We needed a large living space for 4 people. Mom, Dad, 18 year old daughter and 20 year old son. We stayed here due to the reviews. We were not disappointed. The room was a 1 bed suite. The main king size bed, sofa bed, and roll away bed were all very comfortable. The suite was large, very clean with good storage and A/C. The kitchen was very clean and had everything needed. The staff were all extremely friendly and helpful. Special thanks to Daphne and Shawn. The Magic Castle hotel staff rock.

We stayed here due to the reviews we had seen in trip advisor and can honestly say that we were not disappointed in any way.
The room was a 1 bed suite and the main bed and sofa bed were both very comfortable, the rooms were large, very clean with good storage and air con, the kitchen although a bit old fashioned looking, it was very clean and had everything you could ask for.
The staff were all extremely friendly, helpful, and made what would have been a good stay into a very personal and friendly holiday for us especially Daphne and Shawn.
We would not hesitate to go back here again and wish the staff at the Magic Castle hotel all the best.
The Clarks,
Falkirk, Scotland.

spacious apartment style rooms (good for our kids 8 and 12) well equipped in a great central location 5 mins walk from chinese theatre and roosevelt hotel (best burgers i have ever had at 25 degree restaurant there). pool was small and crowded so we didn't swim - breakfast was excellent and generally you could sit around the pool to eat in the morning.
i agree with other comments that the staff are amazing - all of them - nothing was too much trouble. they also have a great free minibar policy and free dvds which i am sure costs them small $ but makes the guests feel good - great idea! we will stay there again in LA.

Warning - I'm about to pan this place. I know people don't like it when people give bad reviews. If you read my review you will probably think "well that guy is picky or a snob" or "this guy is an idiot that has never travelled because look at all the positive reviews".

Just so you know where I am coming from and can better judge whether or not you believe my bad review. I'm a 30 year old professional and have done a lot of travelling - some for business and a lot for fun. I'm from Toronto. I've travelled extensively in the United States. I know that this place is a 3 star hotel and not a 5 star hotel. I understand that in a major North American city that $180 is not a lot to spend for a nights stay in a downtown location. All I expect from a 3 star hotel is: clean and current decor in the lobby and rooms but nothing flashy, basic amenities like internet and a desk to do some work on, and reasonable staff that are polite and moderately helpful. If this place had all of these things I would have given it a 5 rating or said it was excellent.

I was on my honeymoon and I would not come back to this hotel. My main complaint is the rooms. I'd rather just spend an extra $75 or $100 a night to stay somewhere decent. If I had known what this hotel was really like I would have gladly dropped the extra cash somewhere else.

I paid about $180 bucks for a Thursday night stay - too expensive for what it was.

- Cons -
The pictures on the website are misleading because they don't show you the grungy bathrooms, noisy window unit air-conditioners, or stained carpets. The room also had a musty smell which I might expect in Mexico or South America but not in the United States.

I was pretty disgusted with our first room and asked to be moved. The next room was still grungy but slightly better. Honestly, this place needs to change the carpets in the rooms. It could use a complete overhaul, however, it definitely needs new carpets. I know that the rooms are probably just as clean or dirty as any other hotel but when the carpets are beat up and stained it just makes you feel like you need to wear shoes in the room at all times. Both the rooms had a dirty $30 a night motel feel about them.

- Pros -
Good location to do all the tacky Hollywood stuff (visit Mann's theatre, the walk of fame, etc.). Friendly and helpful staff during the day time. The night time staff llooked like they were into goth, demons and depression. Maybe I'm getting old but I'm not into hotel staff having lip rings and blue hair (I don't know if they were friendly or helpful because I didn't bother talking to them). The pool was open 24 hours (but looked pretty nasty and was more of kids urinal than a pool). Free WiFi for your laptop. Nice soaps, creams, and stuff. Pretty comfortable bed and bedding. Free snacks and DVDs that are available in the lobby.

- How is this #2 on TripAdvisor???? -
Because of this hotel and it's #2 rating in Los Angeles, I don't know whether I will ever trust TripAdvisor ratings again. Are travellers so enamoured by friendly staff and free candy bars that they overlook the rooms being disgusting and in drastic need of renovation. The only thing magical about this place is that it somehow got a #2 rating on TripAdvisor.

Don't stay here if you want to spend anytime at all in your room or at the hotel. This place is NOT romantic. It might be okay for famillies with kids because you can get rooms with kitchenettes to save on dining costs. We just had a room without the kitchen.

Overall my 2 rating is generous.