The hotel was decked out in icy purples, greys, and warmer greens and candles, with loud techno and house music pumping in the lobby. The quaint bar area was turned into one of LA's hottest spots to catch a cocktail with white-leather banquets, green wheatgrass-style potted plants, and the same icy purples, greys, and mixed neutrals. The pool area, while small, was transformed into an oasis with the plush couches to lie on, tents to stay out of the sun in, and fabulous outdoor service and food. The rooms had complete overhauls, with state-of-the-art flat-screen TV's and stereo systems; chic, clean furniture; and big comfy beds. There are Aveda products stocking the bathrooms and everything you could need in the minibar, including four types of vodka. There is always a bowl full of apples or oranges in the lobby to snack on, and the staff is courteous, attentive, and friendly.

W is a favorite place of celebrities and can often be seen in movies and TV shows. Most recently it had cameos in Win a Date With Tad Hamilton and Curb Your Enthusiasm. It is not uncommon to see someone famous there. I have seen Don King, David Schwimmer, and Lara Flynn Boyle.

Rooms start at about $200 and go up from there. All the rooms are suite-esque, but they do cater to celebrities and have many suites ranging in comfort and price.

When you drive up you are greeted by the hip movie-star wannabes dressed in black who park your car. You enter the hotel up a staircase that is also a fountain.

The lobby is dark wood and modern. Small tables with glass chess sets ontop and cool people sipping mojitos fill the lobby. The front desk staff is hip, friendly and efficient. Even though the staff looks like something out of a fashion mag, they are friendly and have no attitude. We found the waitstaff, bell staff, front desk and valets to be friendly and professional in every way. They also could not have been nicer to the kids.

We had a great room on an upper floor. The rooms are huge. We had two large rooms (the rooms are all suites). One room with a desk, sofa and table. The bedroom had two large comfy beds with down comforters. (The kids love a TV in each room) The bathroom was bright and well stocked with great shampoos and creams. The closet had two fluffy large robes. The room was so comfortable I could have curled up with a good book or movie and spent the next two days getting lost in the room.

The hotel has a large wonderful fitness room that is well used. The pool is to the side of the hotel in a garden with colorful cabanas. A cool bar called MOJITO surrounds the pool. The pool and bar are full of young hard bodies! The one surprise is the pool is NOT heated and was FREEZING COLD!

The hotel is cool. In the evening the lobby turns into a bar called WHISKEY BLUE and the crowd is young and way too cool. I am sure it's the trendy pick-up spot for the area.

We were disappointed with the surrounding area. Westwood is in decline. They had a ton of closed shops and finding a place to grab a bite was a hunt. Traffic is still a nightmare and getting around was a royal pain. Everything seemed a long ways away from the hotel. Unless you have business in Westwood or are doing something at UCLA I would not suggest this area for your Hollywood or LA stay. One night we all were beat and decided on staying in and ordering room service, the basic hamburgers (nothing major), the bill was $135.00! Everything was outstanding and it came on time. However, the big price did pinch a bit!

However, this is a great hotel in every sense - it has class, style and top-notch service. If I come back to the UCLA area, it would be my number one choice!