Oyster Blogs:   Hotel Blog | Locals Blog
Expert hotel reviews • Undoctored photography

Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel — Hotel Review Rating: 4.0 Pearls

The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel
1 of 19
The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel

Check Rates and Availability

Check-in:
Check-out:
Check Rates!
     
Opens one window per offer. Please disable pop-up blockers.

Oyster Review Summary

Pros

  • On Hollywood Boulevard and Walk of Fame
  • Excellent food at hotel's 24-hour restaurant
  • Excellent cocktails at both Library Lounge and Tropicana
  • Larger than average pool for L.A., with popular nightly parties
  • Historically significant building and lobby

Cons

  • $30-a-night valet parking
  • $10 a day for Wi-Fi
  • Smaller than average rooms for L.A.
  • Poolside rooms can be noisy.
  • No guaranteed guest access to in-hotel club Teddy's

Bottom Line

This 300-room Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, literally an L.A. landmark, combines the shimmer of silver-screen history with a cutting-edge party scene centered around a massive pool and bar. A terrific casual restaurant is open 24 hours, and service is surprisingly good. The rooms, though well designed, are smaller than average for L.A.

Oyster Hotel Photos

Oyster undercover reporters photographed this hotel. See the hotel exactly the way we did when we stayed there. (View All Photos)
Album of Amenities

Amenities (10)

Album of Pool

Pool (14)

Album of The Hotel

The Hotel (42)

Oyster Hotel Review

Reporter: Paul B.
Updated: November 9, 2009

 Scene

A historic landmark with a modern Hollywood party scene, the Roosevelt is a destination hotel right on the Walk of Fame.

The historic lobby is a tourist favorite.
The historic lobby is a tourist favorite.

Like an aging Hollywood starlet, the 300-room Roosevelt, which first opened in 1927, still has a spark of something special, even if its special glow has long faded. Host to the first Academy Awards and, over the decades, the temporary residence to a roster of stars longer than a summer blockbuster's credit reel, the landmark hotel sits on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, just steps from today's home of the Academy Awards, the Kodak Theatre. Guests, provided they bring enough cash, can certainly play the part of a movie star in the ornate Spanish-style lobby, the hotel's numerous bars, and the sleek steak house Dakota.

The Roosevelt became a Thompson hotel in 2005, and despite the brand's reputation for chilly service, most of the staff was cheery and helpful, an experience I also had at other trendy L.A. hotels the Standard Hollywood and the Mondrian. However, the Roosevelt's storied history, massive pool, and prime Hollywood Boulevard location are tempered by small rooms and an exhausting nightly party scene. Not even guests can get on the list at A-list favorite Teddy's, and the party at the poolside Tropicana bar goes until 2 a.m. (Good to know if you book one of the cabana rooms that overlook that scene.) Those caveats aside, many guests choose to stay at the Roosevelt specifically for the party scene, which often includes internationally known DJs dropping by and celebrities spending the night. The similarly priced Sunset Tower, another historic Hollywood hotel, is much calmer -- in part because it has only 74 rooms.

 Best Deals — Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel Reservations

Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel

Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel: Save up to 50% off Hotels

expedia.com · Photos, Reviews, and Guaranteed Lowest Prices.

Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel - Los Angeles Hotel

reservetravel.com · Book Now and save with our Low Rate Guarantee.

Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel: Low Hotel Prices Made Easy

hotels.com · Find great deals on Hotels.com! No change or cancel fees.

 Service

Warm and helpful service is the norm, from housekeeping to the concierge.

At the pool, drinks come quickly.
At the pool, drinks come quickly.

Despite Thompson Hotels' spotty service reputation, I found everyone from the valets and front desk to waiters and housekeepers to be warm and helpful. After calling the front desk to request toothpaste, it arrived in 14 minutes.

