Modest it may be, this 130-room Ramada goes for a simple, straightforward approach to hospitality within unremarkable surroundings; the lobby restaurant, which doubles as a sports bar, is a stylish place to end an evening.
What the surrounding neighborhood lacks in scenery, the Ramada Los Angeles Downtown West makes up for in comfort. Inside its 3-story brick edifice, there’s a conventionally charming lobby with a fireplace and some anodyne artwork displayed on glass shelves. Frills aren’t a hallmark of Ramada, and the 130 rooms are suitably stark, albeit recently renovated. Enlivened with accents of red, gold, and dark wood, the interiors are modern and allow plenty of natural light through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Desks are nice and big, too, with sleek ergonomic chairs. If you’re sticking around for a while, there are useful features, like apartment-esque units with kitchens (cabinets are stocked with dishware), plus coin-operated laundry, a 24-hour convenience mart, and an outdoor pool. The best part of the hotel, surprisingly, is the ground-floor restaurant. Despite its humdrum setting, the contemporary dining room is refreshingly vibrant, with shiny hardwood floors and an appealing menu of nachos, steak and pasta—as such it attracts a diverse crowd of hotel guests and neighborhood regulars. You might still opt for a ritzier place downtown, but after a long day of exploring LA, the built-in eatery is an unexpected source of relaxation and merriment.
Location: On the western fringes of downtown, this hotel is separated from the main crux of downtown’s bustling shopping centers and restaurants by the 110 freeway. Though isolated in that regard, the action is a quick Uber or Lyft ride away; to get to West Hollywood or Koreatown, the Westlake/MacArthur Park metro station is a 10-minute walk away.
Nearby:
Staples Center: Less than a mile from the hotel, this Downtown sports shrine is best known as home turf for the Lakers basketball team (as well as the Clippers basketball team, and the Kings hockey team), but it doubles as a 20,000-capacity arena for musical acts like Kanye West and U2.
Grand Hope Park: Dotted with fountains, picnic lawns, and bright pink benches, this bright oasis in the midst of dreary downtown LA proves the city has a sense of romance. Drive 1.2 miles from the hotel to enjoy frequent in-park performances and other community events.
FIGat7th: This open-air shopping center is a helpful landmark when navigating the maze of downtown LA. There’s a massive, well-equipped food court with indoor and outdoor seating, plus an H&M, Zara, and Target to take care of retail needs.
Teragram Ballroom: Under a mile from the hotel, this 600-person live music venue on the border of Westlake and Downtown offers a decent lineup of indie rock acts, and is owned by the same company that runs New York City’s Bowery Ballroom, Mercury Lounge and Music Hall of Williamsburg.
Good for: There’s incentive for solo travelers and social types here, thanks to a dynamic built-in restaurant, which has a relaxed sports bar vibe; meanwhile, the convenient access to Downtown as well as bar-packed Koreatown makes this a good pick for long weekend stays.
Amenities: pool, free Wi-Fi, restaurant, bar, gym, laundry facilities
Time Out tip: A 10-minute walk north of the hotel will take you to the Westlake/MacArthur Park metro station, which doubles as a bustling outdoor market with vendors hawking all types of artifacts, from phone chargers to Dodgers caps. It’s a piece of old-school Westlake worth checking out, if just for the smiling women frying papusas for $5 apiece.