FHR gave us:

An upgrade to a higher floor (ours was the 21st)
A $100 hotel credit to use during the stay

The best part was that our Hilton Honors Gold status stacked on top. Gold added a $25 per person food and beverage credit, $50 for the two of us, so between FHR and Gold we had $150 in credits. We put all of it toward breakfast.

When the storm hit, the hotel extended our stay without moving us out of our room. The extra nights were at a slightly higher rate, about $150 more than our original booking, but not having to repack and switch rooms with a kid was worth a lot.

Tip: If you have an Amex Platinum, check FHR before booking the Conrad direct. The perks can easily be worth more than the rate difference, and your Hilton status still counts.

The room: a Premium Double on the 21st floor

We stayed in a Premium Double, which was plenty of space for two adults and one kid. Thanks to the FHR upgrade, we were on the 21st floor, and the view stole the show.

On one side, the steel curves of Walt Disney Concert Hall sat right below us. Beyond them, downtown gave way to the hills, with the Hollywood Sign on the horizon on clear mornings. The windows run nearly floor to ceiling, so the city is part of the room.

The room had a little table by the window, which became Eli's desk for drawing, reading, and writing postcards. It was also where we found the welcome message on the TV, with my name and our Hilton Gold status, a small touch that made us feel expected.

Room service breakfast with a view

We ordered room service breakfast once, and it was one of the highlights of the trip. It arrived right on time, on a white tablecloth set up at the window, and the presentation was beautiful:

A basket of croissants, pain au chocolat and cinnamon rolls, wrapped in linen
Fried eggs with sausage and crispy potatoes
Scrambled eggs with bacon and potatoes, finished with fresh thyme
Fresh orange juice, coffee, and little jars of jam

Eating it while looking out over Disney Hall and the hills felt like a proper vacation morning, even though we were technically supposed to be home by then. And because our FHR and Hilton Gold credits covered it, it felt like a gift.

The service is the real luxury

The staff were spectacular from check-in to checkout, and two moments stood out.

The postcard. Whenever we travel, Eli writes a postcard to his class at school. This time it was a Jeff Koons Tulips card from The Broad: "Dear Class 2E, I am having so much fun and I went to a art museum and I saw JEFF KOONS Art." When we asked the concierge whether they could mail it, they happily took care of it. A small favor for them, a big deal for a kid who wanted his class to hear about his trip.

The house car. The Conrad has a complimentary house car that takes guests anywhere within about a 2-mile radius of the hotel. On game day, we used it to get to lunch before heading to the stadium. It was easy, comfortable, and saved us a rideshare.

Across the street: The Broad with kids

The Broad is directly across Grand Avenue from the hotel, so it was an easy pick for one of our bonus days. General admission is free. We reserved tickets online about an hour before going, and it couldn't have been easier.

The experience starts with the long escalator that tunnels up through the building into the bright top-floor gallery. Eli ran up it like it was a ride.

The Broad also has a kids' scavenger hunt card, and it turned the whole visit into a game. Eli raced around checking off artworks. He posed with Jeff Koons' Balloon Dog (Blue) and Tulips, studied Warhol's soup cans, and found a Lichtenstein and a Basquiat.

When he finished, he got to pick out a trading card as his prize. We also picked up a Jeff Koons Fun Kit in the museum store to take home.

We were pleasantly surprised by how much contemporary art is on display, and by how engaged Eli stayed. We skipped the Infinity Mirror Room this time, so that's on the list for next visit.

Tips for The Broad with kids:

Reserve free general admission tickets online, even same-day.
Pick up the kids' scavenger hunt card. It keeps little ones engaged the whole way through.
Save time for the museum store, which has great art kits and kids' books.

Is Conrad Los Angeles good for families?

Yes. The hotel sits in Downtown LA's business district, which might not sound kid-friendly at first, but a lot of family-friendly spots are close by:

The Broad, directly across the street
Grand Park, for running around
Grand Central Market, for an easy lunch where everyone gets what they want
Angels Flight, the tiny historic funicular railway (Eli's "train")
The house car for anything within about 2 miles

Final Thoughts

Absolutely. We'd pack swimsuits next time. We planned for a quick weekend and never made it to the pool. But between the view, a genuinely special breakfast, staff who went out of their way for a little boy's postcard, and world-class art across the street, the Conrad turned a cancelled flight into some of our favorite days of the trip.

Book it: Check rates at Conrad Los Angeles.

Conrad Los Angeles Review: A Family Stay Across from The Broad