Sunset Marquis

Hotel description

Hard to believe this is West Hollywood. The newly and massively renovated Sunset Marquis is so exquisitely private, and the Bar 1200 so strict with its admissions, that one need never be reminded of the throngs of celeb-watchers and velvet-ropers that beset most of LA’s other hot spots. This exclusive atmosphere (and possibly the state-of-the-art recording studio) is the key to the Sunset Marquis’s rock star appeal — though unlike some rock-and-roll hotels, this one’s decor avoids retro kitsch and glam decadence, opting instead for an understated modern style, all clean lines and rich earth tones. And the low-lying two-story villa construction takes some of the fun out of heaving television sets out windows.

So as much as the buzz about this place may center on its music industry connections, this is no Chelsea Hotel, no debaucherous rock dormitory. Today’s rock stars are as much traveling businesspeople as they are artists, so it’s sensible that their favorite hotel would work well for their colleagues in other less glamorous industries. Soundproof windows ensure that unless you’re cutting an album, you won’t hear noise from the studio — or, for that matter, the two pools — and everything today’s harried business traveler requires is close at hand, from 24-hour room service to a business center and airline ticket desk.

There's a spa, sensibly called SPA, and a restaurant called — you guessed it — RESTAURANT. Guests are ensured access to Bar 1200, and to be frank, that’s the only way most of us could ever make it past the doorman — the benefit, of course, is that it’s one place in Hollywood that you won’t have to rub elbows with sightseers from the Valley or Orange County. The hotel is located on a quiet residential cul-de-sac off of Sunset Boulevard, and is very private indeed—once off the compound, however, all the sights (and shopping) of Hollywood are close at hand, including the bizarre and legendary nightlife of the Sunset Strip.