You don't need to be a Los Angeles native to know the city's unparalleled influence on the contemporary culture and design world. With its iconic Hollywood Sign overlooking the American metropolis from the Santa Monica Mountains and artistic hotspots such as David Zwirner, Hauser & Wirth, Pace Gallery, and The Future Perfect's Goldwyn House firmly anchored in its fabric, there's no way for visitors to escape Los Angeles' boundary-pushing take on all things arts and interiors. This distinctive trait also permeates Cali's hotel design offerings as manifested in our edit of the best Los Angeles hotels for design aficionados.
Selected based on their winning combination of spectacular décor, strategic location, and equally outstanding amenities, these luxury hotels in Los Angeles are an uncannily accurate reflection of the city's contagious artistic microcosm and its sophisticated, soul-nourishing understanding of lifestyle. Plastered in floor-to-ceiling bespoke art installations and bearing the signature of some of the world's foremost architects and designers — from John Pawson, the ultimate authority on minimalism in interior design, to cult interiors innovator Kelly Wearstler — these are the best Los Angeles hotels to escape to this year.
1. Downtown L.A. Proper
1100 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90015, United States
It didn't take me more than a hot second to fall for the art-layered, modern eclectic atmosphere of Downtown L.A. Proper, an infectious example of maximalism in interior design courtesy of legendary designer Kelly Wearstler. Certainly one of the best Los Angeles hotels for style-savvy travelers, this 148-room, 13-story accommodation rises within a 1926, Renaissance Revival building originally conceived by architects Alexander Curlett and Claud Beelman. Characterized by nods to Mexican Adobe-style, earthy interiors, the hotel is a journey within the journey, incorporating the creative energy of Morocco, Portugal, France, and Mexico itself into a suggestive, tiled tapestry of influences. With ample, bright suites adorned with the finest modern rustic décor, the stay lets LA cool in, becoming yet another attraction on visitors' itineraries.
What else makes the Downtown L.A. Proper one of the best Los Angeles hotels?
Highlight: Besides boasting stunningly envisioned, mid-century modern furniture-filled rooms and a breathtaking, retro-inspired rooftop pool and sundeck, the Downtown L.A. Proper tempts vacationers with globe-trotting culinary inspirations thanks to its three restaurants and bars, including the eclectic Portuguese eatery Caldo Verde and the scenic Cara Cara, located at its top. But the real gem can be found on its seventh floor, where the hotel's 35-foot indoor swimming pool lends its stage to local artist Ben Medansky's spectacular ivory ceramic mosaic mural and a selection of equally enthralling paintings and sculptures standing out against its crystalline water.
Great for: Culture-driven tourists looking for a temporary base from which to dive into Los Angeles' captivating Arts District and the worldly pace of its Chinatown and Little Tokyo neighborhoods.
Book your stay at Downtown L.A. Proper
2. Regent Santa Monica Beach
1700 Ocean Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90401, United States
Looking for something fresh that no one else has experienced yet to add a touch of exclusiveness to your Los Angeles vacation? Look no further than the newly inaugurated Regent Santa Monica Beach. First unveiled last month, this effortlessly stylish, sun-filled accommodation is IHG Hotels & Resorts' reintroduction of the cult Regent name — known as the backdrop of the 1990 film Pretty Woman — to the luxurious LA hospitality scene. A stone's throw away from the iconic Santa Monica Pier, this recent opening caught my eye for its playful, cinematic interpretation of the quiet luxury trend.
From marble-drenched bathrooms complete with Art Deco design lighting to an atmospheric lobby punctuated by a sinuous, retro-futuristic succession of some of the best couches and sofas I have seen in a long time (interspersed with palm trees, of course), and a seafront pool deck caressed by the breeze of the Pacific Ocean, the Regent Santa Monica Beach elevates Los Angeles hospitality to new heights. As if its cream and wood-hued, dazzling looks weren't enough to hook me in, the stay was launched with imagery lensed by seasoned interiors photographer and connoisseur Tanveer Badal, whose great taste in design I had the chance to assess on a recent press trip this March, and consider a style "trustmark".
What else makes the Regent Santa Monica Beach one of the best Los Angeles hotels?
Highlight: The outdoor terrace of Michelin-starred celebrity Chef Michael Mina's on-site Mediterranean-inspired restaurant, Orla, and its golden, sea-view Hollywood-style bar make the hotel a standout destination.
Great for: Wellness-minded travelers eager to make the most of Regent Santa Monica Beach's expansive Guerlain Wellness spa.
Book your stay at Regent Santa Monica Beach.
