Custom Hotel

Class: Comfort

Style: Hip

Rooms: 250

The phrase “airport hotel” is one we often catch ourselves using as shorthand for the uninspired and uncomfortable places that are the antithesis of everything we hold dear. So it’s kind of a big deal when one of them turns out to be as sleek, stylish and thoughtfully put together as any European-capital design boutique. Well, when the facts change, as some great man or another said, we change our minds. And if airport hotels in Los Angeles or elsewhere start looking more like the Custom Hotel, then we’re going to be eating a lot of crow. Little danger, for now. The Custom is just about one-of-a-kind; it’s still a concrete tower, not much could be done about that, but it’s one with a poolside bar and cabanas, an attractive wood-paneled lobby bar, even a DJ lounge and an outdoor fire pit. And the rooms: nobody minds a tower hotel when they get a look at the views, and the bedrooms come equipped with all the necessities, including free wi-fi and iPod attachments. It’s a good deal, a long way more stylish than it needs to be, and if you don’t need to be within walking distance of much of anything, it’s not at all inconvenient — and this being LA, you probably weren’t planning on walking anywhere anyway.