  • A concierge, on duty 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., can help with the usual services, though access to Teddy's nightclub is one thing he or she won't be able to guarantee.
  • Poolside waiters and waitresses were particularly swift in taking and fulfilling orders, even when busy. Bartenders at the Library Lounge are some of the most creative in L.A.
  • Room service is available around the clock, and 25 Degrees restaurant is also open 24 hours a day.
  • $30-a-night valet parking

 Location

In the heart of Hollywood, the hotel is close to many attractions

The hotel is in the heart of the Walk of Fame on Hollywood Boulevard and just steps from the Kodak Theatre, the home of the Academy Awards. Other Hollywood attractions, like Grauman's Egyptian Theatre, the Chinese Theatre, the Knitting Factory, and El Capitan, are also within walking distance. Dining options in the vicinity are plentiful. Los Angeles is a sprawling city of almost 10 million people and a veritable spaghetti bowl of highways. Traffic can be infuriating -- and parking can be nonsensically expensive -- but renting a car makes touring the city much easier than relying on limited public transportation options.

  • Universal Studios is three miles away, a short drive on Highway 101.
  • The Hollywood Bowl concert venue is a 10-minute drive.
  • Rodeo Drive shopping in Beverly Hills is five miles distant, at least 15 minutes by car.
  • Santa Monica and L.A.'s beaches are 11 miles, or at least 30 minutes, away by car.
  • Bob Hope Airport in Burbank is 10-mile, 25-minute drive from the hotel. In traffic, it can take 90 minutes to reach the hotel from Los Angeles International Airport, which is 25 miles away.

 Rooms

Smaller-than-average rooms are nonetheless well designed.

The King Superior Room
The King Superior Room

At 300 square feet, my king superior room in the main tower was smaller than average for the price. (The London's base room is more than double the size; rooms at the Chamberlain and the Beverly Hilton start at 350 square feet.) But the Dodd Mitchell design, completed in 2005, manages to squeeze plenty into the space, including a flat-screen TV, desk, two bedside lamps, and a king-size bed. True to Thompson form, everything's branded, from Sferra linens to C.O. Bigelow toiletries to Dean & Deluca minibar snacks.

  • King-size bed with high-quality Sferra linens, a nice duvet, and four pillows
  • 32-inch flat-screen LG TV
  • Strangely for a room featuring a photo of Mick Jagger, Lou Reed, and David Bowie, the only stereo choices are an old CD player or a clock radio; no iPod dock.
  • Ample minibar, though an advertised "Shag Bag," a Thompson standard, hadn't been replaced.
  • $10 a day for Wi-Fi
  • Bathrooms in the main tower are small -- this is an 82-year-old building -- but well designed; stocked with C.O. Bigelow lavender-peppermint shampoo, conditioner, and bar soap.
  • Small shower-tub combo but good water pressure
  • Surrounding the pool are 60 cabana rooms with similar amenities and furnishings. They can be noisy, depending on how wild the partying becomes; that said, many guests find the proximity to the pool an asset.

 Features

The Roosevelt's highlights include three bars, two restaurants, and a terrific pool.

The fitness center is well equipped.
The fitness center is well equipped.

There's plenty to do at this iconic property. Three bars -- including Teddy's, which guests often can't get into -- complement two full-service restaurants, one of which is open 24 hours. The massive pool is busy, but not packed, at all hours. A relatively large fitness center has top-quality equipment and is well maintained. The historic lobby is a Hollywood Boulevard tourist sight in its own right.

  • Three bars, including one poolside
  • High-quality fitness center is free to guests and open 24 hours.
  • Large meeting spaces but no business center, just two computers and a printer for guest use at the front desk
  • No proper spa, but massages, which start at $145 per 50 minutes, can be arranged in an outdoor but secluded "massage garden."
  • Small boutique stocks souvenirs, candy, magazines, postcards, jewelry, sunglasses, and swimsuits.

 Pool

One of L.A.'s biggest pools also hosts internationally known DJs late into the night.

The large pool is festive day and night.
The large pool is festive day and night.

The massive 80-by-30-foot pool, featuring an underwater mural by British artist David Hockney, is a major draw not just for daytime lounging but also for nighttime debauchery. Before lunch, lithe twentysomethings lounge away the previous night's fun while slowly sipping cocktails. In the evening, groups rendezvous over beers to plan out the night's fun. Even later, big-name DJs and guest hosts like Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke keep the crowds -- including those who might be trying to sleep in their poolside rooms -- energized until 2 a.m.

 Family

The Roosevelt isn't a family hotel.

