Alexandria Hotel

Came here for a show… by far the worst bathroom I have ever smelled. Smelled like their trash hadn’t been taken out in weeks and other unmentionable smells…

Recently, I moved into the Alexandria Hotel and the experience has been very positive. I like the unique mix of residents from all walks of life including the formerly homeless residents who worked hard to reemerge and obtain housing. The building is maintained extremely well and I appreciate the historic value that this building offers.
My first experience with the Alexandria Hotel was dealing with Romeo, a Manager who facilitates the application and intake procedure. He was professional, knowledgeable, courteous, and kind. He made the application process easy by fielding my barrage of questions, meticulously explaining the documentation required to be considered for residency and maintaining excellent phone correspondence. The staff who work in the management office were equally professional and the security guards are very respectful towards residents.
My first impression of my room at the Alexandria was that it was immaculate. Very well maintained and a staff that takes their work seriously. The room that I moved into was freshly painted, clean, and everything worked extremely well. The building as a whole is also very clean and I don’t agree with some of the negative remarks that some of the other Unilocal users posted.
The Alexandria is progressive in the sense that it welcomes all to be considered for residency. As an individual who was formally homeless and went through the Weingart Center, I am grateful that I had an opportunity to secure housing in an iconic building with an atmosphere that is friendly and warm.

really bad from the first step im calling and calling and the number provided is not to take calls please make sure you guys either update your phone number or do something to recieve calls im a event coordinator been calling up to 5 different number and your number isn’t provided on my clients contract is this scam ???

I have lived here for about 3 years now and the building has not improved at all.
0. Elevators: for lack of a better word. The elevators break down at least 3x a week. On several occasions there was only one elevator working for a whole week. It was a nightmare to get anywhere and I felt terrible for the people in wheelchairs. Only one staircase is available to go up and down from. Forbid a fire should break out because we’d all be pretty screwed.
1. Management: who are these people that they hired? None of them are remotely competent to run the building that holds 300+ units not the thousands of tenants that live here. They are rude first off and they have lost my money orders on several occasions! I don’t believe that the folks in the office carry a degree let alone a diploma.
2. Maintenance staff: there are literally only three main staff who care for the building. Two women who clean and one man who does repairs. Why on earth would you have just three people running a 12 story building? Ridiculous!
3. Tenants: this may be an exaggerated estimate, but I may not be too far off, but about 3% of tenants are somewhat stable and the rest are just nasty, rude, weird (probably a lot of drugs) and just not at all there. For those with a disability, that’s fine but the lot of them are just nuts. They piss and shit in hallways, leave their trash everywhere, openly use drugs outside and in the hallways (and a lot of drug dealing going on too), drinking and just plain rowdy. Absolutely no respect for their neighbors and if you complain to management nothing gets done. It’s really a circus here.
4. «security»: I added the quotation marks purposely because they don’t do their job. They let anyone in without taking ID, and because of that there are homeless people sleeping in hallways, drug users sneaking inside to see their drug dealers/​buddies, men who follow me in the elevator AND TO MY APARTMENT to ask to use the bathroom! The men who work here are young and don’t give a fuck which is a terrible problem. I don’t feel safe. On top of that I’ve been cat called by almost every guard here! How am I supposed to feel safe here if the «guards» are perverted losers (and who also sell drugs in the building too)!!
5. Location, location: the only good thing about this building is location. I mean, the history tops it, but the place is trashed beyond belief and nothing can change that. I only hope management listens to their tenants for often to change this recurring issues.

I moved in over a month ago. I read all the bad reviews but I needed housing and the VA was going to help me out. I’m a Marine Veteran, former Grunt, infantryman for all those that don’t speak Jarhead. I’ve been all over the world and I know what a dump is (Phillipines, Thailand, Africa) and this place is nothing like that. It makes me laugh to see how spoiled we are living in this country. I got a nice studio that I keep immaculate because that how I was trained to live. I suppose if you live like a slob then you will find roaches and bugs in your place, but I sweep my apartment out and clean it EVERY day. The staff here was very welcoming, considering they’re all pretty new. (Been here less than a year) And there’s gonna be low lifes in every place, you can’t avoid it, just deal with it. I try to say «hi!» to most of my neighbors and a good majority of them seem pretty friendly. Some of my amenities included a brand new microwave, a ceiling fan, and light fixtures in every area of the studio. There’s also controlled electronic entry. But you know there’s only so much a door and security guard can do, so just be adult about it and be aware of your surroundings. Like you should be doing no matter where you live! It’s also close to EVERYTHING in the heart of downtown. I also know more Veterans are moving in using their VASH housing from HUD. I also see quite a few already here. I just know it’s only gonna get better from here on out.

