Los Angeles - Looking for a Cheap, CLEAN hotel near Century City

So I've kind of gotten myself in a bind and I'm hoping the well traveled flyertalk forums can save me yet again.

I somehow committed myself to attending two weddings in LA on bookending weekends, and rather than fly back for the intermediate week, I thought I'd stay in LA and work at my company's satellite office there. I really have never spent much time at all in LA and figured it would be fun; I thought I'd be able to stay at my friend's place and just use public transportation to commute to work (I can't drive). I recently looked into it, and the public transportation options from my friend's apartment is close to two hours each way. That's not going to work out for me, so now I'm looking to find a relatively cheap hotel in LA near Century City. Most of the places I've looked at that are under 200 bucks a night seem like horror shows. I think the best option I've found so far is:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g32655-d84517-Reviews-Holiday_Inn_Express_Century_City-Los_Angeles_California.html

Anyone have any opinions on that particular Holiday Inn, or have any recommendations for reputable cheap locations in that area?

Check out the Crescent Beverly Hills (http://www.crescentbh.com/#beverlyhills).

It's in a great location, a block from Santa Monica Blvd and public transportation to Century City (like 2 miles, you could walk it also).

[The Holiday Inn Express is on a noisy, busy street, with its only saving grace that it's more or less across the street from Century City. I'd avoid it.]

I was doing research for another FTer and came across something which could work for you.

I had found a rate avg $146 which was a third night free offer (called "Linger Longer") - I don't see the exact number of nights you'll be needing, but hopefully there's an equally good deal to be had. I also just saw on the hotel's site that they have a preferred corporate rate plan which maybe (hopefully) is a good rate.

The location would be ideal, you could walk into CC and you'd be coming from a more pedestrian favorable direction then if you stayed on Olympic Blvd or south of CC - and you could also walk BH very easily for a large variety of restaurants and shopping.

Here it is: Maison 140 (http://www.maison140beverlyhills.com/index.html)

And here's its Tripadvisor page (http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g32070-d151938-Reviews-Maison_140-Beverly_Hills_California.html).

Here's the property on Google maps (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Maison+140&oe=UTF-8&ie=UTF8&hl=en&z=16). You can go into the "street view mode" and virtually walk to your CC ofc, etc, to check it out for yourself. Walk down "Little Santa Monica" to Century Park East, etc. (Note: In Beverly Hills, Santa Monica Blvd is divided into "Big Santa Monica" and "Little Santa Monica" [childish sounding yes!], with Little Santa Monica being the southern roadway.) Also, there must be easy public transport you could use - but I'm unfortunately clueless about that even tho I've lived here forever.....

And here's an obvious suggestion but ask the receptionist at your satellite ofc which hotels your company patronizes and has preferred rates with.

Edited to add:

Out of curiousity I just played around with the booking engine on the hotel's site. I was able to pull up the "Linger Longer" rate for a 5 night stay, but the better deal is for a 6 night stay (with 2 free nights).

I plugged in arrival on Sunday, Oct 10th to Saturday, Oct 16th and got a rate that averages $160 a night.

FWIW. Good luck.

Oh awesome. Yes, i'm staying 4 nights so this could work for me.

Oh awesome. Yes, i'm staying 4 nights so this could work for me.

I think you posted the above while I was adding my edit to my first post....

After seeing your post I plugged in 4 nights, random dates of Sept 20 to Sept 24 and got a "Summer on Sale" rate for the "Mandarin" room (this is their bigger room - the other rates I got was for the smaller "Parisian" room). The Summer on Sale rate is $168 and has this description:

Summer is the time to kick back, relax and unwind. Enjoy the California sunshine while shopping on Rodeo Drive and then relax with a cool martini at our very own Bar Noir, a local hot spot. Stay with us two or more nights and receive up to 40% off our regular rates. Your discount is reflected in the rates displayed.

I'm curious now, could you post what rate you get for your dates? (If it's cost prohibitive we could look for other options).

My dates are 10/11 through 10/15, At this time the lowest rate it is giving me is $175. However, that's still comparable with the other hotel suggestion of The Crescent, and this location is much closer to my office, so I am still considering both.

If you know of other options that are also clean and in the right area and even cheaper, I'd love to hear about them, but both of the options I've gotten so far sound like they could work. I had been hoping for something maybe closer to 140 or 150. Do you think if I wait til closer to the travel time the prices will drop a little?

