The 5 Best Hotels in Studio City, Los Angeles

A slice of Hollywood history, the Garland was set up in 1970 by actress Beverly Garland and her husband Fillmore Crank. Dreaming of establishing a place to house friends, family and esteemed guests, the Garland was born on a verdant seven-acre (2.8ha) property. The hotel remains in the family but has since been modernized and renovated, adding a new restaurant with a menu full of Californian flavors. This is an oasis within Hollywood that comes with a real slice of Golden Age glitz and glamour.

This retro motel-style hotel is located in bustling Burbank, just over the hill from Studio City and right next to Warner Brothers Studios. The name here is a clue to the color theme – the hotel is bedecked in distinctive shades of orange. There is a real California-cool atmosphere throughout, especially when you’re lying poolside under the kitsch ’50s motel sign. Universal Studios and the film-centric bustle of Studio City is just a five-minute drive away, so you can immerse yourself in the movie world with ease.

Among a landscape of cacti and desert succulents, the Desert Heaven Guest House is a large yellow-painted mansion divided into guest rooms. Despite being less than 4 miles (6.4km) from Hollywood and less than 3 miles (4.8km) from the Sunset Strip, this place feels a world away from the bright lights of LA. Ideal for a romantic getaway, the large property is divided into multiple rooms, each tucked away. Visitor reviews consistently note the hospitality and kindness of the owners. This isn’t your average hotel – it’s a home away from home.

Just a seven-minute walk from Universal Studios, you’re in the heart of Studio City at BLVD Hotel. Allowing you to maximize your time and spend less of your day stuck in the infamous LA traffic, you can beat the crowds and get to the studios early, then be back at the hotel and settled in with a cocktail in the lounge by happy hour. If you fancy pampering yourself, the in-house spa offers an indulgent list of treatments that will help you slip away from the world, even if just for an hour.

With a great location on Ventura Boulevard, El Royale Hotel is a boutique hotel with tons of Los Angeles history. Since its beginnings in the 1940s, the hotel has been a place for writers, actors and directors to unwind after their days at nearby studios. Made up of 12 guest rooms (with attached carports), it is an intimate and private way to stay in Los Angeles. Each of the bungalows has been modernized, but the historic details have been left intact.