The London, West Hollywood is an amazing hotel located just off the Sunset Strip on San Vicente Boulevard. Our first ever stay in Los Angeles had to be at a truly unique hotel and the London did not disappoint.
Based on a recommendation from Fleur De Force, we booked in for a night before we headed out to Desert Trip. With brilliant help from Megan, online and on the phone we booked two London Crown Suites for the night. We booked directly with great customer service online and on the ‘phone with additional support from the concierge team who helped me with a bunch of ‘first timer’ questions.
Where Exactly Is The London Hotel West Hollywood Located?
The London hotel is situated as West Hollywood and Beverly Hills merge, pretty much of Sunset Boulevard. For this our location was perfect – the rooftop pool had views down onto Sunset Strip, and the world famous Viper Rooms and Whisky a GoGo clubs. Around the corner are the Rainbow and Roxy clubs, making that four icons in one less than one block.
We had picked this hotel for two reasons. First, we had a recommendation from a vlogger (who says influencers don’t work?) and because part of this LA trip was a musical pilgrimage for me. I wanted to see the sights made famous by Hotel California, Joni Mitchell, and the late 60’s music scene.
The Rooms
We’d booked the London Crown Suites to give ourselves some extra room and comfort. What we hadn’t realized was just how big they actually were! These spacious suites had two double beds, a full sized sofa and seating area, a small kitchenette, plus a vast bathroom with soak tub and plentiful wardrobe space. Like our rooms at the Marriott Palm Springs, we could have fitted all three of us into just one room (but we weren’t complaining!).
Our room was on a corner which meant it was super quiet and gave us almost panoramic views of LA from two different picture windows. We could look out to the few skyscrapers and down to the private terrace that looked cool. Good wifi (I can’t remember if it was free) and a flat-screen TV (that we didn’t watch) topped off the suite.
The Amenities
When we checked in, the wonderful lady on reception asked if we wanted to know more about the amenities. In an embarrassing clash of cultures, I wasn’t sure what ‘a-men-itites’ meant, as we Brits pronounce it ‘ameeenities’, but after a quick stumble we asked to know more. I promise I was paying attention as she took us around the key sites, all with a very British Interior design from David Collins.
Downstairs the reception rooms had been made to look British with an American flavour.
The decor was bright white with subtle tones and a number of bulldogs dotted around. These weren’t real dogs (but you can bring them to the hotel), instead, they were the hotel’s emblem. A British bulldog in Los Angeles…
As you might expect in Hollywood, The London had its own cinema for private showings, which I was dying to have a look at!
A large breakfast room awaited us downstairs whilst on the roof, you could find the Boxwood restaurant and bar, and the pool.
Did We Mention the Rooftop Pool?
Coming from a cold climate, we aren’t used to seeing swimming pools on the roof. Only in LA, maybe! We got in late on our first night and left early the next day so we couldn’t fully enjoy the full rooftop pool experience. What we did see of it looked beautiful. Plenty of space, plenty of loungers and sunshade with a beautiful pool and enviable views across the city.
After a quick freshen up we met for drinks at the Rockwood Bar on the roof. The drinks menu had us super excited. Not only was there a great selection of unique cocktails but their names were truly rock & roll!
Dinner was also on the roof. We’d managed to pick the coldest day LA had seen in months so the restaurant was quiet, but we still enjoyed a wonderful selection of fresh dishes with Asian flavours. We enjoyed watching the sunset and the lights come up across the city.
The Clientele
This is Hollywood so the hotel was full of people ‘in the industry’. As a movie lover myself, I couldn’t help but smile at the conversations happening all around us. Were they discussing the next Blockbuster smash or pitching a new idea to Netflix? The tables were too well placed to hear anything indiscreet but I still got a kick out of just being in amongst it all!
The Service
From our arrival, we were made very welcome with a quick check in and straight up to our rooms. The Luggage guy (bell boy?) helped us understand the hotel and a bit about LA and explained we’d arrived in a cold spell (great!)
We were looked after well, before and during our stay making it a memorable first hotel. We hope to stay at the London, again on our next trip.
Read about more of our travels: Chateau Marmont | JW Marriott Desert Springs
