Disclosure: We used points for free nights here, so can't speak to prices of rooms
We stayed here over the July 4 weekend, and the stay was really great. We've stayed at many places in LA (see my reviews) and this ranks as one of the best places for the price (we looked up how much it would have been). To be honest, the hotel looks dated and a bit rundown from the outside, but when you get inside, you realize it's a self-contained oasis at a huge intersection of two very large streets - Wilshire and Santa Monica blvd. This makes it an ideal location and a hop and skip to the Century City mall, to Beverly hills, down to the mid-Wilshire corridor, up to UCLA, or into West Hollywood. 5 stars for the locations.
As for the hotel itself, as stated, the outside doesn't look too great, but once you get inside, the lobby and rooms themselves are luxurious and much more modern. We were upgraded to a deluxe room that had a large balcony that overlooked the pool which was a great place to sit out since it was hot. The bathroom was nice and spacious, and while it lacked a tub, it had all the amenities that I'd expect from a great hotel.
The pool was great, with many attendants around. The only thing I would note here is that in order to get a lounge chair during busy times, you have to be put on a waiting list where the attendants will get chairs for you. While it's nice, it does seem to cause confusion with guests as not many places practice this.
We also had continental breakfast at Circa 55 included with my HHonors Gold status, and it was good. Pretty standard with bread/fruit offerings.
The only downside of the stay was the parking. Self and Valet parking was each $40 (so why not valet?) which is pretty high - but whenever they brought the car they did provide chilled bottles of water.
Overall, I really enjoyed our stay here and would definitely return. While it's more expensive than our normal one or two night hotel choices for LA, if we would like to indulge a little, have a great pool, and great location, this hotel is the one to beat for us right now. I would recommend!