Sunset Tower Hotel

Character and identity

A 15-floor Art Deco tower rising above the palms of central Hollywood, this 81-room hotel began life in 1929 as an apartment building (Howard Hughes, Marilyn Monroe and Frank Sinatra all lived here) before Jeff Klein took it over in 2004. Rooms run across 12 categories with floor-to-ceiling city views, dressed in neutrals, rosewood and brass. The wood-panelled Tower Bar, set inside Bugsy Siegel's old apartment, draws an industry crowd for steaks; The Terrace handles poolside huevos rancheros by day. Service has a discreet, old-school polish, and a strict no-photo policy keeps the room calm.

Who's it for

Bottom line

The draw here is atmosphere: an Art Deco landmark run with insider polish, where the Tower Bar and a discreet maitre d' do most of the heavy lifting. Book it if you want to feel plugged into Hollywood rather than insulated from it. Splurge on a higher category for the bathroom and the view, and angle for a weekend when the industry crowd thins.