The Roosevelt's smaller-than-average rooms and focus on fine dining and late-night drinking make it a poor choice for families. The Magic Castle Hotel, just a block away, is much more family friendly.

 Cleanliness

Despite the party scene, the hotel is well kept.

My room and bathroom were in good shape, save the worn edges of the platform bed and desk. Public spaces were similarly well maintained. During my visit, one of the hotel's two elevators was out of service, leading to long waits that elicited much grumbling from guests.

 Food

Two restaurants and three bars fuel the party around the clock.

25 Degrees stays open 24 hours.
25 Degrees stays open 24 hours.

With both fine and casual dining restaurants as well as poolside food service, guests can eat around the clock at the Roosevelt. (Room service is available 24 hours a day too.) A poolside bar, a dimly lit cocktail den, and an exclusive nightclub round out the broad array of food and drink options.

  • 25 Degrees, a casual restaurant with an entrance on Hollywood Boulevard, is open 24 hours. Its supremely delicious hamburgers and almost-as-good omelettes have a cult following that extends well beyond the hotel.
  • The more formal steakhouse Dakota is open for dinner only, though there are plans to offer weekend brunch. Its small bar is better suited to waiting for a table than dining; there's live music on some nights.
  • The poolside bar Tropicana does a brisk business in $15 cocktails and cheaper beers. Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke has done two surprise DJ sets there; he's one of many international talents that drop in to power the party.
  • A much quieter and more refined scene can be found just off the historic lobby at the dimly lit Library Bar, where bartender Matthew Biancaniello crafts precious cocktails for mixology fanatics; small bites from Dakota's kitchen also available.
  • Teddy's, a nightclub and bar, is in the hotel but not operated by it. Unlike at the late-night lounges at the Standard Hollywood and Mondrian, where a room key doubles as a VIP pass, the door is so tight that even guests can't easily slip past the velvet rope.

 Bottom Line

This 300-room Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, literally an L.A. landmark, combines the shimmer of silver-screen history with a cutting-edge party scene centered around a massive pool and bar. A terrific casual restaurant is open 24 hours, and service is surprisingly good. The rooms, though well designed, are smaller than average for L.A.

Check Rates and Availability

Check-in:
Check-out:
Check Rates!
     
Opens one window per offer. Please disable pop-up blockers.

Awards

Hotel Features

Number of Rooms: 300
Pool: Yes
Fitness Center: Yes
Spa: Yes
Internet Access: Yes
Cribs: Yes
Advertisement

Hotel Information

Location: Hollywood/West Hollywood, Los Angeles
Phone: (323) 466-7000
Website: Official Site
Address: 7000 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90028
(See Map)

Travel Guide

Recently Viewed Hotels

Free Oyster Newsletter

Sign up now to receive:
  • Insider tips
  • New hotel alerts
Email:
Advertisement

Oyster Awarded This Hotel

We've visited hundreds of hotels. We slept in the beds and swam in the pools, and when we got home, we debated the pros and cons of every hotel and picked our favorites in a number of categories. Here's how this one stands out:

This Hotel Also Featured In

Hotels Similar to Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel

Thompson Beverly Hills

Thompson Beverly Hills

Sofitel Los Angeles

Sofitel Los Angeles

Hotel Palomar Los Angeles Westwood

Hotel Palomar Los Angeles Westwood

The Orlando

The Orlando

Things You Should Know About Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel

Address

  • 7000 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90028

Hotel Is Also Know As...

    • Hollywood Roosevelt Los Angeles
    • Roosevelt Hotel La
    • Hollywood Roosevelt
    • Roosevelt Hotel Los Angeles
    • Hotel Hollywood Roosevelt
    • Roosevelt Hotel
    • Roosevelt La
    • Hotel Roosevelt Los Angeles
    • Roosevelt Hotel California

Room Types

  • Marilyn Monroe Suite
  • Gable & Lombard Penthouse
  • Superior Queen or Two Double Room
  • Deluxe King or Two Queen Room
  • Junior King Suite
  • Cabana Gardenview Room
  • King Suite

Add a Comment

Add a Comment

Have you been to the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel? Did you agree with Oyster's review? Did we miss something?