Oscars 2019: 7 of the best hotels in Los Angeles

With the Oscars just around the corner, there's never been a better time to sample LA's hottest digs

The Freehand hotel has all the components for a perfect staycation: including a rooftop pool and bar (Frank Lee)

LA is truly massive, a sprawl of separate cities connected by the winding tentacles of ridiculously wide freeways. The downside of this is that travel times between areas can be long but the payoff is a colourful variety of neighbourhoods, from blissful beaches to the glamour of Beverly Hills. Unsurprisingly, LA’s hotels are equally diverse, catering for every kind of trip imaginable. And with the 2019 Oscars taking place on 25 February, it’s a great excuse to hunker down for a stay. Whether you’re looking to party on the rooftops or just chill out by the beach, these are my go-to LA hotels.

Best for bunking up: The Freehand

Neighbourhood: Downtown

Times are good at Broken Shaker, the poolside cocktail bar on the roof of the Freehand (Frank Lee)

Once a fairly boring centre for finance and conferences, Downtown LA is now happening again, with great restaurants, boutique stores and a vibrant arts district all within a few blocks so you can actually walk everywhere. In the heart of the action is The Freehand, a smart hostel/hotel mashup offering spacious suites as well as shared bunk rooms – perfect if you’re with a group of mates. A bunk also allows access to a shared kitchen, although with an excellent Israeli restaurant in-house, as well as the poolside cocktail bar Broken Shaker on the roof, cooking may be the last thing on your mind. There’s also a programme of regular events and DJs as well as the Flowerboy pop-up shop selling fresh flowers and vintage knick-knacks.

Doubles from $229 and shared bunks from $55, room only
freehandhotels.com

Best for location: LINE LA

Neighbourhood: Koreatown

Astonishing views of the Hollywood Hills come as standard (Chase Daniel)

Despite its reputation for ubiquitous car use, LA actually has a fairly decent subway – the best part is that no one really uses it so it’s usually nice and quiet. The LINE in Koreatown is one of my favourite hotels in LA, partly because it’s right opposite a subway station, and partly because it’s near loads of incredible Korean restaurants. The hotel itself is a designer’s dream with exposed concrete walls, modern furniture, original artworks, and floor-to-ceiling windows that frame the Hollywood Hills. There are also some supremely spacious apartment suites if you’re planning a longer stay. The hotel has recently revamped its restaurants too, bringing Michelin-starred chef Josiah Citrin on board to offer a menu of sun-kissed California classics, best enjoyed at the poolside Openaire restaurant, a gorgeous foliage-filled greenhouse. Most fun of all though is the hotel’s Break Room 86, a retro-themed space featuring karaoke rooms, live bands, a dancefloor and boozy push pops.

Doubles from $240, room only
thelinehotel.com

Best for being a rock star: Gold Diggers

Neighbourhood: East Hollywood

Each of the 11 apartment-sized rooms at Gold Diggers has a different vibe (Pablo Enriquez)

Now this one is a LOT of fun. Gold Diggers, which opened in September 2018, is a boutique hotel, late-night bar and fully functioning recording studio all in one. Located on the site of a former rehearsal space and sound stage in East Hollywood, the place has been brought back to its former glory, with each of the 11 apartment-sized rooms designed in a different vibe, much like the tracks on an album. Andrew Savage, singer of the band Parquet Courts, has designed a unique artwork for each room, and instead of a welcome mint, each guest gets a custom 12in LP created by Gold Diggers music supervisor Justin Gage. The bar has already become an LA hotspot, hosting regular bands and DJs, and if you want to live out your your rock star fantasies the “Record and Sleep” package includes studio time with your stay.

Doubles from $130, room only
gold-diggers.com

Best for writing a novel: Hotel Covell

Neighbourhood: Los Feliz

Each of the nine suites at the Hotel Covell features a writing desk and kitchenette, making them ideal for longer stays (Bethany Nauert)

As The Shining taught us, hibernating in a hotel to write your next masterpiece doesn’t always turn out as planned. But surely even Jack Torrance could have escaped his writer’s block if only he’d checked into Hotel Covell, a beautiful boutique property with nine suites each themed after a chapter of novelist George Covell’s life. The rooms, such as Chapter 3 – Paris Atelier, are gorgeous, and with spacious living areas, kitchenettes and writing desks, they’re ideal for a longer LA stay where creativity is key. Downstairs, the hotel’s own Bar Covell has a superb wine list as well as cheese boards and seasonal small plates.

Rooms from $295, room only
hotelcovell.com

Best for beach vibes: The Surfrider Malibu

Neighbourhood: Malibu

Rooms at the Surfrider Malibu feature an outdoor terrace with loungers, dining area and a hammock (M.K Sadler)

If you want maximum beach time then it makes sense to stay near the sand – and at Surfrider Malibu you can do just that. Located across from Surfrider Beach, this place is like a living Instagram account, with white clapboard walls, sleek modern furniture, plenty of indoor plants and the odd artfully placed surfboard. Rooms feature a kitchenette and an outdoor terrace complete with loungers, dining area and a hammock to catch the epic Malibu sunset. It would be easy to lose weeks here just pottering back and forth between the beach and the hotel’s roof deck for dinner and cocktails.

Rooms from $350, room only
thesurfridermalibu.com

Best for celeb spotting: The Beverly Hills Hotel

Neighbourhood: Beverly Hills

You’re sure to spot some famous faces over lunch at the Beverly Hills Hotel’s Polo Lounge (The Beverly Hills Hotel)

No stay in LA would be complete without immersing yourself in the hangouts of the rich and the famous, even if just for a night. Welcome, then, to The Hotel California, as the Eagles christened it. It’s better known, of course, as The Beverly Hills Hotel, an LA landmark that’s been the playground of A-list actors and rock stars for decades. Decked out in millennial pink long before anyone could conceive of such a thing, this place is all about classic comforts, with a range of luxurious suites and private bungalows dotted throughout the lush grounds. Be pampered at the on-site spa and, if you’re going stargazing, stop for lunch at the Polo Lounge, where you’ll almost certainly spot a familiar face or two.

Doubles from $545, room only
dorchestercollection.com

Best for hotel dining: NoMad Los Angeles

Neighbourhood: Downtown

The NoMad Los Angeles, which occupies the renovated neoclassical Bank of Italy building, is one of LA’s most sophisticated stays (Benoit Linero)

If, like me, you judge a hotel by its food offering, then the NoMad Los Angeles has an ace up its sleeve: a restaurant run by Daniel Humm of New York’s Eleven Madison Park, currently fourth on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants league table. For breakfast you can potter downstairs for duck sausage and eggs and for dinner you can have the legendary whole roast chicken covered in foie gras and black truffle – a better bird you will not find anywhere else. The hotel, set in the renovated neoclassical Bank of Italy building, is as classy as the food, with ornate golden ceilings, marble floors and Doric columns. With a rooftop pool, an art gallery and a pop-up shop, this is one of LA’s most sophisticated stays.

Doubles from $315, room only
thenomadhotel.com

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