Los Angeles Spotting and Airport Hotel
Apr 6, 2021 13:15:15 GMT
Post by Paul Jackson on Apr 6, 2021 13:15:15 GMT
Airport Spotting and Photography Report; The H Hilton Hotel Curio Collection at LAX.
Brian and Jeremy Worthington report on a visit to the H Hotel at LAX in March 2021.
If Air-Britain aviation photographers and spotters are tired of lockdowns and lack of aviation subjects to photograph, the H Hotel at Los Angeles International Airport may be the solution when life returns to normal.
Getting to the Hotel.
The hotel is located on West Century Blvd approximately a half a mile from the Southwest Airlines Terminal One at LAX. For those who are more familiar with the airport, the hotel is directly adjacent to the large LAX sign when you drive into the terminal complex. There is a shuttle bus which has three pickup locations at the airport. The first is at the north side between terminals two and three, the second is at The Tom Bradley International Terminal and the third is on the southside at Terminal Six. For arriving passengers, it is important to note that the hotel shuttle pickup is on the departures floor, not the arrivals floor.
The shuttle bus is shared with the H Hotel and Joe's Airport Parking, a parking lot about 200 feet North of the hotel. The bus also has markings for The Homewood Suites which Hilton shares at the same hotel location. In March we noted that the bus was running approximately every 30 minutes. The shuttle bus runs 24/7.
The H Overlook.
This is the highlight for this hotel. The Overlook is what the hotel calls the viewing area and it is located on the 12th floor. The hours are posted on the door and when we visited it was open from 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM. Only hotel guests have access. There is a glass railing surrounding the overlook however we found it quite easy to obtain unrestricted photography by placing the camera over the top of the glass fence.
Photography and Spotting
The majority of the Overlook faces north and there is a smaller section that faces east. The threshold of Runways 24 Left and 24 Right can easily be seen from the left hand end of the Overlook and photography can be accomplished for aircraft departing from 24 Left. There are trees that prevent unobstructed side shots however.
Many of the passenger Asian and European flights arriving at LAX use the STAR called the So Cal approach and land on runway 24 Right. We found that the aircraft would fly at almost eye level to the Overlook and there are opportunities for a perfect combination of in-flight photography with a nice selection of Los Angeles scenery in the background (and yes, you can capture the In-n-Out Burger or the Hollywood sign in the picture if you so wish). A 200 millimetre telephoto lens would be sufficient to full frame Airbus A350s and Boeing 777s.
Most of the cargo flights land on runways 25 Left or two five right (known as the South runways) and these subjects are more difficult to photograph from the overlook as they will be backlit for most of the day. the subjects are also more distant however some photographs can be obtained from the East side of the overlook. The bizjet park can also be seen.
For those not using an app such as Fightradar 24, a good pair of 10 × 50 binoculars or a small spotting telescope will easily read off all the arrivals on the north runway—and if the heat haze is not significant, most of the southerly arrivals as well.
Amenities.
There are plenty of bar-style seats with tables close to the glass railing and there are sofa-style seats located in the centre of the lookout (these were able to be moved quite easily).
An issue for spotters spending a significant amount of time at LAX is that the sea breeze results in a cooling effect compared to the temperature several miles inland. If sunscreen is not worn then significant amounts of sunburn will be the outcome. The advantage of the Overlook is that is faces north and there is a six foot section of shade close to the building. Sitting in the shaded area minimizes the effect of standing in the sun all day.
There are no bathrooms or vending machines on the overlook, these are available on the ground level of the hotel. There is a Krispy Crème coffee and donut shop located in the hotel lobby area and just outside the hotel there is a Subway sandwich shop. We purchased food and drinks and took them up to the Overlook.
Rooms.
There are corner rooms which can be booked at a slightly higher rate (still reasonable for an airport hotel). We found the corner south-east-facing rooms had the best combination. They had plenty of windows and an expansive view of Runways 25 Left and 25 Right. The room also had an easterly view but the Sheraton hotel next door blocked the arrivals view for northerly runway arrivals. You could catch a glimpse of landers on the north runway from the easterly facing windows. Rooms ending in 22 were recommended and we stayed in 1022. As in other airport hotels, the windows were not clean enough for good photography, but that is not an issue as most of the time was spent up at the Overlook. Light sleepers may be woken at 2am when a plethora of cargo and passenger aircraft depart on Runway 25 left or right, heading for Asia.
Summary.
The H Hotel at Los Angeles LAX has an observation area that must be ranked as one of the top hotels for spotting and photography.
The hours of operation are excellent and allows all day viewing of the arrivals and departures at LAX.
