The Hyatt Regency Los Angeles International Airport is a well-designed, 4-star, 580-room hotel, with 23 suites, including the largest and most luxurious presidential suite at the airport. The most upscale airport hotel at LAX opened in 2017 after a $75 million refurbishment. It’s part of an ongoing $8.5 billion airport makeover and expansion that added a VIP terminal and is relocating 21 airlines.

The updated, Mid-Century Modern design emphasizes a predominantly gray palette with very judicious uses of pops of color: Room accessories include a bright yellow pillow, chairs and housewares. The gray-patterned carpeting in corridors adds a touch of turquoise and that color is repeated on the back wall of the restaurant along with bolts of sienna and yellow on a corridor wall.

Designers incorporated many cool textures, particularly on wall coverings, and practical details geared to travelers: Window coverings are a sheer pale gray Roman shade for decoration over a black-out shade for darkness. Along with a 55-inch HDTV, there’s an abundance of electric plugs, free WiFi and Bluetooth access. The open closet includes shelves, with a safe positioned at eye level and three drawers. There’s a corner couch, a well-designed dining hub with a coffeemaker and a refrigerator, plus a rain shower in the bathroom.

The hotel is within the LAX airport boundaries and the short walk to/from terminals can be faster than the drive, even with top-notch shuttle service. It was chosen for lodging by the pilots’ union, primarily for its safety and security (with more than 150 cameras) as well as its comfort and convenience. In addition to being the closest, it is also the quietest. Double-paned glass windows separated by air assure a soundproof sleep. The hotel fosters special consideration for day sleepers, including a unique Do Not Disturb sign to alert staff and the use of quiet Tyson vacuum cleaners.

Menus at unity la restaurant, market and bar express the diversity of the world population in Los Angeles; in fact, the back of the restaurant menu— which looks like a geometric graphic pattern — lists dozens of L.A. communities. At the unity la market, the grab-and-go noodle station includes Latin and Asian specialties, such as posole and ramen, while appetizers at unity la bar feature guacamole, queso fundido and handmade flatbreads. The restaurant menu includes drunken noodles from Thai Town; carne asada from Boyle Heights; fish tacos from Santa Monica; and seared scallops from the Sunset Strip. I chose typical North American fare: a rare grilled, bone-in, 16-ounce rib-eye steak, with potatoes and asparagus served with a carafe of Conundrum from Napa.

World of Hyatt members have automatic access to the Hyatt Regency Club, which non-members can access by paying an entrance premium. There are televisions on either end of the lounge, a private first-come, first-served conference room and an honor bar with a view of the airport. Food service includes buffets for breakfast, with croissants, hot cereal, boiled eggs, smoked salmon and the usual yogurt, fruit and cereals; pre-dinner appetizers, with charcuterie platters and grilled vegetables; and post-dinner desserts.

Although designed primarily for travelers, the hotel provides an upscale ambience for personal as well as corporate meetings. In addition to the newly built Hyatt Regency Conference Center, which provides the newest, state-of-the-art meeting space, it offers the largest ballroom at the airport and the only event lawns in the area. And, its large and landscaped outdoor pool adds a resort-like amenity to a location near freeways, sports arenas, L.A.’s beach cities and downtown.

It’s no wonder the 90 percent occupancy includes more than overnighters.

Hyatt Regency Los Angeles International Airport

6225 West Century Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90045