Editorial score of 9.0 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 Sunset Tower on the Sunset Strip?
You stay at the Sunset Tower for the building and the room it holds at the bottom of it. This is a 1929 Art Deco landmark on the actual Sunset Strip, its cast-concrete friezes of plants, animals and mythological figures as extravagant now as when they were finished, and it opened as a luxury apartment building whose residents ran from Howard Hughes to John Wayne to Frank Sinatra. The hotel has absorbed that mythology rather than simply trading on it. Jeff Klein and the JK Hotel Group acquired the property in 2004 and led the restoration that returned it to luxury status, and the result is a small, characterful address that still functions as the unofficial Hollywood industry hotel.
Set your expectations correctly and the Sunset Tower is very good at what it is. This is an 81-room boutique built around character, a rooftop and one of the best bars in the city, not a full-service resort with a spread of restaurants and a destination spa the size of a wing. The rooms are individual and design-led, the service is discreet rather than performed, and the Tower Bar downstairs is a genuine reason to book on its own. For a couple, a solo trip or a group that wants the Strip with adult infrastructure, it is a distinctive and often more interesting choice than a larger Beverly Hills five-star.
What are the best rooms to request?
Request a high floor facing the Strip and, if the budget allows, one of the suites, because the building's apartment origins are what make these rooms worth choosing. There are 81 rooms and suites, and because the floor plans do not conform to the standardised grid of a modern hotel, each one feels individual. Many have floor-to-ceiling windows with views down the Strip or over the city toward the Pacific, and the higher you go the more of Los Angeles reads back at you. The design is restrained Art Deco revival, warm tones, clean lines and period-appropriate millwork, with contemporary additions like Nespresso machines and oversized soaking tubs layered onto original bones. The top-floor penthouse, originally Frank Sinatra's apartment, is the flagship.
One honest caveat: because this is a restored 1929 tower rather than a new build, the rooms vary in size and layout, and a few of the entry categories are more modest than the hotel's reputation might suggest. This is character over uniformity, so it pays to name your preference for a higher floor and a Strip view at booking rather than leaving it to the allocation. Treat the room as an individual, design-led base for the Tower Bar and the Strip below, book as high as the rate allows, and there is very little to fault.
Book the Tower Bar well ahead, especially in awards season from mid-January into March, when it is one of the harder dinner reservations in the city. Ask for a high Strip-facing room for sunset, and use the concierge for the surrounding West Hollywood doors, as the team has relationships across the neighbourhood.
What is the dining and the bar scene like?
Dining here is really about one exceptional room. The Tower Bar and Restaurant is the hotel's centre of gravity, a Hollywood industry institution serving California cuisine with French and Italian influence, and it works on two registers: the discreet booth lunch that the entertainment business runs on, and the dinner that is genuinely one of the better rooms in the city, where sitting at the right table still means something. The bar itself, with its dark wood panelling and long run of leather, plus a redesigned indoor-outdoor terrace, is where the evening starts. It is a destination restaurant that happens to sit inside a hotel, which is exactly the combination that makes the Sunset Tower punch above its 81-room scale. Beyond the Tower Bar the food offer is deliberately compact, so plan a wider West Hollywood dinner itinerary if you want variety across a longer stay.
Does it have a pool and a spa?
Yes, and both are real amenities rather than tokens. There is a heated rooftop pool with panoramic views over the Strip and the city, quieter than the bar and all the better for it, and the Joanna Vargas Spa on site for facials and treatments. The gym is unusually generous for a hotel this size, roughly 7,000 square feet set in what was once John Wayne's apartment, so guests who keep a routine are well served. This is not the multi-room thermal spread of a large resort, but for a boutique on the Sunset Strip the wellness offer is comfortably above expectation.
Signature amenities
On the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood
Sunset Strip · West Hollywood
What's nearby
- The Comedy Store
Comedy landmark2 min walk - The Roxy Theatre
Live music venue5 min walk - Chateau Marmont
Sunset Strip icon5 min walk - Sunset Plaza
Shops & cafes9 min walk - Beverly Hills
Rodeo Drive15 min drive
The tower, the rooms, the rooftop
Facade
Strip-view room
Rooftop pool
Tower BarHow does the Sunset Tower compare with other West Hollywood hotels?
Against the West Hollywood field, the Sunset Tower is the Art Deco and industry-bar choice, and the decision comes down to what you want the stay to feel like. Chateau Marmont is the more mythologised neighbour a few blocks west, built around bungalows and a hands-off, privacy-first culture rather than polished service. 1 Hotel West Hollywood is the modern, nature-forward alternative above the Strip, with the best rooftop pool view in the neighbourhood and a full spread of amenities. The Beverly Hills Hotel is the classic pink-palace icon a short drive away for those who want gardens over the Strip. The Sunset Tower's own trade-off is scale: nobody matches its Tower Bar or its Art Deco bones, but it is an 81-room boutique without the resort breadth of a larger property.
| Hotel | Style | Best for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunset Tower Hotel | 1929 Art Deco Strip landmark | Tower Bar, character, rooftop | Small scale; compact dining |
| Chateau Marmont | Mythologised bungalow hideaway | Privacy, creative-industry culture | Hands-off service; dated by design |
| 1 Hotel West Hollywood | Modern nature-forward tower | Rooftop pool view, spa, amenities | Contemporary, not historic |
| The Beverly Hills Hotel | Bungalow icon in the hills | Gardens, Polo Lounge, privacy | Away from the Strip; premium rates |
Frequently asked questions
When did the Sunset Tower open and what is the building?
Sunset Tower is a 1929 Art Deco landmark at 8358 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip. It opened as a luxury apartment building whose residents included Howard Hughes, John Wayne and Frank Sinatra, and it was restored to a hotel after Jeff Klein and the JK Hotel Group acquired it in 2004.
How many rooms does the Sunset Tower have?
There are 81 rooms and suites, small by Los Angeles luxury standards. The building's apartment origins mean the floor plans vary room to room, and many have floor-to-ceiling windows over the Strip or the city, with the top-floor penthouse originally Frank Sinatra's apartment.
What is the Tower Bar at the Sunset Tower?
The Tower Bar and Restaurant is the hotel's signature room, a Hollywood industry institution serving California cuisine with French and Italian influence. It is a celebrated dinner reservation, busiest during awards season, and the indoor-outdoor terrace bar is one of the more sought-after seats in Los Angeles.
Does the Sunset Tower have a pool and a spa?
Yes. There is a heated rooftop pool with panoramic Strip and city views, and the Joanna Vargas Spa on site, along with a large gym set in what was once John Wayne's apartment. The wellness offer is a genuine amenity rather than a token facility.
Where is the Sunset Tower located in Los Angeles?
The hotel is at 8358 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, about four blocks east of the Chateau Marmont and across the Strip from the Comedy Store. Beverly Hills is roughly 15 minutes by car and LAX around 30 to 50 minutes depending on traffic.
Other luxury stays in West Hollywood
#5 · Beverly HillsThe Beverly Hills Hotel
#7 · West HollywoodChateau Marmont
#8 · West Hollywood