Finding a hotel or accommodation in a massive city such as Los Angeles can be quite a task, especially for first-time visitors. Your first instinct would probably be Downtown LA (DTLA), but unfortunately unless you’re in town for business, I probably wouldn’t recommend staying in DTLA. Instead, have a browse through West Hollywood, Beverly Hills or Santa Monica.
Here are some of top hotels based on locations:
West Hollywood
The vibrant area of We-Ho is as good as you can get when you want to have a walkable shopping & dining experience around Los Angeles, which is a rare thing for LA. Surrounded by bustling cafes (WeHo has some of the best coffee shops in town), restaurants, rooftop bars and fitness centers (think Cycle House, Rise Nation and all things alike). Main streets in We-Ho are Sunset Boulevard, Santa Monica Boulevard and Melrose Avenue.
- The London West Hollywood
- Chamberlain West Hollywood
- Chateau Marmont
- Mondrian Los Angeles Hotel
- Palihouse West Hollywood
- The Charlie Hotel (Bungalow style accommodation)

Beverly Hills
Known as a neighborhood for the rich and famous, it’s no surprise when hotels in this area are priced quite high. If you check out SIXTY Beverly Hills or Crescent Hotel BH below though they’re priced quite reasonably in comparison to other luxury hotels such as the Four Seasons.
- Beverly Wilshire Beverly Hills (A Four Seasons Hotel)
- Viceroy L’Ermitage Beverly Hills
- Montage Beverly Hills
- SIXTY Beverly Hills
- Crescent Hotel Beverly Hills
Be mindful of some hotels that would call themselves a hotel located in ‘Beverly Hills’ as sometimes it’s close to Beverly Hills but not really walking distance to the center of Beverly Hills (for example Rodeo Drive)

Santa Monica
Talk about rooms with Ocean View! A number of hotels in Santa Monica Beach or Venice Beach have incredible ocean view rooms which will give you a taste of a true California living.
- Shutters On The Beach
- Huntley Santa Monica Beach
- Viceroy Santa Monica
- Le Meridian Delfina Santa Monica
- Palihouse Santa Monica

Hotels in LA are generally quite pricey (minimum of $250 / night per standard room) so if you’re on a budget but still wants to stay in a ‘nice place’, Airbnb or HomeAway would be the next best thing and it could save you a lot of $$$.
Here are some examples of stunning vacation homes in Los Angeles that are not as pricey as you may think:

An Airbnb listing in West Hollywood featuring a cabana accommodation for 2 people for $109 / night (sample date in Mid- November).

A luxurious ocean view 3-Bedroom vacation home sleeps up to 7 people, just steps away from Venice Beach listed at $700/night. Listing from HomeAway (Rental No: 512578vb)

A stunning 3-Bedroom Hollywood Hills Villa on Lauren Canyon looking over Los Angeles is listed at $899, sleeps up to 6 people. Find the listing on HomeAway (Rental No: 935476)

Stunning 5-Bedroom Hollywood Hills property above is listed for $762 / night and sleeps up to 10 people, that comes to only $76/person, much cheaper than staying in a standard hotel room! Find the listing at HomeAway (Rental No: 869890vb)
If you are traveling with a large group or family, staying in a vacation home would do everyone wonders because you get the entire home complete with your own living room, kitchen and even a private pool! Totally worth every penny for the experience!