This plush, ultramodern hotel is at the heart of an enormous complex that incorporates offices, condos, a 19-screen movie theater, and the state-of-the-art Sports Club/LA. Challenging the Four Seasons' claim to the hottest visiting celebrities, the hotel opened in 2001; a $11 million renovation project began in 2007, so be sure to request a room removed from the work area. The good-size guest rooms contain indulgent amenities such as luxury linens and feather duvets, and the large bathrooms have phones and a separate tub and shower room. Guest rooms contain Bose radio/CD players, and suites have Bang + Olufsen CD stereos. Rooms occupy the top four floors of the 12-story building, with the public spaces at street level. You'll pay more for a room with a view of the Common. This neighborhood is the urban-planning equivalent of a self-fulfilling prophecy: The area is not the greatest, but the presence of the hotel and health club automatically improves it.

Facilities:Restaurant (contemporary American); bar; lounge; access ($20/day) to adjoining Sports Club/LA, 100,000-sq.-ft. facility w/lap pool, complete spa services, salon, regulation basketball court, 10,000-sq.-ft. weight room, steam rooms, saunas, 5 exercise studios, and 4 squash courts; concierge; courtesy car; airport shuttle; business center; 24-hr. room service; in-room massage; babysitting; laundry service; same-day dry cleaning; club-level rooms; rooms for those w/limited mobility