Renovated practically from top to bottom, the hotel has become a serious Hollywood hot spot thanks to the high-end, innovative comfort food at Simon L.A. restaurant (helmed by head chef Kerry Simon) and a sassy insider crowd at the adjoining Stone Rose cocktail lounge. New LeSpa at Sofitel L.A. also draws bliss-seekers, and guestrooms include rain showers. Everyone mingles in the lobby, reveling in its futuristic parody of contemporary style—complete with a chair made from half dollars. The hotel’s central location is a foodie’s and shopper’s paradise; it sits across from the city’s most famed mall, The Beverly Center, and a couple of blocks from stretches of chic celebrity-filled eateries (from Toast to The Ivy) and boutiques on Third Street and Robertson Boulevard. The hotel is only minutes from Beverly Hills, West Hollywood and The Grove farmers’ market, movie theaters and an outdoor mall, too. In this notoriously spread-out city, locations don’t get more central than the Sofitel.

Sofitel Los Angeles Amenities:

• 295 rooms. Wireless Internet access. Restaurant, bar. Fitness center. Pool. Spa.