The Chateau Marmont is a beautiful old hotel. It's very old Hollywood. And that's part of the problem: The rooms are small, not especially comfortable (the bathroom was bigger than the room, it felt) and the walls are super thin.

I know that the Chateau is where Hollywood types party, and perhaps I should have expected the screaming at 3am from the room next door (or maybe not, since the note from the manager said they hoped we'd have a relaxing stay). We called the front desk numerous times, and the screaming/partying continued even after security visited our neighbors twice. I did not want to be a bad guy, but since we had an early morning flight in a few hours, I went downstairs, exhausted and frustrated. The hotel decided to remove the guests, and took 50% off that night.

The pros: The lovely restaurant and courtyard, as well as the pool.

The cons: Room size, quality and comfort.

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.