Editorial score of 8.3 of 10, the composite average of the three factors above (Rooms, Service, Location). Method at our methodology page. Affiliate disclosure: booking links may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you, and never change our verdict.
Why stay at the Godfrey Hotel Hollywood?
You stay here for the outdoor amenities and the price that comes with them. The Godfrey opened in August 2021 on the corner of Cahuenga Boulevard, and it arrived with more open-air space than almost anything else in Hollywood proper: two pools, a 24-hour gym, and the seventh-floor I|O Rooftop, a 12,000 square foot indoor and outdoor venue that the hotel bills as the largest public rooftop in the neighbourhood. That rooftop is the reason to book. It has a swimming pool, two bars, fire pits, a very large projection video wall and a sweep of view that runs from the Hollywood Sign across to Downtown and, on a clear day, out toward the ocean. For a neighbourhood that has historically underserved guests who simply want a good pool and a drink with a view, the Godfrey answers a real gap.
The rest of the hotel is honest, contemporary and unpretentious rather than design-led. The lobby restaurant, ALK, is a genuine kitchen rather than a token amenity, and the Cahuenga address keeps you a half block off the busiest, most crowded stretch of Hollywood Boulevard while leaving the Walk of Fame, the TCL Chinese Theatre and the Dolby Theatre within an easy walk. Set your expectations for a well-run lifestyle hotel that spends its budget on the roof and the pools rather than on marble and thread count, and the Godfrey does exactly what it sets out to do at a rate the five-star addresses cannot touch.
What are the best rooms to request?
Request a higher-floor room facing the Hollywood Hills and treat the rooftop as your living room, because the guest rooms here are comfortable rather than the reason to book. The 220 rooms are built around one king or two queen beds, with quality linens, Illy coffee, a working desk and clean contemporary finishes, and the upper floors lift you clear of the street noise and open the view north toward the hills without a premium category. The two-queen configurations suit friends and small groups, while the kings cover the solo traveller and the couple, which is most of who stays here. There is no large suite programme, so the honest move is to book the best-positioned room rather than to chase a category that does not really exist.
One honest caveat: this is a lifestyle hotel, not a design landmark, so the rooms read as current and functional rather than distinctive, and a few lower or interior-facing rooms trade the hills view for a wall or a light well. Cahuenga and the surrounding blocks can be loud late on weekends, and the rooftop crowd is part of the building's energy, so light sleepers should ask for a room away from the venue floors. Name a high floor with a hills outlook, and the room does its job well.
Guests get the smoothest access to the I|O Rooftop, which sells out to the public on warm weekends, so head up early for a lounger and go back at dusk for the projection wall and the skyline. Ask the desk for a room on a high floor facing the Hollywood Hills, and book a table at ALK on your first night before the rooftop fills.
What is the dining and the bar scene like?
Dining is stronger than the price point suggests. The ground-floor restaurant is ALK, short for About Last Knife, an all-day room built around premium fish and meat and California produce, with a bar that works equally for a working lunch and a longer dinner. It gives the Godfrey a proper kitchen of its own rather than the grab-and-go counter many Hollywood hotels settle for. The centre of the social operation, though, is upstairs. The I|O Rooftop runs two bars across its indoor and outdoor space, so the venue can flex from a daytime pool bar to a full evening scene, and the 70-foot projection wall and fire pits give it a genuine after-dark identity. Between the lobby restaurant and the roof you can eat and drink well through the day without leaving the building.
What about the pools and the fitness centre?
The pools are the Godfrey's defining amenity. The hotel has two, including the pool set into the I|O Rooftop, which is unusual for a Hollywood hotel of this size and the main reason the property scores as well as it does on the things guests actually use. Loungers, cabana-style seating and the two rooftop bars turn the pool deck into a destination in its own right, popular enough that it draws day guests as well as those staying. Alongside the pools there is a 24-hour fitness centre, complimentary WiFi throughout and a complimentary bike programme for exploring the flat blocks of central Hollywood. There is no full destination spa on site, which fits the hotel's lifestyle positioning; the pools and the roof carry the amenity load.
Signature amenities
On Cahuenga, off Hollywood Boulevard
Central Hollywood, one block off Hollywood Boulevard · near the Walk of Fame and the Metro B Line
What's nearby
- Hollywood Walk of Fame
Stars & boulevard2 min walk - Pantages Theatre
Broadway shows6 min walk - TCL Chinese Theatre
Film landmark10 min walk - Dolby Theatre
Academy Awards venue11 min walk - Hollywood/Vine Metro
B Line to Downtown4 min walk
The rooftop, the rooms, ALK
Exterior
Guest room
I|O Rooftop
ALKHow does the Godfrey compare with the other Hollywood hotels?
Against the Hollywood field, the Godfrey is the value-and-rooftop pick rather than the design or heritage choice, and the decision turns on what you want most. The Hollywood Roosevelt is the 1927 landmark with the David Hockney Tropicana Pool and a century of film history built into the walls. The Hollywood Grande, Autograph Collection is the design-led boutique a few blocks over, with Tara Bernerd interiors and the Bar Lis rooftop. W Hollywood is the larger scene hotel at Hollywood and Vine, built for the party and sitting on top of the Metro. The Godfrey's own trade-off is that its rooms are standard rather than distinctive, and its address, while central, is firmly inside the tourist boulevard.
| Hotel | Style | Best for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Godfrey Hotel Hollywood | Rooftop-led lifestyle hotel | Two pools, rooftop scene, value | Standard rooms; tourist-strip bustle |
| Hollywood Roosevelt | 1927 Hollywood landmark | History, Hockney pool, design | Older building; variable rooms |
| The Hollywood Grande, Autograph Collection | Design boutique off the boulevard | Interiors, Bar Lis rooftop | Higher rates; smaller scale |
| W Hollywood | Large scene hotel at Hollywood & Vine | Nightlife, WET Deck pool, transit | Bigger, louder, less intimate |
Frequently asked questions
When did the Godfrey Hotel Hollywood open and how many rooms does it have?
The Godfrey Hotel Hollywood opened in August 2021 at 1400 Cahuenga Boulevard and has 220 rooms. It is a contemporary lifestyle hotel run under the Godfrey Hotels brand, with rooms configured around one king or two queen beds rather than a large suite programme.
What is the I|O Rooftop at the Godfrey Hotel Hollywood?
I|O Rooftop sits on the seventh floor and is billed as the largest public rooftop venue in Hollywood, spanning about 12,000 square feet. It combines indoor and outdoor space with a swimming pool, two bars, fire pits, a large projection video wall and wide views from the Hollywood Sign to Downtown and, on clear days, the ocean.
Does the Godfrey Hotel Hollywood have a pool and a restaurant?
Yes. The hotel has two pools, including the pool on the I|O Rooftop, plus a 24-hour fitness centre. Its main restaurant is ALK (About Last Knife), a ground-floor all-day room built around premium fish and meat and California produce, and the rooftop bars handle drinks and lighter plates.
Where is the Godfrey Hotel Hollywood located?
The hotel is at 1400 Cahuenga Boulevard in Hollywood, a short walk from the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the TCL Chinese Theatre and the Dolby Theatre. Its Cahuenga entrance keeps it a step off the busiest stretch of Hollywood Boulevard while staying within the tourist and studio district.
Is the Godfrey Hotel Hollywood good value?
For the amenity depth it is one of the stronger value picks in Hollywood proper. Two pools, a large rooftop venue and a real restaurant sit at a boutique rather than a five-star rate. The trade-off is that the rooms are comfortable and contemporary rather than design-led, and the rooftop draws an outside crowd on weekends.
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