Once again I come for advice. Previously posted, we are arriving Sat. night 9:00 on the Amtrak Coast Starlight (my husband really wants to ride the train from Seattle) with a one day layover in SanFran. Tickets already paid for so no changes. Our dilemma - we are staying one night at the Omni because of proximity to train station. We have two more nights in the area before we leave LAX to return to Phila on Wed. afternoon. We have conflicting advice; stay downtown, or stay in another locale. We have access to beach and pools at home - so not a criteria. Someone here mentioned some good hotels in Beverly Hills. Can I get some advice and the names of some good hotels. Also, I never used Priceline. When you request a 4*, do you get a 4*. Are they usualy in good locations? Any hints to be sure I get a good hotel?

There are some nice hotels downtown and staying there is not a bad choice. It wouldn't, however, be my first choice. Considering how large the city is, evenings and weekends in downtown LA look like something out of Vanilla Sky.(If I read your post correctly, you will be in LA Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday nights).

In your previous post, you said you will have a rental car. If that's still the plan, then proximity to the train station should not be a major factor in your choice of hotels. I think I would skip the Omni and head straight to a hotel in Beverly Hills, West Hollywood,or Santa Monica.

If you have never used Priceline, I suggest you go to biddingfortravel.com. Although the moderator is a bit acerbic, this website has a wealth of information on how to make an informed bid, hotel reviews, and prices of recent winning bids. The moderators will also help you with a bidding strategy if you so request.

Whichever location you choose, enjoy your stay in LA.

Definitely do not remain downtown. Try hotwire.com for the four star in Beverly Hills, if there is a "customer favorite" for around $90 it will be the Beverly Hilton which is very good.

Also recommend Best Western West Hollywood Sunset, and Holiday Inn Bel Air. These are usually around $99

Let me give you the rundown of my hometown. Avoid the downtown area if you're primary reason for visit is vacation-oriented. There's a reason why SoCalers flock away from downtown LA...it's awful at night when you venture away from Figueroa. There is however the Music Center as well as MOCA.

Depending upon your planned activities (e.g. visits to Getty Center, golf, shopping, beach, freaks at 3rd St Promenade [my kind] and Venice, et al.), try to stay in the following three central vicinities: (1) Beverly Hills-West Hollywood-Bel Air, (2) Century City-Westwood, and (3) Santa Monica.

Here's a comprehensive list of luxurious hotels...

Beverly Hills and adjacent:
Hotel Bel Air (old classic), Beverly Hills Hotel (another old classic), Peninsula Beverly Hills (posh), Regent Beverly Hills (think Pretty Woman and Rodeo Dr), Sofitel (next to Beverly Center), Le Meridien (on restaraunt row), Raffles L'Ermitage (delightful smaller hotel in BH), Four Season Beverly Hills (fabulous dining), Mondrian (too hip for me but it's on Sunset), Wyndham Bel Age (also hip) as well as the historic Chateu Marmont (Sunset area).

Century City-West LA-Westwood:
Century Plaza (grand dame on Ave of the Stars), Park Hyatt or the relatively new St. Regis (also on Ave of the Stars), W Los Angeles in Westwood (lush hotel next to UCLA and convenient for Getty Center).

Santa Monica-Marina del Rey:
Shutters on the Beach (a Nantucket delight), Casa del Mar (a restored beauty), Loews (grand but lacks the charm of others) and the much-touted Le Merigot as well as the Georgian on Ocean Ave. Forgot about the Miramare but I can't remember who runs it now. The Ritz-Carlton at MDR (Marina Del Rey) is another luxurious choice.

Plenty of other (and much more affordable) choices abound in these central areas so take a look around. I probably missed some people's favorites as well.

Another luxuriou choice (but less central) would be the Ritz-Carlton in Pasadena (a grand old dame). The DoubleTree in Pasadena would also make a nice choice.

Hope this helps!

The Miramar (a grand historic hotel) is now a Fairmont property. I have been sending clients there for years, and Fairmont is maintaining the same high level of quality and service. The Miramar would be my first choice in SM.

clarkgrisworld,
When I went to hotwire there were manyoptions to get to theBeverly Hilton. Which should I choose to get the selection I want? I like the Beverly Hills idea with only a 13 mile trek to LAX.

Was one of the selections listed as a "customer favorite"?

P.S. Which weekend are we talking about (what dates?)

Arrive LA July 26 at 9:00PM and leave July 29 fro LAX.

Don't see the Hilton popping up on Hotwire for July 27, 28 yet...if you check in a couple of weeks the choices might change.

The $112 hotel that comes up under "Beverly Hills Westwood"is 4 1/2 stars and looks like a steal, but there might also be a $20 parking charge for your car. It is possibly the "W" hotel in Westwood but I can't be sure..it might also be the Century Plaza or one of several others...hotwire is like priceline and you take what you get.

Note that with hotwire there are no refunds or changes allowed so you may not want to book too early. But you cannot go wrong with a 4 star or above in the Beverly Hills Westwood area especially at that price. Everything in that area is pretty well located for touring.

clarkgriswold, would staying in Culver City (Radisson at 109.00) be unreasonable considering we have a car and are not especially interested in going to the beach? We will have a car and prefer easy parking access. Could we then drive to specific areas, like Universal Studios or Sony Studios, Getty, etc? How long would it take us to get there from Union Station?

That area of Culver City gets pretty busy at rush hour. It wouldn't be my first choice. From Union Station you are better off staying somewhere with better access to the 10 freeway which will get you to your hotel faster and/or staying in Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Century City which is fairly easy street access from Union Station as well.