My dates are 10/11 through 10/15, At this time the lowest rate it is giving me is $175. However, that's still comparable with the other hotel suggestion of The Crescent, and this location is much closer to my office, so I am still considering both.

If you know of other options that are also clean and in the right area and even cheaper, I'd love to hear about them, but both of the options I've gotten so far sound like they could work. I had been hoping for something maybe closer to 140 or 150. Do you think if I wait til closer to the travel time the prices will drop a little?

Hmmm. Maybe... I for one try to avoid non-refundable rates (which is that $175 rate you got). But I see the "Linger Longer" rate at $180 for your dates. If it were me I'd book the fully refundable $180 rate now to have it hand - then try to better it. Either we can find you something better, or keep checking their site to see if they offer a lower rate.

Also, check out what the corporate rate would be and check with your satellite ofc:
http://www.maison140beverlyhills.com/business/corporate_rate.php

I do think this Maison 140 is a real find. Their rates are great for that area and their site shows lovely rooms. I asked my parents about it (they've lived in BH since '75) and they said "oh sure, we used to go there for lunch, it's lovely". IMO there's no comparison between this property and the Holiday Inn and Courtyard on Olympic. (Olympic is like a mini-freeway in this area, look on google street view and "walk" it to your ofc to see).

I'll look more for a boutique style hotel ~$140 - but my gut says you're not going to beat the $180 for the Maison 140 (unless you're fine with the Holiday Inn).

I had called this Maison 140 b4 inquiring about their room sizes (I had posted this in the other thread where I suggest this property) so thought I should post here as well to help you with your decision.

The "Parisian" room is 200 sq ft
The "Mandarin" room is 300 sq ft

There is something else really interesting. The "Linger Longer" rate is applied only to the third night out of 3.

If I book from Monday to Thursday, I can get an average rate of 160 instead of 180.

So I think what I may end up doing is booking 3 consecutive nights under the "Linger Longer" rate, and then book the 4th night under the Non-Refundable rate.

Then I can get an average rate of 163.75, which is really decent.

There is something else really interesting. The "Linger Longer" rate is applied only to the third night out of 3.

If I book from Monday to Thursday, I can get an average rate of 160 instead of 180.

So I think what I may end up doing is booking 3 consecutive nights under the "Linger Longer" rate, and then book the 4th night under the Non-Refundable rate.

Then I can get an average rate of 163.75, which is really decent.

Very clever of you :)

I haven't come up with a better hotel alternative...

And I do think for a businessman staying for 4 nights without a car that this location is going to be great for you. You'll have lots of dining choices in the Century City Mall too, and there are movie theatres there (they did a big overhaul of this mall a couple of years ago). And then you'll have all of Beverly Hills to explore. I imagine you could also very easily take the bus straight down Santa Monica Blvd to the beach and explore down there. It will be a LONG ride in traffic, but if you have time to kill it might be a good diversion. (There are threads on this forum with info how to take public transportation in LA. I need to read them!).

To be honest, the style of the hotel is not to my personsal taste, but I like that it has free wi-fi, good linens, robes, that kind of stuff.

(Since I keep recommending this place I'm thinking I should go check it out. I'll post more if I do).

I hope you have fun at your weddings and wish you safe travels.

Another idea might be Priceline, which I just did for my LA area hotel. I got the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza for $115/night. The price on their site is $115/night. I'm normally the type that books based on brand than price but this is turning into a more expensive trip than planned so had to cut some corners. But, I too wanted a nicer/clean hotel. So I only bid on 4* hotels. Doesn't guarantee anything but I think it's a fairly safe bet. I used www.betterbidding.com to help me figure out where to bid & what hotels were there. Parking is crazy expensive but I'm still under my budget using PL.

Another idea might be Priceline, which I just did for my LA area hotel. I got the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza for $115/night. The price on their site is $115/night. I'm normally the type that books based on brand than price but this is turning into a more expensive trip than planned so had to cut some corners. But, I too wanted a nicer/clean hotel. So I only bidded on 4* hotels. Doesn't guarantee anything but I think it's a fairly safe bet. I used www.betterbidding.com to help me figure out where to bid & what hotels were there. Parking is crazy expensive but I'm still under my budget using PL.

