Hotels are funny things.

They’re meant to be destinations for out-of-towners but just as often become havens for locals, too.

Take new hotel the Crescent in Beverly Hills. At first glance, an excellent, centrally located spot for visitors to hang their hats while in our fair city. Forty deluxe rooms, stocked with top-notch amenities (plush bathrobes, wireless Internet access, Italian sheets), start at a reasonable $149 per night. Now look again, and you’ll see as many enticements for the L.A. dweller: indoor-outdoor lounge, weekly nightlife events, and BOE, a ritzy restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. All designed by Dodd Mitchell (Linq, Falcon, Dolce, Katana, Sushi Roku), whose name has pretty much become synonymous with “Quick! Get a reservation!” in this town.

The perfect resting-place, whether you’re coming straight from LAX — or straight from the office.

The Crescent, 403 North Crescent Drive, at Brighton Way (310-247-0505 or 800-451-1566); crescentbh.com.