The room rates are reasonable and there are corner rooms which offer excellent views of the south runways and cargo complex.
Amenities are available in the hotel and next door there is a sandwich shop.
Brian and Jeremy Worthington report on a visit to the H Hotel at LAX in March 2021.
If Air-Britain aviation photographers and spotters are tired of lockdowns and lack of aviation subjects to photograph, the H Hotel at Los Angeles International Airport may be the solution when life returns to normal.
Getting to the Hotel.
The hotel is located on West Century Blvd approximately a half a mile from the Southwest Airlines Terminal One at LAX. For those who are more familiar with the airport, the hotel is directly adjacent to the large LAX sign when you drive into the terminal complex. There is a shuttle bus which has three pickup locations at the airport. The first is at the north side between terminals two and three, the second is at The Tom Bradley International Terminal and the third is on the southside at Terminal Six. For arriving passengers, it is important to note that the hotel shuttle pickup is on the departures floor, not the arrivals floor.
The shuttle bus is shared with the H Hotel and Joe's Airport Parking, a parking lot about 200 feet North of the hotel. The bus also has markings for The Homewood Suites which Hilton shares at the same hotel location. In March we noted that the bus was running approximately every 30 minutes. The shuttle bus runs 24/7.
The H Overlook.
This is the highlight for this hotel. The Overlook is what the hotel calls the viewing area and it is located on the 12th floor. The hours are posted on the door and when we visited it was open from 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM. Only hotel guests have access. There is a glass railing surrounding the overlook however we found it quite easy to obtain unrestricted photography by placing the camera over the top of the glass fence.
Photography and Spotting
The majority of the Overlook faces north and there is a smaller section that faces east. The threshold of Runways 24 Left and 24 Right can easily be seen from the left hand end of the Overlook and photography can be accomplished for aircraft departing from 24 Left. There are trees that prevent unobstructed side shots however.
Many of the passenger Asian and European flights arriving at LAX use the STAR called the So Cal approach and land on runway 24 Right. We found that the aircraft would fly at almost eye level to the Overlook and there are opportunities for a perfect combination of in-flight photography with a nice selection of Los Angeles scenery in the background (and yes, you can capture the In-n-Out Burger or the Hollywood sign in the picture if you so wish). A 200 millimetre telephoto lens would be sufficient to full frame Airbus A350s and Boeing 777s.
Most of the cargo flights land on runways 25 Left or two five right (known as the South runways) and these subjects are more difficult to photograph from the overlook as they will be backlit for most of the day. the subjects are also more distant however some photographs can be obtained from the East side of the overlook. The bizjet park can also be seen.
For those not using an app such as Fightradar 24, a good pair of 10 × 50 binoculars or a small spotting telescope will easily read off all the arrivals on the north runway—and if the heat haze is not significant, most of the southerly arrivals as well.
Amenities.
There are plenty of bar-style seats with tables close to the glass railing and there are sofa-style seats located in the centre of the lookout (these were able to be moved quite easily).
An issue for spotters spending a significant amount of time at LAX is that the sea breeze results in a cooling effect compared to the temperature several miles inland. If sunscreen is not worn then significant amounts of sunburn will be the outcome. The advantage of the Overlook is that is faces north and there is a six foot section of shade close to the building. Sitting in the shaded area minimizes the effect of standing in the sun all day.
There are no bathrooms or vending machines on the overlook, these are available on the ground level of the hotel. There is a Krispy Crème coffee and donut shop located in the hotel lobby area and just outside the hotel there is a Subway sandwich shop. We purchased food and drinks and took them up to the Overlook.
Rooms.
There are corner rooms which can be booked at a slightly higher rate (still reasonable for an airport hotel). We found the corner south-east-facing rooms had the best combination. They had plenty of windows and an expansive view of Runways 25 Left and 25 Right. The room also had an easterly view but the Sheraton hotel next door blocked the arrivals view for northerly runway arrivals. You could catch a glimpse of landers on the north runway from the easterly facing windows. Rooms ending in 22 were recommended and we stayed in 1022. As in other airport hotels, the windows were not clean enough for good photography, but that is not an issue as most of the time was spent up at the Overlook. Light sleepers may be woken at 2am when a plethora of cargo and passenger aircraft depart on Runway 25 left or right, heading for Asia.
Summary.
The H Hotel at Los Angeles LAX has an observation area that must be ranked as one of the top hotels for spotting and photography.
The hours of operation are excellent and allows all day viewing of the arrivals and departures at LAX.
The room rates are reasonable and there are corner rooms which offer excellent views of the south runways and cargo complex.
Amenities are available in the hotel and next door there is a sandwich shop.
