FOUR POINTS HOTEL SHERATON LAX

Detailed Narrative Description
September 2006
Presented by "The Center for the Partially Sighted"

DISCLAIMER

This narrative description of the Four Points Hotel Sheraton is a general overview; it is not an in-depth overview/mapping out of the hotel facility.

GENERAL OVERVIEW OF FACILITIES & SERVICES

573 Guest Rooms
24-hour Fitness Center
24-hour Business Center
24-hour Room-Service
Pool (Olympic-sized/heated)
24-hour Complimentary Shuttle
Guest Services
Concierge
Guest Laundry Facilities
Car Rental
Restaurant
Bar
Meeting & Banquet Rooms

The hotel is situated between 96th and 98th streets (running east/west) and parallels Airport Blvd. (runs north and south). The main hotel entrance faces west to Airport Blvd. The overall shape of the hotel is like the letter "T". At the top and center of the "T" is the main entrance. At the stem of the "T" and on the right side, as your back is to the hotel's main entrance, is a cluster of meeting rooms forming a large rectangular shape. The "T" is upside down from this perspective.

MAIN HOTEL ENTRANCE (and adjacent areas in the top part of the "T")

Two adjacent main entrance doors exist on west side of hotel, sliding open as approached. One is to the south and the other is to the north (of each other).
If you enter the south doors, it takes you to Guest Services/check-in.
The north doors take you to three elevators (going up to the sixth floor).
The foyer is tiled and a bit difficult to assign a shape to, as it is asymmetrical: starting at the main hotel entrance/foyer with your back to it, in front of you is an area that has a walled "island" of sorts containing a few large chairs, the stairwell, and payphones around its perimeter; the pathway that circles around this "island" borders the foyer, elevators, and main tiled hallway leading to Guest Services/check-in).
Starting at the main hotel entrance with your back to it, an immediate left turn takes you to a tiled corridor leading to the San Diego Ballroom (heading north).
Starting at the main hotel entrance with your back to it, walk approximately six paces and on the left side, will be the entrance to the Palm Grill Restaurant.
Starting at the main hotel entrance with your back to it, walk about 6 paces, turn right (heading south), you will leave the tiled area and enter a carpeted corridor with the Concierge Desk on your right.
Just past this corridor (heading east) is the bathroom on the right (with your back to the main hotel entrance).
Entering the corridor and starting back at the Concierge Desk, on the right side is the W.H. Smith Gift Shop followed by the San Francisco Room.
There is an exit after this room but once you exit, you can't get back in (no door handles).
Starting again, at the Concierge Desk, but switching over to the left side of the corridor, isthe Business Center, followed by the Executive Offices Catering Sales room.

GUEST SERVICES (and adjacent areas in the stem of the "T")

Starting at the main hotel entrance with your back to it, leaving the foyer from the right set of entrance doors (or south doors), continuing on the tile floor of the main hallway, heading east along the stem of the "T" and on the left side, is Guest Services/check-in area with a long counter serviced by several clerks.
Continuing past the Guest Services/check-in, on the left is Brewsters Bar. It has tiled floor intermixed with wooden floor.
The entrance to the Catalina Meeting Room is in the Bar area within the wooden floor (upon making a left and entering the Bar area, go straight to find the Catalina Room doors).
Continuing past the Bar, the tile changes to carpet and on the left, is the La Jolla Room followed by the Los Angeles Room.
You are still walking on carpet but after the Los Angeles Room it changes back to tile.
Just past the Los Angeles Room is a tiled corridor on your left. Upon entering this corridor, you will be traveling north.
On your immediate right, are bathroom facilities followed by the Malibu Room.
Starting back at the beginning of this corridor on the left side and a few paces ahead are three elevators (going up to the ninth floor).
Continuing past the elevators you will go through double heavy doors and on the left is Guest Laundry.
The hallway ends with an emergency exit only.
Starting back at the Guest Services/check-in area, if you continue east, all the way at the end of this hallway you will locate a sliding door exit, bringing you to the parking lot. You are now at the end of the stem of the "T."
Starting back at Guest Services/check-in, heading east and on the right side, directly across from Guest Services/check-in is the Atrium. You will notice a warm radiance because it has windows for a ceiling allowing for sunlight penetration. It's a carpeted rectangular shaped area, with many comfortable chairs, tables and a piano.
The pool area borders this Atrium. To locate the pool entrance, put your back to the Guest Services area and walk south (the doors will be to the right of the Atrium). Caution on exiting through these doors. There is an abrupt up-curb bordering a tree, so stay to the right when exiting the building.
You can walk along the right side of outside building edge to avoid the up-curb and on your right will be the Fitness Center.
The pool (on your left) is rectangular and bordered by reclining lounge chairs (situated along the longer sides of the pool).
Starting back at Guest Services, on the right side of the main hallway, continuing east past the Atrium is the California Ballroom (the largest meeting room in the hotel). It has multiple entrances on two sides of the room (on the east and north sides).
Passing the California Ballroom and on the right is a carpeted corridor. Going down this corridor, you are heading south and will pass more entrances to the California Ballroom on your right.
On the left side of this corridor, you will pass the Hollywood, Westwood, and Brentwood Meeting Rooms, respectively. At the end of this corridor is an exit bordering 98th Street (you cannot get back in once you go out, no door handles).
Starting back at Guest Services/check-in, (traveling east) go past the corridor that borders the California Ballroom, and you will pass yet another corridor. Turn right into this corridor. On the left side, there are entrances to the Rental Car desk, the Santa Cruz Room, Santa Barbara Room, Santa Monica Room, respectively.
At the very end, is another exit leading to 98th Street but with no re-entry.

