They Try Harder
I ended up here courtesy of The Negotiator - and it was a happy circumstance. The service at the Hotel Angeleno makes it.
The hotel is a dated round tower design, but it's been tastefully decorated and kept current. It's easy to spot right off the 405. The lobby seems small, but is quite comfortable. The reception on one side with a seating area on th eother. There's a little cafe and a fitness center beyond that.
You're greeted by valet parking at the entrance - "free" and convenient.
Check in is quick and easy with the individual obviously working to hard to see if there's anything he could do to make the stay easier. And that mentality of superior service came through time and again. The same on check out, the restaurant, housekeeping (I was missing shampoo from my room. Within minutes of my call, I had 2 different people hand me complete sets of soap/lotion/shampoo.), and even the valet - 2 people loading luggage, opening doors, and making sure we didn't leave our coffee on the roof of the car. 
The room is a tastefully decorated pie shape in the tower - the bathroom end smaller than normal because it's the sharp end of the pie shape. The desk is located right under the flat screen TV - 18 inches from your face while seated at the desk. (This seems to be a very unfortunate trend!) The balacany door actually opens and, in my room, gave me a very noisy, but interesting view of the 405 and beyond - including the JP Getty museum.
The individual inroom heating/cooling unit was on all night to drown out the 405 traffic noise. Ask for a room on the other side of the hotel. 
Wifi was free, but a pain to get connected to. Maybe it's my fault but it took me 10 minutes of progressively more sever attempts to get to the login - finally working after restarting my computer. 
The restaurant at the top was really nice - terrific views and while a bit limited, the menu was intersting and very tasty.
I think the key for me was that I got this place for less than list price due to The Negotiator and as a result was very pleased by the high value stay for a reasonable rate.