Yes, I have been and done the LAX hotel/spotting thing many times.

In terms of close to the hotel strip, well In/Out Burger is about the best you can get, and its bloody brilliant. I was at the Hilton most of the time, so I caught the free shuttle to the terminals, then flag down the Sepulveda spotty bus, one seems to drive past every minute. I always tipped the driver $1/$2 considering I wasn't there to collect my car! This car park is basically right next to this spotting location. Of course you could always walk, but its quite a walk if you are staying anywhere past the Crown Plaza.

Expect to see a Southwest 737 every two minutes in this location! Plenty of heavies in the late arvo, and alot of props from Alaska using this runway too.

Here is a good link

http://www.spotterswiki.com/index.ph...tional_Airport

http://nycaviation.com/spotting-guides/lax/