From an Art Deco landmark on Sunset Boulevard to a rock 'n' roll hideaway, these eight hotels capture different sides of West Hollywood.
Saunter Los Angeles · 3 October 2026West Hollywood fits an unusual amount into a small patch of Sunset Boulevard and the hills above it. There is a tower from 1929 with a bar in a gangster's old apartment, a garden hotel with a recording studio, and rooftop pools that look out over the whole city.
The best places to stay here are about more than the room. These eight each have a different idea of the neighbourhood, from quiet suites and long dinners to late nights on the Strip.
The Art Deco tower at 8358 Sunset Boulevard dates from 1929, designed by Leland A. Bryant, and Jeff Klein's revival in 2004 kept its old-Hollywood glamour intact. Rooms are dusty pink, with Donald Robertson wallpaper in the bathrooms. Downstairs, the Tower Bar occupies Bugsy Siegel's former apartment: a walnut-panelled room with a fireplace, rose-coloured light and jazz pianists, where phones, computers and photographs are not allowed. The Terrace Room has pink suede banquettes and potted palms, and a travertine lanai runs above the pool, which is for registered guests only.
Best for Old Hollywood glamour, with a bar that has its own story.
Modelled loosely on the Château d'Amboise in the Loire Valley, the Chateau Marmont opened in 1929 as an apartment building and became a hotel in 1931, when Albert E. Smith bought it. Guests stay in suites, cottages and bungalows, two of which Craig Ellwood designed in 1956, and the building was named a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1976. André Balazs has owned it since 1990, and the restaurant has a terrace serving California cuisine.
Best for Old Hollywood history, down to the architecture.
Ian Schrager's hotel on the corner of Sunset and Doheny, where West Hollywood meets Beverly Hills, is built for an evening out as much as a stay. The Roof is a leafy deck of wooden benches, mature trees and terracotta pots, with a deep mezcal and tequila list. Ardor serves vegetable-forward California cooking, and the Lobby Bar keeps bespoke cocktails going late. Downstairs, the Sunset club takes its cue from the Strip's 1960s and 70s venues, with its own entrance on Doheny Drive and DJs on Friday and Saturday nights.
Best for A full evening under one roof, from dinner to the dancefloor.
Built in 1924 as a cluster of English-style storybook bungalows and later bought by Charlie Chaplin, The Charlie sits behind iron gates on Sweetzer Avenue among gardens and fountains. Each all-suite bungalow is named after a celebrity who once lived there, and the suites have full kitchens. It feels a long way from the Strip, though Sunset Boulevard is close by.
Best for Old Hollywood history in a hidden garden setting.
A suite-only hotel of 80 rooms in a quiet residential pocket just below the Sunset Strip, Petit Ermitage fills its suites with original art, fireplaces and rich textiles. The Grand Belle Terrace, conceived by Dana Hollister, adds a private terrace with an outdoor fireplace. Up on the roof, Cinq à Sept, reserved for hotel guests, serves shared dishes with Mediterranean influences at a handful of tables under chef Chris McLaughlin, with a saltwater pool beside it.
Best for A guests-only rooftop and a suite full of art.
Opened in 1963 and named after its founder's newborn son, Markey, the Sunset Marquis has a rock 'n' roll history that still shows. Villas and suites sit in nearly three acres of gardens off Alta Loma Road, and the Studio and One-Bedroom Villas have been redesigned by Eric Rosen. Cavatina, led by chef Luis Morales, has an open-air lounge and covered patio, Bar 1200 is a modern speakeasy open from 8pm to 2am, and the Nightbird recording studio is downstairs. Morrison Hotel Gallery sells collectible photography.
Best for A garden retreat with serious music history.
A small hotel of 23 rooms behind a bungalow facade from around 1918, 850 SVB is run like a guest house rather than a hotel. Architect Marc Appleton and designer Rita Konig worked with hotelier Jeff Klein, and the Living Room has a fireplace, an antique leather chair, an honour bar and a farmers' market breakfast of pastries and fruit. Upstairs, the roof deck has an outdoor fireplace and city views, a glass of wine is poured at check-in, and bicycles are there for Melrose and Robertson. There is no pool or restaurant, which keeps everything small and personal.
Best for A small, residential stay with a rooftop fireplace.
Harriet's Rooftop is the reason to look up: on the ninth floor, reached by its own elevator, with burgundy awnings, tasselled umbrellas, cocktails and an Asian-inspired menu of sushi and shared plates. Below, Juniper Lounge and Garden makes cocktails with ingredients from an on-site organic garden, and 1 Kitchen cooks farm-to-table Southern California food. Rooms keep to a natural palette of earthen plaster, clay tones and live greenery, with wood reclaimed from fallen California trees throughout, and the rooftop pool deck looks out over the city.
Best for A green, easy base with a rooftop to match.
Hotel restaurants, bars and pool access change with the season, and Sunset Marquis is finishing a villa renovation. Check directly with each hotel before booking.
Lists · LAA Silver Lake landmark of 1931, the Sunset Strip icon that Starck once remade, a Beverly Hills house behind the Peninsula and a Santa Monica beach hotel that used to be a Loews.
Lists · LAFrom Aitor Zabala's three-star counter on Nemo Street to Fátima Juárez's masa stall in Mercado La Paloma, by way of a former Pok Pok, a church nave and a Sean Brock listening lounge.
Lists · LAFrom Josh Skenes's pizza and cocktail bar in the Arts District to the bar Christopher Isherwood put into A Single Man, by way of a margarita bar with a centrifuge.
Opinion · LAHotel Lucile, a Silver Lake landmark without a car park, Lynx in the Arts District and San Damián in Venice make the case for walkable villages.
Opinion · LASean Brock's Darling, Sushi Nakazawa on Robertson and Atlanta's Rumi's Kitchen show what a city built by arrivals gains, and where the claim stops.
Lists · LAA Silver Lake landmark of 1931, the Sunset Strip icon that Starck once remade, a Beverly Hills house behind the Peninsula and a Santa Monica beach hotel that used to be a Loews.
London, edited down to what's worth your time.