GREAT SCORE! Good for you jw713!!! ^^^

Some trivia - Reagan used to stay there in the '80s (I worked in the area at the time and whenever he came it was a nightmare traffic wise).

Another idea might be Priceline, which I just did for my LA area hotel. I got the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza for $115/night. The price on their site is $115/night. I'm normally the type that books based on brand than price but this is turning into a more expensive trip than planned so had to cut some corners. But, I too wanted a nicer/clean hotel. So I only bid on 4* hotels. Doesn't guarantee anything but I think it's a fairly safe bet. I used www.betterbidding.com to help me figure out where to bid & what hotels were there. Parking is crazy expensive but I'm still under my budget using PL.

Wow that would be amazing. Looking at the map, this hotel is like a block away from my work.

I've never used priceline- what is a good amount of time to start looking in advance at these?

Wow that would be amazing. Looking at the map, this hotel is like a block away from my work.

I've never used priceline- what is a good amount of time to start looking in advance at these?

I've never used PL either... but I think I should start!

In case you're unaware we have an Online Travel Booking and Bidding Agencies Forum (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/online-travel-booking-bidding-agencies-204/) on FT

With this thread among others:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/online-travel-booking-bidding-agencies/1121276-priceline-hotel-bidding-help-you-find-hotel-names.html

I hope you can get a good deal on the Century Plaza too, it would be hands down perfection for you. Good luck!!!

Well, I went as high as 125 and I still couldn't get anything. I'll try again tomorrow, but I dunno- there's still a random factor. I don't think I'd go higher than 140/night on priceline. If I can't get that tomorrow, I'll probably stick with the Maison.

Wow that would be amazing. Looking at the map, this hotel is like a block away from my work.

I've never used priceline- what is a good amount of time to start looking in advance at these?

I've read varying info on how far in advance to book...I usually do a few weeks in advance since I figure they're more likely to offer extra rooms cheap.

I started at $99 for that area on PL. Over the next 2 days I did $109 & then $115. The $115 was accepted. Maybe yours isn't being accepted since it's a longer stay?

Depending on what you want to do, you could try doing 4 nights and see what happens. I've had it give the room for however long I want and then a link that says "add more nights on for the same rate." You may not get that lucky and you might need to get another hotel for a few nights (either through PL or somewhere else). Depends on how much of a hassle that would be for you.

(Note: In Beverly Hills, Santa Monica Blvd is divided into "Big Santa Monica" and "Little Santa Monica" [childish sounding yes!], with Little Santa Monica being the southern roadway.) Also, there must be easy public transport you could use - but I'm unfortunately clueless about that even tho I've lived here forever.....At one time, the two roadways were one-way in each direction, with the Pacific Electric streetcar tracks in the middle. The state once intended to build what would have been the Beverly Hills Freeway adjacent to the north roadway, to provide a east-west connector between Highways 101 and 405. When Beverly Hills community activists killed the project, the northern roadway was widened to become the "main" road (carrying "express" traffic), while leaving the south roadway for "local" traffic.

At one time, the two roadways were one-way in each direction, with the Pacific Electric streetcar tracks in the middle. The state once intended to build what would have been the Beverly Hills Freeway adjacent to the north roadway, to provide a east-west connector between Highways 101 and 405. When Beverly Hills community activists killed the project, the northern roadway was widened to become the "main" road (carrying "express" traffic), while leaving the south roadway for "local" traffic.The roadways were NEVER one way each way. I've lived in this area all of my life. My parents have owned property here since the train tracks were very active in the middle of Big Santa Monica Blvd. and Little Santa Monica Blvd (last used for the bakery near Santa Monica and Beverly). I still own the property, where I am posting this from right now, near the Mormon Temple.

The CITY of Beverly Hills, not activists, were the ones who were actively against the freeway project. Activists? In the 60's, they would have only been on a college campus, like UCLA (and were). There was no such thing as community activists then.

To clarify, there never has been a road widening through Beverly Hills, only the city of Los Angeles. Beverly Hills built parking garages on the former railroad tracks.

I've read varying info on how far in advance to book...I usually do a few weeks in advance since I figure they're more likely to offer extra rooms cheap.

I started at $99 for that area on PL. Over the next 2 days I did $109 & then $115. The $115 was accepted. Maybe yours isn't being accepted since it's a longer stay?

