Sheraton Agoura Hills Hotel, Agoura Hills

My fiancee and I had a horrible time trying to block rooms with the Renaissance Hotel. They double booked the shuttle, and gave it to another group after promising it to us and then omitting it from our contract! They also were very unresponsive; taking at least a week, if not more, to return our calls. I spoke with the manager about the issues and they did very little to try and resolve the problem; they gave us a nominal discount We went with the Homewood Suites by Hilton and had a MUCH better time. They were very friendly, warm, responsive, and professional. Homewood's rates were actually less expensive than the discounted rate we got from the Renaissance AND they are providing a shuttle at no cost!

We didn’t want to leave this hotel – it was that comfortable and relaxing. Our stay began with a pleasant surprise . We got in at 10:30 am after an early flight and decided to try to check in, even though the official check-in time is 3pm. Not only did they give us a room early, they put us on the 5th floor concierge level for no apparent reason. Our room with a king-sized bed was $169/ night. The playful color of this hotel hits you as soon as you walk into the lobby – you would never think of combining the red, gold, lime green, yellow and purple they put together, but it creates a warm, fun and modern atmosphere. The bright color scheme continued into our spacious room, from the red desk chair to the lemon and lime lounge chair to the multi-striped curtains. Since our visit one year prior, the hotel had brought in new dressers and desks in a warm wood finish with granite countertops – I don’t remember what was there before, but this stood out to us as a luxurious addition. We saw staff installing flat screen TV’s in rooms near ours, but they hadn’t gotten to ours yet. There is plenty of workspace within the room and the bathroom is large with a long storage shelf running the length of the vanity area under the sink. The hotel pool and hot tub area backs up to a dramatic hillside (burnt brown in dry summers), so the green trees and tropical potted plants around the pool make it feel like an oasis. The pool wasn’t ever busy during our stay – I was alone at the pool each time I went down there, so it seemed like my own private retreat. The pool area and outdoor patio seating are adjacent to the lobby bar, which serves drinks poolside from fruit smoothies to a menu of specialty martinis. H20, the in-house restaurant, specializes in seafood, but also serves pasta, steaks and sandwiches for lunch and dinner. I tried, via room service, the signature “H20 Salad”– grilled jumbo shrimp and scallops with avocado and gorgonzola on a bed of baby spring mix with balsamic vinaigrette. I had trouble finishing all the gigantic shrimp and scallops – this really hit the spot on a hot summer day. My husband’s pizza was a little less enthralling. It showed up with a rubbery brown skin of cheese from being left in the oven too long. The lobby bar is next to H20, making for quick service of the full restaurant menu. We had a good experience with the very juicy Angus burgers served on pretzel bread. My main complaint about this hotel is the $10/day charge for wireless access – I don’t think they should charge at all. Another problem is that access is provided in 24-hour windows from noon to noon, not 24 hours from when you log on. In other words, if you pay to log on at 11am, you’ll get one hour of wireless for your $10 and then your login code will expire at noon.

The hotel is great, but was very noisy on arrival at 11:30 pm. The bar area is in the lobby which makes for an area some of us would like to avoid. There always seems to be someone there. The room itself was comfortable and clean. Room service was a little strange but still it is a great place to stay and I recommend it.

I go to concerts at the Canyon Club. Fun. Service here is great. Rooms very nice, quiet, roomy. Can't wait to go back. Shuttle service was very convenient.