Air Tel Hotel

How was it this year for Spring Fling? Since it's been used for a couple of years as a homeless shelter some buddy's and I were wondering if it's back to it's former condition. How about the restaurant and bar?

it was ok. room was clean. no black mold like i have had multiple times in recent years. back parking lot was a mess. probably a bit overpriced for what you got. no breakfast, no restaurant,

no real bar.
no secure gate or on site security so leaving your vehicle out was a constant concern.
Gary was able to get me in my room, though I heard there was over booking.
Someone was drinking Bud Light in the lobby, so interacting with any gals there was out of the question.
$340 for two nights is kind of pricy. Then spending $250 in gas made it sting a little more.
With the costs and the incident I had in the swap meet on Sunday, If I do decide to attend again, It's gonna be a in early Saturday and head home by 11am. no weekend stay, no spending money on swap spot, limiting what I buy at the show.

They seem to be slow to return to normal.
The whole weekend was a letdown for me. No fault to the club or the show-goers but the Air Tel was essentially a ghost-town compared to before. Hardly any people, 80% of the west end parking lot was closed off to store vans, trucks and busses and to store other equipment. The bar was closed. The restaurant was closed. The parking lot social interaction and mini-car show was always a big part for me. Many of the regular attendees stayed home this year.
The facility looked clean and ready to occupy many more people. The fees were too high for the limited services though. I stayed at the extremely crappy and spartan Motel 6 in the fall of 2021. If you want to experience an overnight stay barely better than camping next to a freeway for a price that is surprisingly too high, check that out next time.

the first thing that popped into my twisted old noggin when i read the title of this thread was the "No Tell Motel".........
i just couldn't help myself.

What happened Migs? When I went to the show in the mid-late 00's it was awesome at the AirTel and the show, sucks that the hotel is done, had a great breakfast and dinner at the restaurant, drinks with cool people at the bar, and the BS sessions with Bob Riggle and other racers talking about the old days were epic!

Is Gary the head hotel clerk back? He’s a good guy. Last I was told the original owner passed away back around 2011. He was highly in debt so the bank took it over. Bean counters run the place. Nickel and dime ya when you walk in the door. Original owner owned that white 4 door Chevy Biskane with a 427 and that VW pickup which was there during my last visit in 2019.

My 1st time at this show.
And stayed at the airtell.
Other than no restaurant on site.
Maybe a more secure lot would be nice. But not sure how that's feasible

I did see a guard walking around when we went out
Saturday morning around 6am

I have no complaints
Room was clean . Bed was comfy. And quiet.

I've been going to the Spring Fling since 2001. I make their fall show maybe 1/3 of the time but rarely miss the Spring show.
I used to stay at the Holiday Inn Express off of Roscoe and 405 but some time around 2010, I started staying at the Air-Tel. I liked that they had a gated parking lot and really liked that there were guests there that had cars that were going to be in the show. This gave people a chance to have some one on one time with the owners as compared to the show where people often wander away from their cars.
The facility isn't ideal and for me, never has been. The sound of the airplanes taking off can be distracting but the hotel is close to Woodley Park. I never used the pool. I don't drink so I didn't go to the bar. Up until a few years ago, the overnight stay included breakfast. That changed but the price wasn't too bad and the food was good.
This year, there was no gate security. No restaurant and very few guests with classic cars, myself included! I hope that things improve for next year.
I understand that they had a major disruption so I cannot fault them for the situation.

I think the security is a Homeland Security requirement.

My understanding is the restaurant will be re-opened later this year or early next.

Both Friday and Saturday nite was some car guys in the lobby shooting the bull and having a few drinks ( myself included ) Cash bar was open and was doing well, IMO

Backed up to the airport made for some plane noise. But I work at an airport ,,,So Im use to it I guess. Plus the lobby activities earlier in the evening made the planes less noisy anyway

The 10 minute drive to the show was a HUGE plus for me.
We cruised thru the best western parking lot and there was even less cars there. and ZERO room to park a trailer if needed

I heard there were still homeless housed on the third floor - anyone know if this was true? where were your rooms?

I was at the Motel 6

I usually stay at the Ayer’s in Manhattan Beach and just drive over. I enjoy the drive in the morning since Sat. Traffic isn’t bad and it’s a beautiful drive over. Airtel used to be OK but sounds like it’s still having some issues. .

I always liked the afternoon/evening air show when the warbird owners would taxie by the parking lot for takeoff heading to the various air shows.

Not that Im aware of or saw anything to give me the impression that type of clientele was there. My room was 1st floor,,,, right around the corner from the front desk

Motel 6? Talk about a chithole! I stayed there fall 2021. Horrible. Single pane window, huge gaps between the door and jamb, no alarm clock, no USB in the lamp, one chair, one table, noisy plumbing, no hair dryer....The place looked like it hadn't been updated since the 70s.

i stayed there on recommendations from this forum in 2018 it was the worst s-hole i have ever stayed in. stayed one night and booked it out of there the next morning. filthy disgusting place. when i pulled up the first thing i saw was the parking space out front "for police use only" thats the first sign of a 5 start s-hole. i will not ever go to another motel 6 even if it was free.

Sorry to hear about your bad experience at the Air Tel Hotel and Motel 6. I stayed at the Air Tel a few years ago and had a decent experience, but I can understand how the recent use of a homeless shelter might have impacted its condition. As for Motel 6, I've heard similar horror stories from friends who have stayed there.On a brighter note, I recently discovered some tips and tricks to cut costs on flights or upgrade to a higher class, like getting cheap business class flights.I know it's not related to the topic, but I thought it might be helpful for those who want to save some money or travel in style. Let me know if you're interested, and I'll share the info with you! Also, just wanted to say that I'm new to this forum and excited to be a part of it.

iit was motel 6 that was horrible. airtel was ok other than black mold a few years ago.

As for Spring Fling, I actually had a chance to swing by last week with some buddies. Happy to say it's looking much better than the previous years when it served as a shelter. The team did an amazing job restoring it to its former glory, and the vibe was fantastic! The restaurant and bar were in full swing too! The food was scrumptious, and the drinks, oh boy, they were on point! It felt like the good old days, and I can definitely recommend checking it out. If you're planning to travel to Elizabeth or anywhere else, I stumbled upon this useful website called Safe Is Elizabeth for Travel https://www.travelsafe-abroad.com/united-states/elizabeth/. It's a resource for staying informed about safety tips and local guidelines. Always better to be well-prepared, right?

Thanks for update. I haven’t stopped by since April. But I saw stuff in progress. Good to hear.