I booked this hotel based on the many good reviews I read here on Trip Advisor. This is my last night in this hotel and I couldn't be happier with the choice. I don't usually travel alone, and though a New York City native, I did have some trepidation about staying alone in a hotel in L.A.

I agree with all of the reviewers who mentioned the excellent security at this hotel. There are cameras everywhere and yes, the front desk is behind a glass partition. Rather than making me nervous by their mere existence, they really have made me feel safer.

As for the rooms, I cannot understand how other reviewers have described this place as a basic, no-frills hotel. My room is extremely spacious, as are most of the others I've seen in passing. All the rooms I've seen have been renovated: the vanity is granite, with a new faucet. The bathtub surround is flat-panel stone, with NONE of the grout and tiles that can be covered with mold. In fact, the bedroom and bath are spotless. There's a small, quiet refrigerator and a microwave that sits on granite shelves, and both are also completely clean. The king-sized bed is covered in a luxurious-looking burnt-orange shiny quilted new-looking bedspread. The bed itself could be a little softer, but it's not rock-hard either; this non-sleeper has slept well. Even the entry doorsill and hinges have been replaced. There is a desk, armoire, table, and three chairs, and there is still a huge amount of room to walk around. The carpet is not old, but during my stay all of the rooms were having the carpets restretched and cleaned. The shower is good, with a new, adjustable showerhead. The lighting is good in the bedroom and bathroom, and there are two telephones. My only complaint is that the table and one of the chairs could use replacement.

The lobby is small, but furnished with newer furniture in excellent condition, and the small breakfast room is bright and modern, too.

A number of people wrote about the somewhat seedy neighborhood. Having driven back all the way on Sunset from West Hollywood to the hotel, the neighborhood does change - stores and restaurants are closed and largely ethnic, mostly Hispanic. It certainly does not have the glitz and polish and lighting of the areas I was coming from. But not once did I feel unsafe. I did not use the underground parking, because the lobby is at one end of a small strip mall with outdoor parking, and I was able to park one foot away from the hotel lobby.

After booking this hotel by calling Choice's 800 number, I later did a comparison on Choice Hotel's own website among this hotel and four other Comfort Inns in the area. I was dismayed to see that this was the only one that did not have high speed internet service listed for the rooms. I was about to cancel my reservation, but then decided to call Choice to verify it. They made a direct call to the hotel and told me that they did indeed have high speed in all the rooms. I am using it right now, and it has worked perfectly.

I did not have a chance to check out the actual breakfast - I either slept in or had to leave very early before they began serving. But on my first morning I asked the desk after breakfast was over if I might be able to get some bread for toast. No problem. The guy at the desk called and got the woman in charge of breakfast to come down and get me some food. She gave me a plate of bread and pastries and, of course, there is always coffee available.

In closing, I must say that I am a snob about hotels. I absolutely cannot stay in an old room; I find it too depressing. And I'm squeamish and easily skeeved, and will not tolerate anything that is not immaculate. Also, I always stay in smoking rooms. This hotel room was not only one step away from being sterilized, it is also the only smoking room I've been in anywhere that doesn't have that nauseating, suffocating smell of stale smoke. And that goes for the hallways, too, despite what one woman wrote about it. I can sniff out smoke anywhere, at any time, but not at this place. They're certainly doing something right.

This Comfort Inn has got to be the best deal in L.A. For $81 a night, you cannot get better. And I'd wager that your room in a high-rise hotel would not be any nicer. As long as you have a car and a map, it would be very short-sighted to stay somewhere else. If I return to L.A., this will be my first, and only, choice.