Where to stay
Hotels worth booking, by neighborhood and price.
Opened in 1927 and financed partly by Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, it hosted the first Academy Awards and features the Tropicana pool with a David Hockney mural on the bottom. It sits right on the Walk of Fame, pairing history and location in one.
Opened in 1929 and modeled loosely on France's Château d'Amboise, it's the most mythologized hotel in LA and a longtime celebrity hideaway steps from the Sunset Strip. You're paying for the legend and the location as much as the room.
Kelly Wearstler-designed interiors with a rooftop pool and bar, a short walk to the pier and Third Street Promenade. Best for design lovers who want the beach nearby.
Twelve secluded acres in a canyon, complete with a swan lake and terracotta floors warmed by hot-water pipes underneath. It's the discreet, old-Hollywood alternative to a see-and-be-seen hotel — you come here to disappear.
Reliably good value for a stylish room, with a rooftop pool and restaurant. Easy access to Crypto.com Arena, Grand Central Market, and the DTLA scene.
Sunny, plant-filled minimalist rooms, a pool, and Baja-style dining, close to LAX and the beaches. A smart base if you're bouncing between the coast and the airport.
A design-forward boutique hotel with a rooftop pool and greenhouse restaurant (Openaire), set in the heart of the city's best late-night eating district. Central to both Hollywood and Downtown, it's a genuine neighborhood pick rather than a tourist bubble.
Set in the historic 1924 Commercial Exchange building with interiors by Roman & Williams, Freehand offers shared hostel-style rooms alongside private ones — a rare stylish budget option Downtown. The rooftop Broken Shaker cocktail bar and pool deck is a James Beard Award finalist and destination in its own right.