California Modern is a good choice for a budget-minded hotel, less expensive than the hypermodern set design that is the modern boutique standard, and on balance more comfortable as well—and yet miles better looking than the utilitarian design of the corporate chains. Rooms are slightly more up-to-date, tempering what could be Jetsons kitsch with muted colors and modern bathrooms. The beds are anything but budget, decked out in the obligatory Italian linens, and the amenities are all a business traveler could ask for, including 24-hour room service and high-speed internet.

Suites come with sofa beds, in case you’re entertaining, and for longer stays try one of the two-bedroom villas, complete with kitchen, dining room, parking, a private patio and the full array of hotel services. Blue On Blue is the hotel restaurant (which, thankfully, is not literally blue-on-blue), a sort of upscale neighborhood diner, serving on Lucite tables in private cabanas around the pool. And as for the location, the Golden Triangle is nearby, for all your shopping and scene-making needs, and Santa Monica and the Sunset Strip are close at hand, but at the end of the day, you’ll be thankful for the quiet of the Avalon’s residential setting.

Even without the glow of celebrities long since faded, it’s a stunning hotel. The standard rooms are lavish enough, mixing modern amenities like Frette linens and oversized bathrooms with 1940s Hollywood-classic decor, complete with private balconies. For true luxury, take advantage of the sprawling hacienda-style grounds by booking one of the bungalows. Utter privacy and the option of butler service guarantee you’ll feel like a star, and the Presidential Bungalow comes with a private jacuzzi and lap pool.

The Polo Lounge, the flagship restaurant and bar, is particularly rich with history—Hunter S. Thompson famously drank here, and Sinatra’s Rat Pack had the run of the place. The gardens and landscaping surely hide some secrets as well, and the outdoor pathways are carpeted, for quieter sneaking. Facilities include the La Prairie spa and four restaurants, including the Fountain Coffee Shop, where you never know who’ll discover you at the soda fountain and send you on your way.

The Beverly Wilshire was never exactly understated to begin with; it’s a massive E-shaped Italianate monolith, spanning the length of an entire city block, and the lobby is still an all-out assault of old-money glamour. The restaurant and bar, however, have been brought into the twenty-first century — the Wolfgang Puck steakhouse features interiors by Richard Meier, the architect responsible for the Getty Center museum, a modern LA landmark.

Upstairs, the guest rooms have seen changes as well, though subtler ones. Still relatively conservative (no Richard Meier makeover here), they’re somewhere between modern and classic — marble baths still prevail, and there’s more than a hint of prewar Hollywood atmosphere in the decor.

It’s a city hotel, but one with room to breathe, and offers a sort of city-resort feel; the spa and fitness center are smallish but well-equipped, and the pool deck is a self-contained oasis, complete with day beds and private cabanas.

Imagine, then, our surprise at discovering that the Luxe Hotel Rodeo Drive is not only understated and contemporary in its design, but that is actually more affordable than its off-Rodeo competition, coming in at about half the price of the Beverly Wilshire. In fact a room at the Luxe will likely set you back less than the price of the cheapest trinket in one of the neighboring boutiques.

How they keep rates down is a mystery, as they’re not cutting any corners—you’ll find the linens are fine, the robes plush, the TV screens flat. If you’re on a shopping mission, then you can’t beat the location; there’s nowhere in the world with a more comprehensive selection of upscale shops. But business travelers are taken care of as well, with wi-fi and voice mail in every room.

This is Beverly Hills, where even the police station is a monumental landmark; and yet the Mosaic is an unassuming small hotel, just 49 rooms, tucked out of the way off of Wilshire Boulevard, in a quiet residential neighborhood. Once inside, though, it’s apparent that all this modesty is not intended to cover up any inadequacy on the part of the hotel.

The lobby is surprisingly warm and welcoming—no intimidating modernist sculpture or gigantic slab of marble, just a mahogany desk amidst the high-backed chairs of the library lounge. And the rooms are richly decorated in warm tones, a far cry from the dazzling white inflicted by more self-conscious hotels. The functional amenities are all present, including wi-fi internet and Frette linens, as well as some surprises one may not expect from such a small hotel, like 24-hour room service and a late-night gym. And apparently most of the nightly rate at those brand-name hotels goes to prop up the brand itself—rates here are quite reasonable, considering the plushness of the experience.

If the smell of Hollywood power means anything to you, then you’ll have fun eavesdropping at the rooftop pool deck—and if not, the hotel itself is impressive enough, irrespective of its clientele. The Frette-sheeted beds are almost too comfortable to consider crawling out of, and why bother when the entire room is controlled by a bedside panel, from the climate control to the ‘do not disturb’ sign. Perhaps it could be voice-activated, but that’s probably going too far. And the business center is likely better than your office, not least for its proximity to The Belvedere, one of LA’s classic power lunch destinations.

The rooftop spa and pool deck, with their sprawling views of Century City, occupy the real estate usually devoted to penthouse suites. What’s a VIP to do? Thankfully, nestled amidst the lush gardens of the hotel grounds are a number of private villas, complete with fireplaces—and for the CEO in your life there’s always the sprawling two-bedroom Peninsula Villa.

L'Ermitage aims for a Zen feel but it's in the details that the hotel is truly Asian (it's now owned by the Singapore chain Raffles). The towels by the heated rooftop pool are, at 88 inches, the longest in America. There's a lacquer box of chocolates in your room so beautiful that hardly anyone has dared to eat them. There's not one kind of bathrobe, but two — for those of you who just can't stand terrycloth, you can have waffled cotton instead. There are personalized business cards, stationery and fax cover letters, a five-line telephone, and your own cellphone that will ring as far as Palm Springs. And some complicated electronic gadgetry involving body temperatures and circuits tells the staff when you're in your room, when a light bulb burns out, and when you've blown the cable on your Web TV.

But it's the service that makes L'Ermitage truly exceptional. There's a personal valet on call at a touch of the zero key on one of your many phones. The staff scurries invisibly through separate service corridors, so you never crash into a maid and her trolley of towels. This comes as no surprise, considering it used to be known as a post-op retreat for stars (including Liz Taylor and Michael Jackson). L'Ermitage has long been expert at catering to your every need, whether it be a limousine with darkened windows or easy-to-chew foie gras and caviar.

General manager Jack Naderkhani—whom, it's said, was the model for the GM in Pretty Woman who schooled Julia Roberts in basic etiquette—has stayed on through the renovation, so much of the L'Ermitage soul has remained. Of course, since the facelift, it's been getting much more publicity — so L'Ermitage is no longer a retreat. The place to hide is now the place to be seen. Ah well, such is the price of beauty.