The best business hotels in L.A.

Built in 1923, the Biltmore retains the Italian-Spanish renaissance elegance that once enticed such dignitaries as Winston Churchill and JFK. The ground level is striking, with one gorgeous room after another peeling off the exquisite lobby. A number of them are available for private hire—so if you’re looking to impress a new client, then a ballroom with 30-foot, hand-painted ceilings and crystal chandeliers might be a good place to start. Amid such extravagance, it might be hard to get any work done, though there’s a dedicated Club Lounge (accessible only to guests of Club-level rooms) that offers free breakfast, all-day snacks and computer workstations.

Located at the sports and entertainment complex L.A. Live, this 878-room tower offers luxury accommodations steps from the Staples Center, Microsoft Theatre and Grammy Museum, and is just down the street from the Los Angeles Convention Center. During the day, productivity is at a high, thanks to a combined 100,000 sq. ft. of meeting space (the hotel shares its business and convention facilities with the Ritz-Carlton, its vertical neighbor). And at night, the tower offers a range of stylish venues to unwind with a cocktail, from Wolfgang Puck’s 24th-floor perch to the clubbier Mixing Room, which hosts monthly wine and beer tastings.    

Despite its uneventful exterior, this mid-range downtown hotel makes a surprisingly sophisticated choice if it’s business—not pleasure—that lured you here in the first place. Guest rooms and suites have an easy elegance to them, with leather ottomans, Keurig coffeemakers and rain showers. Then there’s Nixon, the dim-lit, second-floor restaurant and cocktail bar serving up pork belly tacos and wood-fired pizza (on balmy nights, grab a table on the patio). It’s just one of the reasons why Luxe City Center makes a convenient home base for multi-tasking nine-to-fivers. Add to that: an indoor-outdoor ballroom equipped with a retractable glass wall, which, when opened, reveals a terrace with fire pits and private cabanas.

New York’s Loews Regency may be home to the famous power breakfast, but its west coast cousin is no less suited to savvy executives with a penchant for French toast and bacon. The laid-back Prestons restaurant makes a low-key, but civilized setting for client meetings—for something a little more formal, the nine meeting rooms and 76,000 square feet of event space should do the trick (though we found the ballroom’s jaw-dropping city views a tad distracting). With a rooftop pool, sun terrace and an offshoot of Exhale Spa, the 20-floor tower and its fully equipped rooms exude luxury.

For young professionals with a wild side, this bachelor pad-cum-boutique hotel features 57 generously sized rooms with paisley prints, old-fashioned English sofas and vintage record players (vinyl supplied). Modern amenities such as Blu-ray disc players, Wi-Fi and kitchenettes with microwaves and washer-dryers assures you'll want for nothing while you’re out wheeling and dealing. Each room has a balcony, some overlooking the iconic Capitol Records building. Guests are given preferential access to other SBE properties, although with the Library Bar, Glade courtyard lounge and Cleo restaurant, why would they ever want to leave?

Live like a local at Venice Beach's only beachfront hotel just steps from the famed boardwalk and the Pacific. Rest your head in one of the oceanview rooms or stay up at your own beach house party in the two-person tub and turntable–decked Dogtown Suite. The hotel has found huge success with its High Rooftop Lounge, which maintains its cool-kid edge over traditional event spaces with DJs, a cocktail bar, and unmatched sunset views. End the work day on a sweet note by ordering up a plate of milk and freshly baked cookies before bed—you can just expense the $20 fee. This is a work trip, right?

The unusual country-manor theme of this 1960s-era hotel is actually appropriate when you consider the location: It wasn't that long ago that this whole area was, at least in Los Angeles terms, relatively rural. Some of the rooms overlook an inviting pool, and there's also a café and a bar, and while the amenities are somewhat limited, the abundant gardens and on-site catering team make these grounds highly sought-after by corporate event planners and brides-to-be. The main draw, perhaps surprisingly, is the location: families will appreciate its proximity to Universal Studios; outdoorsy types will find amazing hiking trails in the nearby Santa Monica Mountains; and for everyone else, the 101 freeway to LA is close at hand—great for getting to meetings all across the city.

Wealthy executives with a taste for the high life inhabit the crisp, mid-century modern suites at this exclusive property, which has the feel of a private club or residence. It’s got all the amenities of a luxury hotel, from rooftop cabanas to a complimentary car service (in a Maserati, of course). The spacious in-room business centers are a dream (if you’re a VIP, they’ll even print out personalized business stationery), as are the walk-in closets, massive marble tubs, and balconies overlooking the LA skyline or the Hollywood Hills. Bedside USB ports and power outlets are a textbook example for other, less tech-shrewd hotels—and when you need to unplug, there’s a jewel of a bar downstairs serving $2 oyster martinis every evening from 4-7pm.

Formerly the Bel Age, this hotel reopened in spring 2008 following a total makeover by design guru David Collins. All 200 rooms are generous suites, featuring subtle sage and tan palettes, Italian linens and luxurious white bathrooms. Each can be turned into a makeshift office, thanks to hefty marble desks fitted with pencil holders and black-and-white globe paperweights. When it’s time to take a break, step out on your private balcony (though the rooftop pool deck boasts truly extraordinary panoramic vistas, especially at dusk). The off-Sunset location makes it popular with leisure-seekers, who'll also be lured by the new spa; businessfolk enjoy complimentary Wi-Fi and free telephone calls to London. Even without the bonus of a Gordon Ramsay restaurant, this place would be a knockout.

Marina del Rey's best hotel is every bit as smart as you'd hope a Ritz-Carlton to be. The rooms are traditional without being stuffy; many have views over the marina. If you’re in town on business, any room category will do, as they all come with laptop-compatible safes, 49-inch flat-screen TVs, and elegant desks that back up to your own private balcony (upgraded rooms grant access to the club lounge, a mostly redundant perk). Downstairs, it's a little more modern but still ritzy, with an excellent take on Californian food served in the Jer-Ne restaurant, two waterfront tennis courts, and indulgent treatments offered in the spa.