Beautiful hotel off Santa Monica, close to everything (I guess, you do have to drive everywhere in LA so what does close really mean?)

Anyway, beautiful hotel...my room was spacious, comfortable and beautifully designed. A nice treat on a biz trip.

Room service was good, too.

Only draw back: my room had a weird musty smell...thought it was me, but I stayed for two nights and the odor hit me everytime I opened my door. May have been a result of the rains? All the same, worth it if you're making a quick trip to LA and need a fab place to stay on a budget.

Maison 140 is probably a bit of a love/hate option depending on what you're looking for.

We booked primarily for the location and, having stayed at some other fairly central areas in LA, Bev Hills is our favourite and we found it a lot more chilled and friendly than many people may expect. Our alternative choice, The Standard, was just a bit louder so this was the right choice for us to get the chilled stay we were looking for his time.

In terms of comparison against sopmething like a chain hotel, well, there is very little comparison. The lobby is tiny, making do with a small area for breakfast, check-in, waiting area and evening bar, but it's stylishly done and generally exudes a pretty calm air. The rooms likewise, you're still paying quite a lot when you consider the sqaure footage of the rooms vs the dollars per night, but again you're really paying for location.

The rooms aren't expensively done out, but a lot of effort has gone into the design to differentiate them from the normal beige hotel interiors. It's probably not to everyone's taste but we've stayed in both an Oriental and Parisian room and really enjoyed the look and feel of both. To be honest, if you want space our tip would be to pay for the larger, more expensive rooms.

Breakfasts are simple but good quality, although we found the selection a little limited on a few mornings. Staff are generally friendly and helpful.

Overall, it's not cheap, but then neither's the area. You're within a few min walk of Rodeo Drive and are based in one of LA's nicest communities. When you consider the room prices at some illustrious neighbour hotels, this is a pretty good option and the effort they've made to make it stand out is the difference between average and above average in our minds.

Only other tip would be to look out for specials that include parking and, if you want it breakfast. When you add it all up these become pretty cost effective packages.

We stayed at Maison 140 for three nights and whilst the place is far from terrible, there is enough wrong with it for me not to want to stay there again.
The biggest problem is the noise. Seriously, the noise is the worst i've ever experienced. I could hear the people in the room above me walking around, talking, using the loo and worse. Then there is the noise outside the windows. I was in a room on the ground floor and every morning at 6am a laundry truck would arrive and park outside the window, and then the laundry guys actually worked out there, sorting linens, chatting, etc.
The air-conditioning system was very noisy too and rattled whenever we turned it on. Thankfully, it was November so we didn't need to use it but guests staying in the summer months would certainly get irritated by the racket it makes.
I stayed in a Mandarin room which is the larger of the two room types on offer. It was an okay size but certainly not large, and whilst nicely decorated some of the furniture was quite shabby. There was a tear in the upholstered seat at the desk and the padded cube in the bathroom (great idea for anyone that takes ages drying their hair) was badly scuffed and beaten up.
There are some good things about Malmaison 140 though! The Beverly Hills location is great with tons of shops and restaurants within easy walking distance. The staff are really friendly and helpful. The beds and linens are really comfortable and sumptuous. And, the price is great for a hotel in a location like this.
However, if you are planning on staying here, bring your earplugs!

This small hotel feels very French. We stayed in one of the Mandarin rooms. What I liked more than anything is that the hotel has not been decorated to within an inch of its life but is incredibly stylish all the same. The staff is attentive but not formal. We arrived after the appointed time for evening drinks but were served glasses of wine without even asking. This hotel will not be for most people because of the lack of typical ammenities usually found in boutique hotels (ie room service, phones that conect to the front desk easily, spa) but it is on a quiet neighborhood street and is not unreasonably priced.