Beautiful iconic building with lots of history. Great to see new management taking over and restoring all the hallways, apt units, community room and the ballrooms. This building has made an impact on so many people when they come visit it again after just a year. So many positive changes!
I’m noticing one particular tenant on Unilocal that keeps complaining about the building and takes pictures of every detail or piece of trash in the hallway– don’t blame management! Blame some of the people living in the building that live that way. There’s 6 cleaning ladies for that entire building. I see them cleaning from 7am to 5pm. Whatever happens after, they cannot control. Management puts a lot of effort to keep the building as clean as possible but you should not blame them when their is continuous trash left behind, blame the particular tenants that don’t care about the building! Make a positive change if you care about the building so much and talk to your neighbors about leaving trash in the hallways! There are trash chutes on every floor. Why is it so difficult for people to throw their trash away just like every other apt building? Do you see other apt buildings with 6 cleaning ladies all day? No, and I guarantee their hallways are much cleaner.
Overall, I love The Alexandria! My girlfriend just moved into the building and she loves it too. Close to many restaurants, shopping and many friendly neighbors!

Their slogan is «return to elegance». LMAO really? this is the opposite of that. I’ve lived in ghetto neighborhoods and old apartments but this is the worse.
Pros:
Location and cheap rent. THAT’S IT!
Cons:
This place is very poorly maintained. See pictures I posted (and more to come till i see a change)
Floors are always dirty, most current tenants are dirty, crazy, on drugs, or just plain ghetto,
(I don’t believe that being poor leads to being dirty, ghetto and trashing the common area), I wouldn’t say it’s smells like ass everywhere but the constant smell in hallways, elevators is definitely not pleasant.
There’s always trash somewhere that someone just left out (yes there are trash chutes on each floors) by disrespectful, dirty and lazy people.
Elevators on weekends are filthy (It looks like a bar floor on a Saturday morning), and it won’t be cleaned until Monday morning.
Yes there are bugs in the building. Bed bugs and roaches that is.
I started seeing bed bugs after 2 months of living here. I rarely see roaches (i keep my place clean and food stored away). I fog my apartment once a month and spray non chemical stuff here and there. Haven’t really seen any since.
I wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone unless you’re out of option and the location is convenient which was my situation.
This place used to be a beautiful hotel that now has turned into a trashy home for crazies.

Hello– this is a message for your business. I have tried to call but the number is not in service. Do you still rent rooms or are you strictly apartments now? If only apartments, what is the rent? Thank you.

DO NOT TRY TO MOVE HERE!
Their management is the worst and unprofessional! I started the application process 2 weeks before i left on Vacation on May 23^rd. 2 WEEKS! I made it very clear that i needed to be moved in by the 1^st of June. they seemed sure that i would be able to move in on time and i left thinking that by the time i got back, all i had to do was move. well, over the course of the next MONTH, they kept dragging on the processes and asked for more forms and kept pushing back my move in date. I was running out of time! The whole things was depressing and grueling and the uncaring leasing manager wouldn’t respond to my email no matter how desperate i sounded. They toyed with me and wouldn’t give me a straight answer. So by JULY 22ND i still didnt get the green light and i had give up on them. They couldnt even tell me the status of my application. such bs. I hate these people so much because this was someones life hanging in the air and they didnt do anything to expedite the process!!! UGH!

I’ve lived here for 5 years and cannot wait to get out of this death trap.
1. The bedbug infestation is so bad that UPS won’t deliver to the building anymore. The cockroaches run in heards.
2. The crack heads and tweekers run the place. Drug dealers and pimps banging on my neighbour’s door at 2am demanding their money, security’s response: «if you’re not in immediate danger and they’re not damaging the building, we’re not doing anything.»
3. My tweeker next door neighbour had his homeless transgender girlfriends living in the hall utility closets, on the fire escapes and right in front of his door.
4. The elevators don’t work. Over thanksgiving both elevators were broken for 3 weeks and I witnessed a disabled vet who lives here crawling up the stairs dragging his wheel chair behind him. (Yes I offered to help.)
5. Ownership cares more about refurbishing the ballroom than making anything better for the residents above. They didn’t even bother to sand the 110 year old wood that was under the carpet when they ripped it out, they just painted over the splinters and dry rot.
6. In my 5 years here the guy who lived across the hall hung himself from the ceiling fan, someone got stabbed in the back in that apartment, I’ve come home to cops with their guns drawn as the elevators opened, and people have jumped to their death from this building.
7. Management’s voicemail has been full since July 2014 at least. They don’t check it.
8. I’ve been cussed out and called a faggot on the elevator more times than I can remember.
9. I went 7 months without hot water in my apparent from 9pm to 6am.
This place is a really cool building and could be a really great place if there was an effective management team in place and security that actually did their job.