GUIDE DOG RELIEVING AREA

The best approach is to go out the hotel's main entrance and turn left (south) until you get to the sidewalk (borders 98th Street). Turn left again, (east) and all along on your right side (bordering 98th Street) is a narrow parkway with non-continuous patches of grass.

Emergency Evacuation Procedures:

Fire Exits:

For your personal safety, please note where each exit is located upon arrival. All floors/rooms are equipped with diagrams/locations of various fire exits, which are located at the end of each hallway. There are stairways located at each end of the East and West wings of the hotel. There are also stairways at each end of the Center wing. There are 9 fire alarms pull stations located on each floor of the building. There are glass enclosed fire extinguishers located at the end of each wing and 2 on each side of the center wing. There are also extinguishers in each elevator area for a total of 10 per floor. There are (3) fire alarm manual pull stations in each wing, which are red in color, with the center point of the device mounted 48 inches above the finished floor; one (1) at each end of the floor by the exit door and one (1) on the center near the elevator lobby.

Our Banquet rooms are located on the main ground level floor. There are 7 exits from the lobby level and 4 exits to the outside from the ballroom. All exits throughout the hotel are marked with large Red Exit Signs.

Alarm/Evacuation Procedures:

Our fire alarm makes a high-pitched whooping sound. The elevators will not be in working order once the alarm is activated. If the alarm is activated, we recommend that you stay in your guestroom or in the meeting room. Our hotel staff will investigate right away the cause of the fire alarm. Our hotel staff will determine if it is a false alarm or if evacuation is necessary and will advise hotel guests accordingly by use of the hotel public address system.

If evacuation is necessary, every attempt will be made for a member of our staff to assist you in exiting the hotel. All hotel guests with visual impairments will be noted by the front desk, and special assistance would immediately be deployed to their hotel room or meeting rooms.
If you detect fire or smoke, notify the operator by dialing "0", or pull the nearest fire alarm manual pull station. There are three (3) manual pull stations in each wing and ten (10) glass enclosed fire extinguishers located on each floor.
If you must leave the room, feel the door to see if it is hot. If it is not hot, open the door slightly to look and listen to determine if you can make it to the stairways.
Stay low to the floor and take your room key.
Do not use the elevator. Proceed to the nearest stairway and exit on the ground floor.
If unable to exit your room because of fire or smoke:
1. Close the door and seal it with a wet towel
2. Stay near the window until help arrives.
We ask that our guests assemble in two areas based on exiting the hotel:
1. Guests exiting from the West Wing main entrance of the hotel please assemble to the north/western corner near the parking booth.
2. The guests exiting the East Wing rear exit at the back of hotel please assemble to the east side of the parking lot.
The ballroom has 2 exits to 98th street and 2 to the poolside.
There will be a member of our staff at these locations to account for all guests and to inform our guests when it is safe to re-enter the hotel.