Hollywood La Brea Motel

Hollywood La Brea Inn occupies a typical low-rise motel-style building with two stories and guest room doors opening outside onto a long common balcony that runs the length of the facade. There's a large parking area in front of the building, where guests can park their cars for free. Interiors are neat and tidy, while the decor is what you would expect of a budget property: utilitarian and devoid of decoration. Some guests are put off by the pane of bullet-proof glass at the reception counter, but overall it's a decent place for travelers on tight budgets just looking for somewhere to sleep for a night or two.  

Hollywood La Brea Inn is located in the heart of Hollywood and within walking distance of restaurants, shops, and lots of famous local tourist attractions, including the Hollywood Walk of Fame (six minutes); the Dolby Theatre, home of the Academy Awards (seven minutes); TCL Chinese Theatre (six minutes); and Madame Tussaud's (five minutes). The Hollywood Forever Cemetery, the Hollywood Bowl, and Universal Studios Hollywood are all under a 10-minute drive from the hotel. Santa Monica is a half-hour drive away, while getting to the LAX airport takes a minimum of 35 minutes by car, depending on traffic. 

The guest rooms here are reasonably spacious but decorated in a dull, no frills style you would expect of a motel room. The beds are covered with bedspreads in bright tones, and the curtains are equally ugly and mismatched. The worn furniture and dirty carpets give the rooms a dingy feel, and past visitors have reported unpleasant smells of stale cigarette smoke and cleaning products. Amenities include air-conditioning, mini-fridges, and flat-screen TVs. The bathrooms are basic, with shower/tub combos and hairdryers, but they are reasonably clean. Guests have complained about the street noise and thin walls -- getting a good night's sleep can be a challenge here. Other issues identified by past guests include the limited number of electrical sockets, and poor housekeeping standards. 

Amenities are limited but include free outdoor parking, a small outdoor hot tub, and an exercise bike. A basic breakfast is included in the room rate, but it consists of little more than coffee, tea, juice, donuts, cake and some fruit. There's also a vending machine in the lobby with soft drinks and snacks. Free Wi-Fi is available throughout the property, but reception can be poor and unreliable.