DONT LIVE HERE!!!
–there are more homeless people that «live» in this building then you find on the sidewalk outside, which is a lot
–crazy disgusting people call this building home, they smell so bad I have almost vomited while in the elevator with them
–the elevators are always broken, on of the elevators has been broken for over 6 months. It takes forever for it to come, its common to have to wait 10 minutes
–ghetto drug dealers and druggies
–I saw someone piss their pants while in the elevator
–lots of bugs and cockroaches
–takes management weeks to respond to maintenance request in the units, even when its something important like the door won’t stayed locked
–trash all over the place

This place sucks, Bedbugs & Roaches everywhere. I’ve lived here for 6 years and it’s getting worse, had i known about the critters i wouldn’t have put in an application. Security is a joke they let anyone into the building, i no longer feel safe here and i plan on moving as soon as i can, management don’t care about the people who lives here. It’s overrun by crackheads and other addicts, people wondering the hallways either kicking or banging on doors in the middle of the night. They turn off the heat and water without warning!

Dropping to one star from four. I hate to say this after giving the place such a positive review, but this place leaves a LOT to be desired. I’m not sure where the problem lies, but elevator availability is sporadic at best, the building with the most people living in it has only one elevator for the foreseeable future, and the elevators in the original building take turns being non-​functional. This would be a bit more bearable if the owner or building manager allowed access via stairways, but they don’t. Granted, you can leave the building via stairway, but getting back in is problematic. This is likely a violation of city fire codes, but they don’t seem to care. Worse they treat their tenants with disrespect and disdain. Living in the street might actually be marginally better.
Stay tuned; things are going to get interesting. We long time residents are about to press the owner for changes or legal action fir violating city and county laws.
Update: Apparently, the owner/​manager took note of complaints. Magically, an elevator that has not worked in three and a half months was brought back «on-​line» a mere three days before a fire inspection. I await the fire departments report with extreme scepticism. Perhaps, when management” acts” like it gives a rat’s behind about the tenants I’ll CONSIDER raising my rating to three stars. Don’t hold your breath though.
Oh, and that elevator car is DOWN again.

This place has got to be the most WRETCHED S*** HOLE on earth.
Let’s run through the pro’s and cons. Lived here 2+ years… I have been to India with no plans and a back pack 2x and slept in $ 2 rooms, I am no p***y, but this place is the WORST.
Pro’s:
1. In Downtown
2. Decently cheap rent
3. Centrally located
4. They are trying to make improvements
Con’s:
1. Infested with crackhead meth users
2. Gang graffiti throughout the building
3. Roaches run this place
4. Bed bugs
5. Voice mailbox is ALWAYS full for staff, if you have a problem you are on your own
6. 1 Security guard, if you have a problem he can’t leave his post to help
7. You WILL NEED to call security before long
8. Elevators are OFTEN broken
9. Trash in elevators
10. Trash in hallways
11. Despite concrete walls, VERY LOUD neighbors
12. I have a deaf neighbor who is a prostitute who sells drugs at late hours and since many of her customers are deaf they BANG on the door so loudly that it shakes the walls at 2am-​5am (management thinks she is a «nice» girl)
13. Power outages (Have come home to a warm/​hot fridge, many times)
14. Small earthquakes have left LARGE cracks in all hallways. they then paint over them… but if a decent one hits, this place is going down!
15. Homeless people get section 8 here… I m talking the worst of the worst.
16. Management has changed 5 times in the 2 years I have been here.
If you can’t do the math on that I can’t help you.
17. Police/​Fire come to the building ALOT so expect late night sirens screaming to a stop right under your window. this IS a PROBLEM building.
18. Are you still reading or have you moved the F on?! You should move the F on!
19. FILTHY carpet, with unmentionable stains.
20. It is scary, you should probably own a gun… definitely own a gun.
21. The «improvements» haven’t changed the fact that criminals, gang members, smelly homeless people and scumbags live here.
22. People WILL smell of rotting flesh and feces in the elevator.
23. Elevators are littered with trash (despite the hard working maintenance staff, there is no way to keep up with this HELL.
24. Living under hostage conditions with the sh** bags from al al qaeda would likely be an improvement.
25. FIRE ALARM goes off randomly in the middle of the night OFTEN.
26. I have had to revise this review 8 times… because I keep remembering MORE terrible things.
IF this list doesn’t deter you, roll the dice and live this HELL for yourself.
I dare you. If there is an emergency or earthquake people here will be eating each others f-​ing faces wholesale!!!
Most residents are zombies who take bath salts… it is what it is. HELL.
NEVER LIVE HERE!