3. The West Hollywood EDITION
9040 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069, United States
Vacationers and business travelers with a love of linear elegance will find their ultimate home away from home at the John Pawson-designed West Hollywood EDITION — one of Los Angeles' best luxury hotels for those seeking a strategic location that marries the city's identity with unmatched cosmopolitan flair. Here, trailing plants and the buttery marble-and-wood interiors of the minimalism trailblazer act as metaphors for the city's two faces; its inherent, yet complementary, "glamour and grittiness". With vertiginously high ceilings and just-as-wide windows catapulting travelers into the heart of the Californian metropolis from within its walls, the West Hollywood EDITION is the ideal accommodation from which to explore LA's urban jungle (and that's maybe why trailblazing artist Sterling Ruby's The Jungle (6208.3) serves as the stay's lobby centerpiece?
What else makes the West Hollywood EDITION one of the best Los Angeles hotels?
Highlight: Nestled at the intersection of West Sunset Boulevard and North Doheny Drive, where West Hollywood and Beverly Hills meet, the West Hollywood EDITION is a win-win for explorers.
Great for: Architecture and interiors-knowledgeable visitors with a taste for art and music and a soft spot for the lavish lifestyle.
Book your stay at the West Hollywood EDITION.
4. Casa Loma Beach Hotel
211 N Coast Hwy, Laguna Beach, CA 92651, United States
Traditionally, Americans have flocked to Europe to soak up the sunbaked ambience and body-reinvigorating cuisine of its vacation hotspots, including some of the slow living holiday destinations our editors love most. Well, the nature-inspired, whimsically designed interiors and outdoor areas of Casa Loma Beach Hotel, opened this summer, are striking enough to reverse that trend. Situated on the dramatically beautiful coast of Laguna Beach, this secluded getaway has recently landed to reinvent the "laidback Mallorcan mindset" through the lens of the spirited Californian coastal spirit. The brainchild of the Electric Bowery group, the accommodation's rooms and communal areas dissolve the boundaries between indoors and the outside thanks to its biophilic design-informed and foliage-filled spaces.
"The rocky cliffside of Laguna Beach and its laid-back charm provide a unique opportunity for hospitality designers," Stephanie Luk, Director of Interiors at the firm, tells me. "Pulling from Laguna Beach's creative heritage, our designs for Casa Loma feature a towering relief sculpture bathed in sunlight, bespoke screen-printed artwork and woven throws, and custom works that are enchantingly folkloric throughout the hotel." With rattan, wood, and plaster accents and flared leg furniture setting a relaxed, albeit inspiring, atmosphere, the Casa Loma Beach Hotel is one to put down on your books for a regenerating sojourn.
What else makes Casa Loma Beach Hotel one of the best Los Angeles hotels?
Highlight: Embracing the hotel's volumes as its canvas, Austin-based studio LAND has transformed every room of this accommodation into a platform for its fanciful sculpted reliefs and wall art.
Great for: Young groups of friends willing to explore Los Angeles beyond its most touristic attractions by venturing into Laguna Beach's spellbinding nature and sprawling art galleries, dining, and nightlife destinations.
Book your stay at Casa Loma Beach Hotel.
5. Hotel 850 SVB
850 N San Vicente Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069, United States
Located in Los Angeles' electrifying West Hollywood, Hotel 850 SVB is a hotel like no other. Created by hotelier Jeff Klein and brilliantly executed by acclaimed British designer Rita Konig, this truly unusual stay will give you a taste of residential life away from home (take a look at its 1918 bungalow façade and you'll instantly get what I mean). Valuing stylish comfort over the overstated opulence of many Los Angeles luxury hotels, each of its 23 rooms was created to grant travelers an intimate, personal experience, with patterned wallpapers, retro-inspired furnishings, and plush fabrics all thrown into the mix; much like at a family home. The same welcoming ambiance extends into its social areas, making the fruition of LA's breathtaking views even more enjoyable from both its rooftop terrace and living room.
What else makes Hotel 850 SVB one of the best Los Angeles hotels?
Highlight: Provided that no place feels like home, Hotel 850 SVB will have you experience Los Angeles like a real Los Angeleno, while also offering you fresh inspiration through its on-site collection of books, ceramics, and collectibles.
Great for: Families and couples keen to break away from traditional hotels' "structured" holiday experience to get a sense of what living in Los Angeles truly feels like, and vintage décor enthusiasts.
Book your stay at Hotel 850 SVB.
6. Avalon Hotel Beverly Hills
9400 W Olympic Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90212, United States
Everyone around me knows I am a sucker for vintage-inspired destinations, which is why I couldn't not include Avalon Hotel Beverly Hills in this edit of the best Los Angeles hotels. Housed within the city's quintessentially cinematic neighborhood, this quirky stay, originally opened in 1949 and revamped by prolific designer Kelly Wearstler, echoes memories of heyday Hollywood through its contemporarily revisited 1950s décor — a triumph of fantastical lines, shapes, and colors. Furnished with meticulously curated mid-century modern homewares, its 84 rooms take travelers back to the time when they housed A-list residents such as Marilyn Monroe, Mae West, Lucille Ball, and Desi Arnaz, while retaining the elegance expected of today's Los Angeles luxury hotels.
