The Best Hotels to Book Near the Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles

In a historic property dating back to 1939, this 24-room boutique offers old-school elegance in Whitley Heights – the previous home of James Dean. Once inside the bright red door, you’ll find a mix of custom and vintage furnishings and glamorous design choices.

Start the day with complimentary coffee and croissants from Tartine and head to the peaceful garden – the lounge offers cocktails later in the day. If you have to work, the hotel offers free passes to nearby Neuehouse Hollywood, a stylish co-working and events space that’s connected to New York City’s Flatiron district.

This is the biggest hotel on the list, with 628 contemporary guest rooms and suites. Most of the action takes place in the spacious lobby or the rooftop pool, with views of the Hollywood sign and enough sun loungers for its many guests. The lounge and restaurant serve a late-night menu – perfect for post-show munchies – with upscale pub fare like poke tacos, flatbreads and kale salads.

There’s also a breakfast buffet and a 24-hour bodega, serving grab-and-go items. Loews charges a required daily destination fee that offers free yoga classes and other perks.

It doesn’t get much more glam than staying in the place where the first Academy Awards were held, in 1929. Located on the Walk of Fame, this timeless hotel delivers a lavish experience with its iconic lobby fountain and renovated 60s-style pool painted by David Hockney. Expect a see-and-be-seen crowd pulling in both worldly travelers and local industry types.

Take your pick of food and drink options, including an Italian Steakhouse by Nancy Silverton with finger foods such as housemade potato chips served with smoked trout roe – as well as a burger bar and an upscale gaming parlor, with two bowling lanes and a dangerous menu of absinthe cocktails.

This growing France-based group – partly owned by Accor hotels – offers a hip, playful vibe with 70 rooms boasting luxury linens, free movies and organic bath products. Rooms come in three sizes – Medium, Large, and XXL – and guests can request a view of the Hollywood sign. But remember that those views – and a game of foosball – are always waiting on the rooftop, where you’ll find the hotel’s real draw.

The rooftop bar and restaurant feature Californian cuisine with salads, burgers and specialties like zucchini blossom arancini, as well as an impressive list of cocktails to sip to sunset views of Tinseltown.

For anyone who’s been to a Dream location in another city, you’ll know that nightlife is part of the package. Designed by the Rockwell Group, Dream Hollywood is the first and only Los Angeles outpost, combining mid-century modern design with floor-to-ceiling windows that let the views take center stage.

Amenities include tablets and bath amenities by C.O. Bigelow – a retro brand known as the oldest apothecary in America. When you’re ready to hit the town, head to the TAO Group’s huge restaurant with space for 300, for Hong Kong fried noodles washed down with a lychee martini. Bookend the night with aperitifs and digestifs at the massive rooftop pool and lounge with awe-inspiring views.

Never one to blend in, the W Hollywood is hard to miss – from the flashy exterior to the grandiose lobby, with its fuschia accents and spiral staircase. Modern rooms have white-lacquered desks and platform-style beds along with window seats to enjoy the views.

The Living Room Bar offers cocktails and a late-night bar menu – or head to the outdoor terrace on Hollywood Boulevard which keeps things hot with fire pits and live DJs. There’s also a stylish restaurant, Delphine, serving fancier options like bone-in filets and Maine diver scallops – and the all-important rooftop deck and swimming pool.

​​The design-forward Thompson brand is growing under the Hyatt umbrella and this new outpost in the Hollywood Hills is a case in point. Steps from the Vinyl District, the 11-floor glass tower boasts mid-century and contemporary interior spaces from the British designer Tara Bernerd – and 190 rooms come with Nespresso machines, floor-to-ceiling windows and Sferra linens.

There’s also an upscale rooftop pool and lounge called Bar Lis, with panoramic views and French Riviera-inspired cocktails, plus an extensive champagne and bottle service list. On the ground floor is a lobby bar, as well as a brand-new brasserie, Mes Amis.

Rooms have eco-friendly toiletries from Gilchrist and Soames and Keurig coffee makers – or help yourself to the coffee and tea station in the lobby whenever it’s time for a caffeine top-up.