Some friends and I traveled to LA for a conference at the Hyatt. There is some construction on Little Santa Monica Blvd (after exitng the freeway) and several lanes were closed during our time there. Upon arrival at the Hyatt, we were able to check-in very quickly and the front desk staff were friendly and accomodating. There was some congestion at the front of the hotel (like most others) with guests loading, unloading, valet parking, etc. Parking at the hotel was an issue for us because the hotel is only 'responsible' for their valet parking area ($20/day). Self-parking can be found at a garage behind the hotel spa that is owned by a third party, but used by hotel guests and shoppers at the Century Plaza Mall. The guest rooms were farily large with double closets and an in-room safe (extremely small, only good for jewelry). Our room faced the construction site across the street (yuck!), but had a cute balcony with chairs that let you get some Beverly Hills sunshine during the day. The bed and bathroom was clean and well-maintained. The bed pillows were very comfortable, plentiful, and fluffy (not like most hotels). The meeting facilities had great acoustics (always a plus) and were mostly accesible by the main bank of elevators. There is a mezzanine level that is only accesible by staircase from the lobby and a second bank of elevators. If you're a shopper, you'll love the close proximity to everything. Century Plaza (Macy's, Louis V., Ann Taylor, etc.) is directly across the street from the rear door of the Hyatt. Rodeo Drive and the Beverly Center are only about a 15 mintue drive away. The nightly rate at the Hyatt will run you upwards of $200 (in most cases), but it was worth it for us.

When we stayed in LA, we decided to splurge one night and stayed here. The poolside, upper floors offer a great view of Santa Monica and Beverly Hills. The upscale Century Shopping Center is just across the street...where many of the stars shop. The room was clean and the beds were very comfortable. The bathroom was big with nice hardware. The balcony was a plus with great view. To eat here is very expensive though. Recommend going to the shopping center.

We got a decent price from Priceline. The location was great, easy to get to Beverly Hills/the strip, and also to Santa Monica. The concierge service was fantastic--not only called multiple restaurants to get a us a table for a Saturday night, but also made good suggestions and followed up with calls to my cell phone to confirm our plans. Excellent service. The valet price is over the top, but you do have no choice, so just consider it part of the cost. Sign up for the Hyatt Gold Passport (free to do at their website) so you can use the gym for free, otherwise you have to pay some exorbinate fee (again, nickel and dimed). The bed is comfortable and the rooms are a good size. We didn't hear any real hallway noise, though the street noise was present, even on the 12th floor. They obviously put a lot of money into updating what would otherwise be a very dated hotel. We did not eat/drink there, but the lobby had a great vibe and lots of business travelers were having drinks and a good time.

Check in was fast after our car was surrounded by Valet Parking guys who aggresively hyped valet by saying it would save me money over self-park. When I got the bill I was shocked, as they added $29 for half day of parking. Add tips, and it came to nearly $35. The first room offered smelled strongly like smokers, but they moved us quickly down the hall to a similar otherwise ample room. The rollaway was delivered quickly, and the only other unpleasant surprise was $13 for a supposed TV movie we did not order. My daughter simply turned on the TV and watched a 1 hr. disney sit-com. If that costs $13 (!), they should be very obvious in disclosing that to guests. They did remove the charge when I politely protested it. The hotel is in the heart of Century City's business district, so no street parking whatsoever -- they kind of "have you where they want you" and in my opinion exploit that. Otherwise a decent stay accross from major high-rise construction. Not quite worth the $130 (incl. taxes, etc.) we paid, but we were down to the "wire".... I have gotten much better values from Priceline at half or one-third the cost, as nearby as Anaheim Doubletree Suites. Reading other reviews of this Hyatt, a common theme emerges of aggressive charging of extras, which clouds your view of an otherwise nice roomstay in a comfortable bed and bath, etc.