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Downtown Los Angeles Hotels / Hotel Rebrandings / Luxe Hotels / Los Angeles Hotels / → All Tags

Downtown LA is Looking a Lot More 'Luxe'

Even just six years ago, there wasn't much going on in Downtown Los Angeles. Sure, there was the Staples Center, home to The Lakers, The Clippers and the must-stop for any big concert touring act along with several big chain hotels like Westin as well as the downtown outpost of The Standard.

But with the arrival of LA Live in late 2007, an entertainment complex that includes restaurants, bars, a bowling alley, the intimate Club Nokia venue, a movie theater, the awesome Grammy Museum and the adjacent JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton, downtown LA is pretty awesome these days. In fact, we prefer it to the tourist trap that is Hollywood Boulevard.

While the JW Marriott and the Ritz are located on LA Live, meaning you exit the hotel and a plethora of restaurants and bars are just steps away, there is another affordable yet still "luxe" option across the street from Staples Center--The Luxe City Center.

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Hotel Renovations / Los Angeles Hotels / Downtown Los Angeles Hotels / → All Tags

The Los Angeles Athletic Club Goes Old-School and High Class

Where: 431 W 7th St [map], Los Angeles, CA, United States, 90014

Expect more old-school, gentleman's club touches once the new LACC rooms are unveiled

Last week we brought you news that Los Angeles Athletic Club—which we were surprised to learn was a hotel, too—was offering a Dodger Deal Package to baseball aficionados who wanted an MVP experience at their next game. We also pointed out that, despite the club's amenities, Downtown LA isn't yet the bustling destination that Westward neighborhoods, namely Hollywood, West Hollywood, and even Santa Monica, are.

That said, we've received exclusive news and details about a full-fledged cosmetic renovation to the LACC that should make the prospect of staying Downtown much more appealing. Well-regarded restaurants, like the recently opened Downtown outpost of Chaya, and rich theater culture are drawing formerly hesitant visitors to an area that's in the throes of a Renaissance period. Plus, there's a flock of curious moviegoers who saw (500) Days of Summer, are newly fascinated by the neighborhood (where the movie took place), and may need a place to stay if they're going to explore it.

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Jock Jam Hotels / Los Angeles Hotels / Downtown Los Angeles Hotels / → All Tags

Who Knew The Los Angeles Athletic Club Was Also a Hotel?

Where: 431 W 7th St [map], Los Angeles, CA, United States, 90014

As seen from home plate.

The Average Joe's (or Jane's) baseball game experience involves cheap beer, greasy hot dogs, and seating in the thick of a rowdy, expletive-yelling crowd. Some might argue that this is baseball-done-right, but if joining in on The Wave and bringing along binoculars to peer at the field is less appealing than cheering on the visiting team, then it's time to roll like an MVP.

In Los Angeles, which proudly declares itself "Dodgertown" during baseball season, there's a hotel deal to be had if you stay at the LA Athletic Club. The LACC, which has been around since 1880 and is very exclusive and very private (read: high-end amenities galore, and some of the best sports facilities this side of training camp), also doubles as a hotel.

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Escape the Economy Hotels / Westin Hotels / Downtown Los Angeles Hotels / → All Tags

Westin Bonaventure Has Its Own 'Bailout' and 'Stimulus' Packages

Where: 404 S. Figueroa St. [map], Los Angeles, CA, United States, 90071

Joining the host of other hotels trying to get some cash flow from “economic stimulus packages,” the Westin Bonaventure is offering a series of discount packages aimed at “creating an LA based economic generator while maintaining a true Los Angeles experience.” So basically they’re begging for your cash on weekends when their normal weekday business customers depart.

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