What else makes Avalon Hotel Beverly Hills one of the best Los Angeles hotels?
Highlight: Call me basic, but the boomerang-shaped outdoor pool of the Avalon Hotel Beverly Hills and its colorful, cabana-style patio is my definition of a summer dream. Come here during the hottest months and you'll even get to savor some of the delicacies of the stay's Viviane restaurant while sipping a drink poolside. Need I say more?
Great for: Cinephiles with an appetite for contemporary, imaginative luxury.
Book your stay at Avalon Hotel Beverly Hills.
7. Hotel June (West LA)
8639 Lincoln Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90045, United States
Hotel June is what every non-Los Angeles native imagines when thinking about the City of Angels: imbued with a beachy, California-casual aesthetic manifested across warm neutrals and unexpectedly colorful accents, the accommodation exudes the vibrancy of the region's sun-soaked lifestyle. Designed by award-winning architect Welton Becket, it leverages natural furnishings, light, and earthy tones to let LA's coastal energy shine through its interiors. While its rooms are far less ostentatiously sumptuous than those in most of the picks part of this best Los Angeles hotels roundup, Hotel June's irreverent, animated design — including original commissions by Can't Leave Without protagonist, multidisciplinary Alex Proba — is a joy to immerse yourself in, as is its soulful, thriving pool deck complete with loungers and fire pits.
What else makes Hotel June West LA one of the best Los Angeles hotels?
Highlight: In many ways, Hotel June is a celebration of California's intersection of cultures, as shown by the all-day, tantalizing menu offering, inspired by a "road trip from Santa Barbara to Northern Baja, Mexico". And what better way to familiarize yourself with the city than taking a bite of its converging gastronomic traditions?
Great for: Travelers seeking a creative, dynamic retreat from the hustle and bustle of the city.
8. The Georgian Hotel
1415 Ocean Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90401, United States
A cherished Art Deco landmark dating from 1933, Santa Monica's Georgian Hotel has witnessed the city grow and morph for nearly a century. Imbued with the charm and oceanfront luxury of old Hollywood, this characterful accommodation's iconic turquoise façade and immersive interior elements have been recently restored to their former glory by the Fettle Design group. Fusing Art Deco elegance with elevated contemporary touches, including start-of-the-art, suffused lighting fixtures, and the finest choice of materials, staying at the Georgian Hotel will feel like stepping into the setting of one of your favorite old-school films.
What else makes the Georgian Hotel one of the best Los Angeles hotels?
Highlight: From the refined upholstery and quirky eccentricity of the rooms' furnishings to its Great Gatsby-esque feathered, round bar and seafront Italian-Californian culinary fusion, the Georgian Hotel is a feast for all senses.
Great for: Nostalgia-led, cinema-minded tourists dreaming of stepping into their fantasy world, even if just for a night.
Book your stay at the Georgian Hotel.
9. Palihouse West Hollywood
8384 W 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90048, United States
A seasoned boutique favorite, Palihouse West Hollywood has become synonymous with eclectic design. Combining bohemian charm with European-inspired interiors, this all-suite hotel offers spacious accommodations with fully equipped kitchens, vintage-inspired furnishings, and bold colors. Designed to feel like a home, not a hotel, Palihouse's design emphasizes lived-in luxury with handpicked art, lush textures, and layered décor. The Lobby Lounge serves as a social hub with a stylish, club-like feel, offering a menu of craft cocktails and comfort food. Meanwhile, its scenic rooftop terrace provides sweeping views of the city and an ideal perspective from which to spot key hotspots to add to your itinerary.
What else makes Palihouse West Hollywood one of the best Los Angeles hotels?
Highlight: It's in the name: Palihouse West Hollywood does "home away from home" like no one else in the city — besides Hotel 850 SVB, that is. SMEG fridges in a hotel room? You've got my vote.
Great for: Travelers with an appreciation of all things retro décor searching for a comfortable, and unpretentious, refreshing stay.
Book your stay at Palihouse West Hollywood.
10. Cara Hotel
1730 N Western Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027, United States
Tucked away in Los Feliz, Cara Hotel is a serene oasis known for its tranquil design and natural beauty, manifesting in a triumph of whitewash, flowy linen curtains, and thriving vegetation. Set around a courtyard filled with olive trees, fountains, and lush greenery, Cara offers a peaceful retreat from LA's frenzy. Powered by Bishop Pass, the hotel's design emphasizes organic materials, with elegantly minimalist, spacious rooms that open onto private patios, inviting nature inside. With an on-site restaurant focused on seasonal produce, Cara Hotel allows guests to enjoy all of the eatery's offerings in the open-air courtyard, adding another note to the accommodation's sensory-led experience.
What else makes Cara Hotel one of the best Los Angeles hotels?
Highlight: I hate being repetitive but... the inner courtyard (captured above) is a real-world fairytale.
Great for: Travelers interested in a relaxation-oriented, soul, body, and mind-revitalizing holiday home.
