Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel Rating: 4.0 Pearls

Hollywood, Los Angeles, California

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 airy, candelit Bridge restaurant.

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 an experience similar to other trendy L.A. hotels like 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.) Added to the teeming nightlife of the Roosevelt in 2011 are The Spare Room--touted as a modern day gambling and cocktail lounge--and Beacher's Madhouse--a Vaudeville inspired theater with nightly variety acts ranging from firebreathers and contortionists to live animals and burlesque. Hedonist's dream or nightmare, you decide. Those caveats aside, many guests choose to stay at the Roosevelt specifically for the 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.

At the pool, drinks come quickly.

Despite Thompson Hotels' reputation for spotty service, everyone from the valets and front desk to waiters and housekeepers were warm and helpful.

• A concierge, on duty daily, 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, 25 Degrees restaurant is also open 24 hours a day and the newly opened Public Kitchen and Bar is open daily.
• Fee for valet parking

View on a Larger Map

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 a 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.

The King Superior Room

At 300 square feet, the king superior room in the main tower is 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 to Frette bath robes.

• King-size bed with high-quality Sferra linens, a nice duvet, and four pillows
• Large flat-screen LG TV
• iPod docks in every room
• Ample minibar stocked with Dean & Deluca treats
• Frette robes
• Fee for Wi-Fi
• Bathrooms in the main tower are small -- this is an 80-plus-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

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. The hotel also has the vintage-inspired Spare Room, complete with two-lane bowling alley (which carries a hefty per hour per lane pricetag) and cocktail lounge filled with games.

• Beacher's Madhouse, a vaudeville-inspired theater, with nightly variety acts ranging from firebreathers and contortionists to live animals and burlesque.
• Two full-service restaurants
• Three bars, including one poolside
• The Spare Room, a modern-day parlor, offers old-fashioned fun with a wooden bowling alley, backgammon tables, cocktails, photobooth, and food menu.
• 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 can be arranged in an outdoor but secluded "massage garden."
• Small boutique stocks souvenirs, candy, magazines, postcards, jewelry, sunglasses, and swimsuits.

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.

Surrounding the pool are 60 cabanas that were completely renovated in 2012. However, they can be noisy, depending on how wild the partying becomes; that said, many guests find the proximity to the pool an asset.

The Roosevelt's smaller-than-average rooms, 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.

Rooms and bathrooms are in good shape, save the worn edges of the platform bed and desk. Public spaces are similarly well maintained.

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, modern gaming lounge, vaudeville theater 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.
• Public Kitchen and Bar serves up American fare from lamb t-bone to spice duck steak. Hours are not as flexible as 25 Degrees with Monday through Thursday service available from around 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., and until midnight Friday and Saturday.
• The poolside bar Tropicana does a brisk business in 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 also available from the Library Bar kitchen.
• 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.
• The Spare Room--opened in February 2011--is the Roosevelt's take on a modern gaming lounge and is fully equiped with vintage bowling lanes and other rustic gaming paraphernalia.
• The theatrical Beacher's Madhouse, which serves cocktails and small plates, attempts to bring a touch of the '20s Vaudeville scene to the Roosevelt, because this place wasn't hopping enough. Acrobats and impersonators are just some of the featured acts. This ode to freakshow will be members only starting February 2013. Here's to hoping the public will always be able to see the antics this place serves up.