Depending on what you want to do, you could try doing 4 nights and see what happens. I've had it give the room for however long I want and then a link that says "add more nights on for the same rate." You may not get that lucky and you might need to get another hotel for a few nights (either through PL or somewhere else). Depends on how much of a hassle that would be for you.

Woo! I got it for 130! Thanks for the advice, everyone!

The CITY of Beverly Hills, not activists, were the ones who were actively against the freeway project. Activists? In the 60's, they would have only been on a college campus, like UCLA (and were). There was no such thing as community activists then.I used the word "activists" in the generic sense (not in the overtly political vein that might be more popular today). For example, someone like Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis was certainly not a professional (paid) "activist", but her organizational efforts to preserve endangered Manhattan landmarks could be defined as "activist".

The story of the parallel roadways was told to me by a professor at UCLA when I was a student there in 1974-1978. If he was wrong, then your argument is with them. But I'm always glad to hear a different version, and it isn't the first time that something I was told by a teacher turned out to be inaccurate ;)

I used the word "activists" in the generic sense (not in the overtly political vein that might be more popular today). For example, someone like Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis was certainly not a professional (paid) "activist", but her organizational efforts to preserve endangered Manhattan landmarks could be defined as "activist".

The story of the parallel roadways was told to me by a professor at UCLA when I was a student there in 1974-1978. If he was wrong, then your argument is with them. But I'm always glad to hear a different version, and it isn't the first time that something I was told by a teacher turned out to be inaccurate ;)I was also a student at UCLA. I went to a Catholic elementary school in Westwood prior to and overlapping a few of your years at UCLA. I'm still living in the hood and have seen its many changes over the last 50 years...still a great place to live, though.

My argument is with what you posted, not with them. It wouldn't surprise me that a professor at UCLA would give out incorrect information, though.

They were parallel roadways (and still are through parts of Beverly Hills). They were not one-ways, though (until now on business access roads of the new Santa Monica Blvd. between Century City and Sepulveda Blvd.). Santa Monica Blvd. follows an earthquake fault. At points, now and more natuarlly shown in the past, parts of the street are significantly higher or lower than other parts of the street and this is why. There is no way that it could ever have served as a one way in each direction as there would not have been local access for upwards of 1/2 mile (which in some respects, it still doesn't allow between Overland and Beverly Glen). In Beverly Hills, Little Santa Monica Blvd. has basically always served the business district, while Big Santa Monica Blvd. has been more of a thru traffic route (Little Santa Monica Blvd. has never totally gone through Beverly Hills due to the Beverly Hills Civic Center area....so there could never have been one-ways in that area).

If you Google Anthony Beilenson, you'll find one of the leading opponents of the freeway. A politician, not an activist. The Beverly Hills City Council, who were initially in favor of the freeway, was also a major player in the killing of the freeway which, although it died earlier, was oficially taken off the books in 1975.

...was told to me by a professor at UCLA when I was a student there in 1974-1978...

I was also a student at UCLA. I went to a Catholic elementary school in Westwood prior to and overlapping a few of your years at UCLA....

I started at UCLA in '78. (Just wanted to share my "it's a small world afterall" moment).

And to the OP, so happy to hear of your success on PL. Hope you have a great week in L.A.

If you Google Anthony Beilenson, you'll find one of the leading opponents of the freeway. A politician, not an activist. The Beverly Hills City Council, who were initially in favor of the freeway, was also a major player in the killing of the freeway which, although it died earlier, was oficially taken off the books in 1975.Thanks for the additional information. I did once meet Mr. Beilelson, in 1970 during Jess "Big Daddy" Unruh's unsuccessful bid for Governor.

I started at UCLA in '78. (Just wanted to share my "it's a small world after all" moment).Nice to greet another Bruin - and to also wallow in misery over the 0-2 start to the new football season :eek:
And to the OP, so happy to hear of your success on PL. Hope you have a great week in L.A.Yes, please do report back after your stay - it would be helpful to others looking for like accommodations in the area.

So I've kind of gotten myself in a bind and I'm hoping the well traveled flyertalk forums can save me yet again.

