15 coolest hotels you’ll find in Los Angeles
If you’re looking for a hotel with kitsch, charm and a bit of a story, here at the properties you’ll want to check out in LA.
LA is one of those melting-pot cities filled with colour, high-class and grunge all at the same time. With dozens of distinct neighbourhoods, sometimes making a left turn can take you from a kitchy flea-market to street lined with million-dollar mansions.
So naturally, in a city like this, there are some bloody cool places to stay. If you’re looking for boutique hotels or unique stays, here are our absolute favourite spots to stay in LA – in no particular order.
Image: Redaktör photography
1. Petit Ermitage
This quirky boutique hotel with a French twist is perfect for those looking for something different. If you’re bored by plastic chairs, white carpet and beige walls, this is a hotel you should check out. It’s worth staying here just to explore the rooftop which has a garden, Instagram-worthy pool, a bar and restaurant.
⦁ Location: West Hollywood
⦁ Price: from $300 US
⦁ Key amenities: Pool, rooftop, restaurant, room service
⦁ Parking: $46 US per night
2. The Farmers Daughter
Located in Fairfax, one of the “hipper” neighbourhoods in LA, The Farmer’s Daughter is filled with character and hipster charm. I don’t think the term farmhouse-chic is a misplaced descriptor of the aesthetic of this truly unique hotel. Instagrammable from every angle, yet somehow totally unpretentious, The Farmer’s Daughter is all about comfort with character.
⦁ Location: Fairfax
⦁ Price: from $200 US
⦁ Key amenities: Pool, adjoining restaurant, room service
⦁ Parking: Charges apply
3. The Freehand LA
The Freehand is a luxury hostel cross hotel. There are dormitory-style shared rooms or you can of course have your own private room with a bathroom, just like in a regular hotel. Filled with leafy, green plants and mid-century modern accents, this is not just a great place to stay, it’s a great place to hang out for the day. Yes, it has a pool too.
⦁ Location: Downtown
⦁ Price: from $200 US
⦁ Key amenities: Pool, rooftop, restaurant, room service
⦁ Parking: $44 US per night
4. Hotel Figueroa
What makes Figueroa so unique is more about what has been preserved rather than added. The most recent renovation has enhanced the Spanish Colonial accents of the past, not covered them up, and has rounded it all out with some well-placed brown leather and tactical pops of colour. Plus the pool area looks like something out of the perfect Palm Springs postcard.
⦁ Location: Downtown
⦁ Price: from $200 US
⦁ Key amenities: Pool, rooftop, restaurant, room service
⦁ Parking: $45 US per night
5. The Beverly Hills Hotel
If you have a bigger budget, The Beverly Hills Hotel is where you should stay. An icon of Los Angeles, this renowned hotel has always been a hotspot for the rich and famous. It was during a renovation in the 1940s that the hotel was painted its signature pink colour and it remains pink to this day. If you’re a fan of modernist architecture and old Hollywood glamour, and if you have 1200 per night to spare, stay here.
⦁ Location: Beverly Hills
⦁ Price: from $1,200 US
⦁ Key amenties: Pool, restaurant, room service, spa
⦁ Parking: Charges apply
6. Hotel Normandie
Built in the 1920s and designed by the same duo that created the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, Hotel Normandie is one of the most historic hotels in Los Angeles. It’s Spanish Colonial style has been preserved and celebrated by recent renovations. This is a great pick for those who love history and architecture.
⦁ Location: Koreatown
⦁ Price: from $150 US
⦁ Key amenities: Rooftop, room service, restaurant
⦁ Parking: $35 US per night
7. The Culver Hotel
Another unique spot in LA is the Culver Hotel and very few hotels are as deeply rooted in the history of Hollywood. Built by Harry Culver, the man who Culver City is named for, this hotel has also been famously owned by Charlie Chaplin and John Wayne. A national landmark, this hotel has been tastefully and elegantly restored to mimic its old Hollywood heyday. There’s also rumours that it’s haunted, so beware.
⦁ Location: Culver City
⦁ Price: from $350 US
⦁ Key amenities: Restaurant, room service
⦁ Parking: $24 US per night
8. The Covell
This modern-industrial styled hotel is located in East Hollywood, just a few minute’s drive to Griffith Observatory. An independent endevour, the beautifully designed and furnished suites are functional but still photoagraphable from every single angle. This is a great option for Air BnB lovers because each room feels like an apartment with amenties suited to long-term stays.
