Travelling to Los Angeles for work? From rooftop bars ideal for client drinks to wellness centres worth your time between meetings, discover our selection of the best business accommodations in LA.

Image credit: Conrad Los Angeles

Conrad Los Angeles, Downtown

1/8

“What work?” you ask, relaxing into an armchair on the 10th floor of Conrad Los Angeles. Up here, at Agua Viva, the rooftop bar and restaurant that crowns the 305-room Frank Gehry-designed building, client drinks are a dream. So is the other-worldly on-site spa, where the private “recovery cabins” help soothe jet lag with a combination of pulsed electromagnetic fields, guided meditation and dimmed lights.

Image credit: Moxy Downtown Los Angeles

Moxy Downtown Los Angeles, Downtown

2/8

There’s no missing Moxy Downtown Los Angeles, a 380-room skyscraper across the road from the Los Angeles Convention Center. This Marriott newcomer is a box-ticker for quick trips, with in-room garment steamers, Egyptian cotton dressed beds and USB and power outlets where you need them. Upstairs, level eight has a pool, a piano bar and jazz lounge, and no less than eight dining venues, including Japanese and South American spots and (almost) everything in between.

Image credit: Douglas Friedman

The Georgian Hotel, Santa Monica

3/8

A pretty portal to the 1930s, the recently refurbished Georgian Hotel has all the hallmarks of a design-focused stay. (Yes, a painting by that Sharon Stone hangs in the lobby.) Nothing is bland in this 84-room stunner, from 10-person meeting space The Writer’s Room to the light, bright gallery area, which are both available for private hire. Conversations can continue in The Library, where you’ll find complimentary digestifs and wine, Joan Didion tomes and Hugo Guinness prints.

Image credit: Cara Hotel

Cara Hotel, Los Feliz

4/8

It’s entirely possible to confuse this Thai Town-adjacent hotel with a coastal corner of southern Italy. The 60 whisper-quiet rooms – layered with furnishings in the shades of a sand storm – surround a central courtyard where the swimming-pool-sized water feature is edged with California palms and 100-year old olive trees. It’s the ideal place to open your laptop, sip barista-made coffee or host a group for evening cocktails.

The Line Hotel

5/8

Roughly equidistant between Downtown and Hollywood, Koreatown is arguably the hippest neighbourhood in Los Angeles. If any further evidence was needed, witness The Line. Housed in a striking 1960s modernist building, its airy foyer is decorated with old T-shirts and features a series of circular booths that make ideal meeting spots. At one end is Alfred Coffee, serving excellent brews made from their own blends — including their world-famous iced vanilla latte — and ceremonial grade matcha; at the other is the Lobby Bar, which turns into a club by night. The regular rooms are chicly decorated but rather small, although even the tiniest feature floor-to-ceiling windows with spectacular views of the city.

The Garland

6/8

Located right near Universal Studios and handy to many other studio headquarters, The Garland is like a modern version of Greg Brady’s bedroom – apt, perhaps, considering that the original Brady Bunch house is just around the corner. The interiors take their cues from the 1970s modernism of the original buildings. A period colour scheme of mission brown and bright orange gives rooms and communal spaces a great sense of fun, while mid-mod tapestries, tile work and furniture offer sophistication without sacrificing homeliness. Work-wise, their business centre boasts several meeting rooms and function spaces that can be hired, with free print and computer terminals available. The Garland's grounds, too, are lovely, with several courtyards, a generous pool and green spaces shaded by mature olive trees. Large outdoor fireplaces and movie nights by the pool complete your Hotel California experience.

Hotel Normandie

7/8

“Old Los Angeles” might seem like a contradiction in terms but the Hotel Normandie is about as historical as this town gets. Opened in 1928 in what is now Koreatown, the Normandie was originally a boarding house for single men and has been home to several celebrated characters over the years – English author Malcolm Lowry wrote his masterpiece Under the Volcano here. After years of neglect, the hotel was renovated and is now a model of historical adaptation. With hardwood floors, Art Deco shower heads, a subdued palette and wet bars, the rooms have a clubby (dare we say masculine?) vibe. Although there's no business centre, guests have access to extra laptops in their rooms and complimentary Wi-Fi. A library-quiet meeting room featuring leather Chesterfields and a 150-person-capacity ballroom is also available.