I’m giving it one star because the rent is affordable.
But otherwise this place is disgusting full of crack addicts drug dealers and this building is infested with cockroaches and bed bugs. I was here for about 4 months before I started getting cockroach, The roach problem is ridiculous smh. The room’s floor is made of cement painted over with black paint and there are plenty of small cracks or them to hide. plus I recently found out that to managers were fired because money was coming up missing, there is just too much going on with this building I wish I would have looked more into this place before I moved in now I’m just counting down the days till my lease is up so I could get the f*** out of here. Please think twice before moving into this place…

Im here shooting a music video. Parts of the building are beautiful! And some of the rooms are set dressed super awesome! But there’s definitely tons of roaches. And some of the people that live here are sketchy, or have stories of sketchy vagrants that wonder through. Oh and there was a bum sleeping in the elevator when I got here. But… It’s downtown LA! It’s exactly what I expected it to be. If they can get rid of some bugs and crack heads… The renovations going on downstairs have some serious potential to restore this place to awesome

I recently was there for an audit. It was hard to focus because this place is huge. It’s absolutely stunning. They are doing an amazing job restoring the legacy of this old hotel. A must see!

This place has a LOT of history. Some good and some… well…not so good. I have been to the DNO and Gorbals but I have never seen the Palm Court ballroom before. Yesterday I had an opportunity to work in the ballroom and it was absolutely beautiful. I loved the glass ceiling that reminded me of the original Poseidon Adventure movie.

I came here to check out Garrett Morris’ Comedy club (here every Thurs– Sat nights) and I was actually surprised to see that the Alexandria is an apartment for tenants. This hotel, to be honest, looks kind of like a dump. It is old and a bit run downed. Since the comedy club was only on the 2^nd floor, I just walked up the stairs to the ballroom it was held in (thank goodness, especially after reading several previous Unilocalers complain of seeing roaches in the elevators and trash cans).
During the comedy show, 1 comedian had mentioned (as a joke) where she has performed in so far, including gay cruises, Comedy Central, etc and also «the shinning» (which she was referring to the Alexandria Hotel) because the hotel just kind of gave off that movie creepy/​scary location. This comedian also mentioned that the audience was probably breathing in asbestos too, lol.
I feel bad for the residents that live in the hotel because the comedy club was pretty loud with the blues band that was preforming and there was a DJ and plenty of room to move and groove after the comedy show was over. I am pretty sure that even though the ballroom was quite a distance from the rooms, tenants still probably heard the noise that was coming from it (which makes me incredibly happy that I do not live here).
The ballroom itself that the comedy club was in was a pretty big space that looked nice. The chairs had some padding and the room itself was decorated just fine for a comedy club (with dimmed lights, candles and such).
I personally would not live here because this place looks dumpy and it’s not exactly in the best part of downtown LA. Also would not like to hear nightly music/​shows every weekend.

Had an afterparty here for a friend’s wedding. The 3^rd floor lounge area was really cool, really laid back «loft-​y» feel; pretty rad Downtown LA venue. The dining area was off the chain! Fancy, beautiful and clean! The staff was really friendly and everyone was nice!
So why the 2 stars? Well, it seems as though this place is actually an apartment of some sorts, but there were random strange people who tried to crash the different events going on, and one person was clearly heavily medicated on some illegal substances. Nothing could be done because they were tenants, apparently? Definitely something that should be corrected when there’s an event going on that the clients have paid/​are paying for.
It’s a bit sad because if it hadn’t been for the random crazy crackheads causing a scene and trying to crash the party, it would’ve definitely gotten 3 or 4 stars.
You know what? I had fun that night, and am feeling generous. I’ll give it an «ok» rating with 3. I hope your experience here, though a bit different, will be as enjoyable as I had for my friend’s wedding afterparty!