⦁ Location: East Hollywood
⦁ Price: from $300 US
⦁ Key amenities: Bar, rooftop, kitchenette in rooms
⦁ Parking: Free self-parking
9. The Mondrian
Part of the Mondrian chain, The Mondrian Los Angeles is a luxury boutique hotel located in West Hollywood. Newly renovated with a fresh contemporary design, this hotel has two bars, a restaurant and a fitness centre. It is also home to one of the best rooftop pools (which turns into the famous Sky Bar at night) in the city with panoramic views of the best of LA.
⦁ Location: West Hollywood
⦁ Price: from $300 US
⦁ Key amenities: Restaurant, rooftop, pool, fitness centre, room service
⦁ Parking: $45 US per night
10. The Moment Hotel
The Moment Hotel is on the famous Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood. It’s new contemporary design hasn’t entirely hidden the kitschy remnants of its motel heritage. It’s rooftop dining area has the perfect view over the Sunset Strip and Hollywood Hills and it has a tonne of other ammenties you won’t find at every hotel.
⦁ Location: West Hollywood
⦁ Price: from $200 US
⦁ Key amenities: Restaurant, room service, rooftop, bar
⦁ Parking: $22 per night self-parking
11. The Palihouse
The Pailhouse is a sophisticated boutique hotel in West Hollywood. Designed for the discerning traveller, every space in this hotel has been thoughtfully designed and styled. Self-described as “one-of-a-kind urban lodge”, this is accomodation for those looking for comfort and taste.
Unfortunately the Palihouse in West Hollywood doesn’t have its own Instagram – just the account for the Palisociety hotel series. We’ve labelled the image in the series from the West Hollywood hotel for reference.
⦁ Location: West Hollywood
⦁ Price: from $300
⦁ Key amenities: Restaurant, rooftop, room service
⦁ Parking: Valet at a cost unless included in your hotel deal
12. The Palihotel
The Palihotel is the baby sister hotel of the Palihouse. Located on the very cool Melrose Avenue, the Palihotel has all the style and flair of the Palihouse but with a younger, hipster twist. Dynamic, inviting and unconventional, this is the place to stay if you’re a true lover of avocado on toast.
Again, this place doesn’t have it’s own Instagram account. We’ve labelled the snaps taken at the Melrose property.
⦁ Location: Fairfax
⦁ Price: from $200
⦁ Key amenities: Restaurant, room service
⦁ Parking: $20 US per night
13. The Mosaic
Staying in the city doesn’t have to be a dark and claustrophobic experience. That’s where the Mosaic comes in.
Nestled in the heart of Beverley Hills, the Mosaic combines bright colours with designer touches and a white theme to bring light into your stay. Nothing better than boosting your serotonin production with natural sunlight after a flight that can leave you jet lagged!
⦁ Location: Beverly Hills
⦁ Price: from $250 US
⦁ Key amenities: Pool, pet-friendly, room service
⦁ Parking: $42 US per night
14. The Ace
The Ace Hotel is like the iPad of hotels: it immediately makes you feel more creative. With art deco styling, a retro restored theatre and rooms replete with record players and guitars, it’s the perfect spot for your inner 70’s rocker. The hotel is decked out from top to bottom with unique and interesting artworks from local artists and “friends of Ace”, and the furniture is either locally-made/sourced or recycled vintage. Your four-legged friends can even stay in the hotel so they don’t miss out on the fun, too.
⦁ Location: Downtown
⦁ Price: from $250 US
⦁ Key amenities: Restaurant, room service, gym, pool, rooftop
⦁ Parking: $40 per night
15. Mama Shelter Los Angles
Young and vibrant, the Mama Los Angeles is unique, modern but with the odd retro adornments. Located in heart of Hollywood, the hotel rooftop overlooks the neon signs of Hollywood Boulevard and is just blocks from the Chinese Theatre. A comfortable and lively base for exploring the most famous sights, the Mama has a restaurant, bar and a business corner.
⦁ Location: Hollywood
⦁ Price: from $200 US
⦁ Key amenities: Restaurant, rooftop, restaurant, pet-friendly
⦁ Parking: Valet for $39 per night and self-parking for $22 per ngight