Faded, but still cool.
We stayed here for two nights at the start of a three week road trip having flown into LAX and the hotel was easy to find using only large scale maps!
The Sportsmen's Lodge trades largely on its history, being the place where John Wayne and fellow actors used to hang out while filming. It does have a real charm and a good vibe about it which reflects this history, while being conveniently located for the modern attractions of Universal Studios. The staff, both at reception and in the restaurant are chatty and helpful, and those at reception provided local information on attractions and other places to eat - many within easy walking distance along Ventura Boulevard which felt safe enough, even after dark. A free hotel courtesy bus is also available to take you up to the studio theme parks.
The hotel is built around a central pool which seemed clean and well maintained, though we were only in the hotel for a couple of nights so didn't get to spend much time around it. One downside is that the pool is made available to non-residents so can get busy and occasionally rowdy with local kids using the facilities. The also seems to be the centre of the hotel's party vibe, with music at the pool bar until late in the evening - if you're there to party, that's great, but if not, might be best to avoid the pool-view rooms as the glazing doesn't do much to cut out the noise.
The rooms themselves were spacious and clean, but perhaps a little faded - they could all do with a good refurb so don't expect an immaculate finish. Nothing terrible, but not as perfectly presented as some of the photos may lead you to believe.
All in all, it's a good location if you want to explore Studio City and have a day or two at Universal Studios, or if you simply need a base in LA at the start of a trip as we did. It's certainly a lot cheaper than staying south of the Hollywood Hills and if you have a car, there are plenty of other sights (Hollywood sign, Grauman's Chinese Theatre, walk of fame, Griffith Observatory etc) within a fairly easy drive. Parking at the hotel is free too, and when we were there, the big car park was virtually empty. Talk to reception about ticket deals on attractions - they were able to offer some discount options as well as the courtesy bus.