Custom Hotel Rating: 3.0 Pearls

Beaches - Santa Monica and Venice, Los Angeles, California

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The Custom Level Room

The 250-room, 12-story Custom Hotel could appeal to many types of travelers, at least in theory. Business travelers can appreciate a very low room rate, free Wi-Fi, and a two-minute trip to Los Angeles International Airport. Hip-hotel-design aficionados may be intrigued by the kitschy, colorful 2008 overhaul of a building by Welton Becket, a notable mid-20th century L.A. architect who also designed the Beverly Hilton. Sadly, neither group will be entirely satisfied here.

For the business traveler looking for a cheap, clean room extremely close to the airport, the Custom Hotel delivers, but the design can get in the way of functionality. The queen-size bed in the small Custom Level Room (about 260 square feet) has European-style bedding -- a fitted sheet and sheet-covered comforter only -- plus a heavy dog-portrait blanket that seems to be strictly a design element. There's no closet, just a clothing rack against the wall. The desk is a scratched and dirty table with a cushioned bench, not a chair. The bathrooms are clean, but the shower is small.

Bistrotek restaurant serves a good breakfast, and its American bistro fare isn't bad at dinner (entrées are $10 to $15). But the hotel has no room service. Want to use the 24-hour gym? Go to the green one for running, the pink one for working out, and try to ignore the seizure-inducing fluorescent lights. On my visit, the equipment was dirty, and some was broken. One meeting room is a circle of stainless steel rocking chairs.

But what if instead you're at the Custom Hotel for the funky décor and the hedonistic parties frequently held around the pool at this 21-and-older-only hotel? Even if the raunchy mish-mash that tries to pass itself off as cool appeals to you, you'll ultimately be stuck next to LAX, far from any other part of sprawling Los Angeles (except nearby Loyola Marymount University and Otis College of Art and Design). The quiet pool at the Standard Downtown, where rooms are just a bit more expensive, has a gorgeous rooftop view. The pool at the Custom, when it's not a drunken dance party, has jet engines for a soundtrack and landing planes for a view.

View on a Larger Map

Just half a mile from the runways of LAX and a two-minute drive to the airport's entrance, the Custom Hotel is extremely convenient for fliers (the hotel offer free shuttles to and from the airport too). Unlike most of the airport hotels, including the Marriott, Sheraton, Embassy Suites, Hilton, and Radison that line Century Boulevard, the Custom hotel is not on a road leading right up to the airport, making it a bit more out of the way.

• Two-minute drive to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
• Free airport shuttle (call the hotel upon arrival)
• Five-minute walk to Otis College of Art and Design; 10-minute walk to Loyola Marymount University
• Minutes away from In-N-Out Burger
• 10-minute drive to Venice Beach
• 10 minute drive to Vista del Mar/Playa del Rey
• 20-minute drive to beaches in Santa Monica
• 40- to 60-minute drive to Beverly Hills
• One-and-a-half hour drive to Universal Studios Hollywood