Its square-ish faade, rising up in plain view from the busy corner of La Cienega and Beverly Boulevards, might not have the mystery of Chateau Marmont or the historic nostalgia of the Beverly Hills Hotel, but $40 million dollars later, the Sofitel sure looks nice.

An army of valets stands before a curved wall of glass buttressing the exterior; inside, a show-stopping modernist lobby calls the eye upward. Designed by Cheryl Rowley and Yabu Pushelberg, the French chain's Beverly Center-facing outpost is now showy enough to aim for a clientele including Hollywood's elite (and, we hear, Cedars-Sinai surgeons). To the right: Stone Rose Lounge, the playpen by Rande Gerber—also known as Mr. Cindy Crawford—who has kept The W's Whiskey Blue consistently poppin'. Past that: celeb chef Kerry Simon's Simon LA, a spacious restaurant with a large patio. Above all that: guests sweating it all off in one of the city's largest hotel gyms. And, oh yes, the rooms. Each has a 32-inch plasma-screen TV, Wi-Fi, velvet upholstery and an alarm clock with mp3-player connection. Many have views of the Hollywood sign—and views of the hottie lathering up in the large glass shower, unless said hottie has flipped the switch that fogs the glass over.
—Lonny Pugh