After finding a good rate on the Renaissance web site, I decided to book a 4-night stay at this hotel (180€ for a triple room). I have to say that the hotel met my expectations.
This hotel is rated 5 stars but guests must be ready not to find that kind of luxury typical of a real 5 star hotel.
I arrived at 8 pm but my room wasn't ready (although I informed them at the moment of my booking about my scheduled arrival time). Check-in staff told me my room would have been available in 30 min., so we went to the mezzanine bar in order to have a cup of tea (the lobby bar didn't serve hot beverages in the evening). The mezzanine bar is very big and there was a huge selection of different types of tea. The tea was very good and not pricey (about 3€ and it was served together with some complementary honey).
After that we came back to the lobby at the scope of completing the check-in procedure (check-in staff asked my mobile number in order to call me once the room would have been ready).
The time we waited was well worth because we had a room located on the 18th floor (one of the highest) with a beatiful view of the Hollywood sign (this was another request made when I booked the room).
A bellman went with us and showed the basic features of the room. The room had two very comfortable queen beds and was quiet spacious (about 30 sq. mt)., no particularly luxurious and with no state of the art technology features (no plasma screen).
The soundproof system wasn't exceptional but the BIG con I found in this hotel was the bathroom: it wasn't dirty but all the facilities looked VERY old and 1.000 miles far from what a guest can expect to find in a 4 or 5 star hotel.
The location is great for people who want to stay in Hollywood or are not renting a car (two steps from the walk of fame and all the other Hollywood attractions).
Finally, I colud check out directly through the TV system on the day I left the hotel; a good way to save some minutes.
All in all the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel is a good option who is not renting a car and looks for a good hotel with all the services a guest can need (spa, swimming pool, etc.). You'll be disappointed only if you expect a 5 stars hotel.

This hotel is in a great location to explore Hollywood. We stayed 6 nights in a large, quiet room overlooking the famous Hollywood sign. 2 adults and two kids in a room with 2 king sized beds.
Top features are the fantastic 5th floor swimming pool, great in the early evening, location close to excellent public transport and excellent choices for food and drink all close to the hotel.
A frige in my room would have made it even better.
If you would rather spend your money on your holiday, park your own car, it cost $10 if you park it, about $40 if you use valet parking.

Spent 2 days here on the way back home. Chose it purely on its location as it was fairly near many sites and we didn't have a hire car.
Check-in was unsatisfactory as the young man on the desk was surly and rude. Every other member of the check in team were welcoming guests with a cheery smile and a "Welcome to the Renaissance" with the exception of him. He thought there was a problem with our booking and kept wandering off to another room to make phone calls lasting about 15 minutes. At one point we had to ask another member of staff to go and find him. He didn't once apologise for the delay which was inexcusable as we had been travelling all night and were exhausted. I asked him to explain what the problem was and he started talking whilst walking off to the other room again so I couldn't hear what he was saying.

Despite this the room was adequate and clean. As other reviewers have said it was close to many amenities such as shops, restaurants, chinese theatre, walk of fame etc. We walked further on from all the razzamatazz and found a restaurant called and Musso and Benny's recommended by the guidebook. It was heaving until about 7.30 when everyone leaves to go to their shows and theatres. The food is like something your mum would make (sorry mum) so i don't know what all the fuss is about but the waiters are great. Most of them are way over 60 and a bit grumpy!

I wouldn't want to spend any longer than 2 days in LA. it isn't really my sort of place. We took a bus to santa monica beach on the sunday. It is very busy but we enjoyed walking around. The hotel advised us not to take a bus there as this is the city of the car after all but it was so simple and only cost $1.25 each way.
Rodeo Drive and Beverley Hills are worth a look but the restaurants nearby are a bit snooty. Took a trolley bus ride around all the stars' homes which was amusing and was very cheap (sorry can't remember how much but it was cheap)
Check out was better but there is still an attitude problem from some members of staff.

Made a big mistake of booking an airport shuttle to take us to LAX on the way home. Our driver took nearly 3/4 hour driving to other hotels, driving back to ours, having a cigarette until we thought we were going to miss our plane. He started an argument when we asked him to just get on with it and said he wasn't a taxi. Not a good way to leave. i wouldn't stay in this hotel again and i don't plan to return to LA.

I couldn't be happier with our stay here. From the moment we pulled up to the hotel the service was excellent, and that continued throughout the entire stay. Literally every staff member we came across, from the maids and room service people, to front desk and concierge, was very polite and helpful.

Location-wise, if you're there to experience Hollywood, it's the place to be. It's attached to the Kodak Theatre, which is where the academy awards are held. You are literally steps away from the heart of it all, the corner of Highland Ave. and Hollywood Blvd. We loved how we could just go out at night and walk around and there's so much to do, there was no need to cab anywhere.

The room was fairly straightforward, not all the rooms are as funky and colourful as they are on the website. I was quite happy with the quality of the furnishings and the linens though. One complaint is for some reason our bathroom didn't have a vent fan, which I thought was quite odd for a hotel of this calibre.

In summary, I loved our time here, and would highly recommend it to other travellers. It's a bit on the expensive side, but it's worth it for the location and quality alone. Kudos!