The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel

The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel is a historic landmark located right in the middle of Hollywood Boulevard, a block away from the famous TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles, California. It opened on May 15, 1927, and is the oldest continually operating hotel in Los Angeles, which is why I have been totally obsessed about staying here for many years!

The hotel is jam packed with Hollywood history from the very start. The first Academy Awards ceremony that lasted only ten minutes was held at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel on May 16, 1929, inside the Blossom Ballroom. The Blossom Ballroom was recently restored to it's original grandeur. The pool at the Roosevelt Hotel actually has it's own history as well. It was featured in a 1955 episode of I Love Lucy when the Ricardos and Mertzes came to Hollywood. Marilyn Monroe also posed for her first commercial photography shoot by that same pool. In 1988, famed British painter David Hockney completed a multi-million dollar mural on the bottom of the Tropicana Pool. Both the hotel and the pool have been designated Historic-Cultural Monuments by the City’s Cultural Heritage Commission..It is quite eerie to walk thru these areas and know such amazing things happened.

There are many notable residents and guests that have walked in and out of the doors of this historic hotel. Marilyn Monroe had lived in the hotel for two years early in her career, Montgomery Clift stayed in the hotel for about three months in 1952 during the filming of From Here To Eternity (and is said to still roam the halls today), Errol Flynn is said to have created his bootleg gin here, and even I Love Lucy's Mrs. Trumbull, Elizabeth Patterson, lived in the hotel during her 35 year long film and television career. One of my personal favorite stories is the Shirley Temple one. This is the hotel that she learned her famous stairstep dance routine on the hotels beautiful staircase for her movie “The Little Colonel” (1935) in which she stared with Mr. Bill “Bojangles” Robinson. The picture does not even do this staircase justice. It is truly a beautiful work of art. I was so excited to walk on these very stairs myself!

The Hollywood Roosevelt has some very fun dining and cocktail options too. ​With an exclusive cocktail lounge, a game parlor with vintage bowling lanes, a 24-hour burger joint, an Italian steakhouse coming in Spring 2020, the Tropicana Pool Cafe and in-room dining, there is something here for everyone. No matter where you are in this hotel you never lose that old Hollywood charm either. If you are not interested in staying in the hotel for dinner there are some really great formal dining as well as casual dining options within a walk-able distance as well because of the great location of the hotel. 

When selecting our room category when booking the reservation it was important to me to stay within that classic vibe so we went with the Cabana Balcony Room. The 350 square foot balcony room overlooks the David Hockney pool at the Tropicana Pool & Cafe. These rooms give you that vintage 1950's feel most people coming here are looking for (Marilyn Monroe actually lived in one of these Cabana rooms). If your looking for something more modern you will want to book a room in the tower part of the hotel. The hotels’ tower, built in 1927, has undergone a $25 million dollar renovation with rooms designed by Yabu Pushelberg, the firm that also worked on the Four Seasons Toronto and Park Hyatt New York, which both have been awarded Forbes Five Star status.

The hotel offers massage services right in their tranquil outside garden. The Massage Garden is open from 9:00am to 9:00pm by appointment only, and may I tell you the surroundings are absolutely breathtaking and perfect for a peaceful experience.

Simply put, my stay at this hotel was nothing short of spectacular. The hotel oozes a tremendous amount of Hollywood history. The building is allegedly haunted by Monroe, Montgomery Clift, and Errol Flynn which makes it that more interesting to visit! Today, the hotel still hosts many different celebrities, but it’s just as well known for countless bars, an epic nightlife scene, and unbeatable pool parties. This is a bucket list stay for all of you classic Hollywood buffs or those interested in the paranormal (luckily I did not experience anything out of the norm during my time here).

To book your adventure out to the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel reach out to a Starstuff Travel Planner today!