I somehow committed myself to attending two weddings in LA on bookending weekends, and rather than fly back for the intermediate week, I thought I'd stay in LA and work at my company's satellite office there. I really have never spent much time at all in LA and figured it would be fun; I thought I'd be able to stay at my friend's place and just use public transportation to commute to work (I can't drive). I recently looked into it, and the public transportation options from my friend's apartment is close to two hours each way. That's not going to work out for me, so now I'm looking to find a relatively cheap hotel in LA near Century City. Most of the places I've looked at that are under 200 bucks a night seem like horror shows. I think the best option I've found so far is:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g32655-d84517-Reviews-Holiday_Inn_Express_Century_City-Los_Angeles_California.html

Anyone have any opinions on that particular Holiday Inn, or have any recommendations for reputable cheap locations in that area?

Looks like you are leaning towards getting a hotel, which is fine... but if you want to tell us where your friend's place is and where in Century City is your office, maybe we can actually help you with the public transportation option. LA doesn't have a single transit agency like NY MTA... we have a dozen municipal agencies that provide a web of services that visitors find it hard to comprehend. In West LA (where Century City is located), there are frequent service to and from Century City on Santa Monica and Century City buses, and neither of them are on Google Transit. My point is that it may not be as hard to take public transit as internet searches may lead you to believe.

Looks like you are leaning towards getting a hotel, which is fine... but if you want to tell us where your friend's place is and where in Century City is your office, maybe we can actually help you with the public transportation option. LA doesn't have a single transit agency like NY MTA... we have a dozen municipal agencies that provide a web of services that visitors find it hard to comprehend. In West LA (where Century City is located), there are frequent service to and from Century City on Santa Monica and Century City buses, and neither of them are on Google Transit. My point is that it may not be as hard to take public transit as internet searches may lead you to believe.

Read upthread - he's already booked the Century Plaza and his ofc is very near there. So maybe you could provide public transport links for options from there to points of interest for siteseeing or nightlife after work hours?

Read upthread - he's already booked the Century Plaza and his ofc is very near there. So maybe you could provide public transport links for options from there to points of interest for siteseeing or nightlife after work hours?

Yeah that would be great. In NYC I use my iPhone's google maps interface to determine public transportation options between two points. Is the google maps information for buses in LA fairly accurate?

Yeah that would be great. In NYC I use my iPhone's google maps interface to determine public transportation options between two points. Is the google maps information for buses in LA fairly accurate?

Only if you plan on taking the Metro buses, which is only useful if you are going long distances (like to Downtown LA). Like I said earlier, the local buses in West LA are not on Google Transit so if you plan on going places near Century City, Google map is not useful.

Bookmark these pages on your iPhone:

http://www.bigbluebus.com/home/index.asp

http://www.culvercity.org/Government/Transportation/bus.aspx

Neither of them have a mobile version... :rolleyes:

You can also download this iPhone app for Metro if you end up going further afield (like to Hollywood or Downtown): http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/go-metro-los-angeles/id388937882?mt=8

Hey guys- So I did this trip a few weeks ago now, and I wanted to thank everyone again for helping me book such a reasonable fare.

So the hotel itself was very nice, and was very close to my work, so that was super convenient, considering I don't drive. My main frustration was the fact that I got my budget for my travel cleared before I went to LA, and I didn't realize that I would have to pay for so many incidentals. The price I got for the Hyatt Regency didn't include internet or gym, and as I was staying for a full week, this was pretty frustrating to live without. I ended up getting a few day passes for both internet and gym, and that definitely added up. I probably could have gone back to my work and gotten the internet access approved, but it is a pretty big headache.

As many people had warned me, the buses are not very intuitive, and it is pretty difficult to figure out reliable timetables or maps for specific routes. I did take the bus one time, and it was quite slow. The rest of the time, I got rides from friends or took cabs- Cabs didn't end up being that expensive actually, but I didn't really go very far in them.

This is a little off-topic but I ended up eating some amazing food in LA. I went to Animal in fairfax, Wurstkuche, Pollo a la Brasa, Vegan Glory (a vegan thai place), and also Boiling Crab in Garden Grove. All the food I had was amazing!

So, just wanted to say thanks again for all the great advice I got here on FT and I had a really great time in LA!

Thanks for circling back and glad you had a good visit. :)

Vegan Glory is one of my favs too, here's the website if anyone's interested:
http://www.veganglory.com/index.html

Thanks for circling back and glad you had a good visit. :)

Vegan Glory is one of my favs too, here's the website if anyone's interested:
http://www.veganglory.com/index.html

Yeah right? I'm not vegan by a long stretch (as you can see by the other restaurants I liked) and when my friend suggested it I was skeptical, but that food was delicious.