This was our second year running at the hotel - last year we brought the kids and rented a cottage in the grounds. This year we had a first floor rear facing suite with no kids - perfect. My wife and I just love the hotel, the pool, the staff and especially the terrace restaurant. Everyone has a script with them at breakfast, for lunch it's deals been done or stars being interviewed and in the evening it's glamour and late night revelry in the dimmest of lights. This is LA after all....

A lot of guests having problems at check-in, we didn't get the cottage we had booked but once we did it was bliss. The hassle was part of the staff, one part nice and service minded - the other half seriously not understanding they aren't Tom Hanks - the are service people that unlike their guests actually have to work for a living... Only other problem: dirty dirty hotel, towels dirty, pool dirty, rooms dirty... yuck. Free minibar nice and Kiehls products perfect - once you don't have to deal with the staff and can get that residential feeling it's great - extremely beautiful and calm unlike the very ugly LA.

This was my second stay at the Chateau and I absolutely love the place. It's certainly not for everyone: rooms vary widely, service is friendly but casual, and the vibe is laid-back rather than crisp and efficient - it's definitely not the Four Seasons, and all the better for it. What you get when you stay here is access to a fun world of musicians and movie producers hanging out, a historic and beautiful setting, and some of the nicest hotel rooms I've ever stayed in. I'd recommend the junior suites: about twice the size of standard rooms for only about $100 extra, they are very large and have kitchens and dining rooms as well. Bathrooms are small but pretty, and are rammed full of Frette towels and Kiehl's goodies. It's all a little shabby but in a way that's fully in keeping with the 1940s film-noire atmosphere.
Not so good was breakfast - not fresh enough pastries, only one small cup of coffee, and less than fresh fruit. But the Standard is over the road (you can even walk which is a pretty revolutionary thing to consider in LA) and they do awesome, cheap food 24/7.

I think fundamentally, you'll either like this place or loathe it. If you want conventional luxury, fawning service, and spotless predictable rooms (and there's nothing wrong with all that) then stay away - there are plenty of very nice hotels in LA that will give all this. If you want somewhere low-key, stylish, a bit chaotic, very fun, and extremely beautiful, you should give it a try.

I was really excited to stay here for a few days of luxury while away on business. I'm visiblly pregnant and traveling is oh-so much easier when I stay in fabulous places with great service. That being said - the Chateau has been my biggest hotel let down ever~!
When I went to check in, the incredibly pretentious little boy, gave me bad directions to my room. It was almost 100 degrees out and I had brought my carry-on up to check in on my own. I lugged it up and down the hallway and finally came back to him to ask again. He then led my up and down the hallway looking for it, me still carrying my own bag up and down the stairs. He finally realizes that it's the ONLY room in the lobby just to his left. He giggles and points to the men's room. My room was seriously next door to the men's room. I could hear them PEEING from my bathroom. While the interior of the room was nice, it smelled like smoke soooo bad and overlooked the parking garage entrance. I have NO idea why they wouldn't turn that room into a ladies room!
I came back out to him and asked if there was a room that didn't smell like smoke and wasn't dripping with cheap ash trays and sound like PEEING (actually I was really nice because pretentious little creeps make me nervous). He giggled again and told me that they're all smoking rooms. Evidently all their rooms smell and sound like pee.
I went to dinner with friends and when we got back to my restroom-room the hostess screamed from across the lobby - 'that's not a women's restroom!". I know, it's my room.
So this carried on all night. Women trying to get into my room to use the restroom, men peeing in the night, hollaring, piano playing and singing. I got two hours of sleep before my meetings.
I went to reception at 8am to ask for a room change. The little girl working said she didn't know if she could help but that they didn't usually put people in that room because it's really loud. Thanks, makes me feel like you are completely ripping me off in a 'fake' room. I would also like to point out that when I booked online with them (over a month prior), I clicked a box that specifically said 'quiet room'. They are such pretentious scam artists there! So full of themselves and so not caring of their clients! It's disgusting, the place is so beautiful and their little Hollywood attitudes so gross.
I told her that I would have to change hotels so could she please let me know if they could find it in their hearts to move me because being pregnant and travelling and not sleeping really doesn't feel all that great. After the third pretentious little piggy that I spoke to, I finally found an adult that seemed ashamed that they would put anyone in the 'restroom-room' let alone a somewhat ill pregnant woman travelling on her own. "No problem, we'll have you moved right away'. At least one person has a soul here!
The room I moved to was unimpressive and dirty, you can hear your neighbors peeing, the dining service slow and disorganized, the valet lost my car EVERY morning and always blamed me, but I SLEPT LIKE A BABY up on the 4th floor the second and third night.
If you MUST stay here to because you have a penchant for abusive 17 year old snobs who make $9 an hour and live with 4 roommates and treat people like garbage, by all means, stay here and stay in room #16 to get the full experience. If you're looking for a hotel that doesn't sound like urine and smell like smoke you should try one of the other many luxury boutique hotels in LA.