The Sunset West Hotel Is Your Urban Oasis in the Heart of Hollywood

The former Saharan Motor Hotel puts Tinseltown at your fingertips 

Sunset West Hotel pool
Sunset West Hotel | Photo: SureStay Collection by Best Western

You admit that there’s a time and place for relaxing on the beach, for splurging on lavish meals and maybe getting a little ahead or caught up with work. But there’s also a time for cutting loose, letting your hair down, and even partying like a proverbial rock star. This visit to LA is designed to be of the latter variety. The next few days are all about escaping, by immersing yourself in the lifestyle and history of the city in which stars work hard and play hard. You’re ready to blow off serious steam, and you don’t want to hunt around for outlets to "Just. Let. Go." for a few days.

That’s why you're staying in the heart of Hollywood. All you really need is a clean, convenient, and budget-friendly place to lay your head at night that's close to the action and you can feel the pulse of Tinseltown in your fingertips. You’ve chosen wisely with the Sunset West Hotel - SureStay Collection by Best Western, a Hollywood icon in its own right.

Best Western opted not to renovate the exterior when the Saharan Motor Hotel became the Sunset West Hotel. There’s no doubt that this was a good call. Situated on Sunset Boulevard just west of La Brea, the hotel that the late Patrick Swayze called his “first home” in Los Angeles when he moved to Hollywood in 1978 looks like it's frozen in time and continues to be featured in film, and TV shows.

Sunset West Hotel Deluxe King Room
Deluxe King Room | Photo: Sunset West Hotel

Inside your Deluxe King Room, however, it's a totally different story. The retro exterior belies the incredibly modern, minimalist interior of your room. Outfitted in gray, black, and white, with a splash of purple, your bed is perfectly comfortable, the bedding is soft, and you’ve got an ergonomic chair, desk and free Wi-Fi at your disposal should you choose to pretend to work while you’re here. (More than likely though, you expect any down time you do have to be better spent laying out or swimming in the outdoor pool, which your room overlooks).

You’re also comforted to see that just in case one of your late nights requires a bit of recovery time in the morning, you’ll be well-equipped. You’ve got a flat screen TV, a mini-fridge, coffee maker and microwave all there to help you bounce back from your night out. Plus, there’s free breakfast for the morning. Your bathroom is also incredibly modern with a black, white, and gray tiles, a walk-in rain-shower, lighted vanity, pleasantly scented toiletries, and a hairdryer. 

The room is more than equipped for your needs, but the best thing about the Sunset West Hotel is how incredibly close you are to literally everything in Hollywood. Since you’ve got time to kill before you head out for the night, you decide to start your trip with some Hollywood history.

TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX in Hollywood
Photo: TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX

The front desk attendant had suggested you purchase discounted attraction tickets from the hotel website. With your ticket to the Starline Tours Celebrity Homes Tour booked, you walk to Hollywood Boulevard and spend a few moments looking at the hundreds of celebrity hand and footprints immortalized in cement outside the TCL Chinese Theatre, where you'll board the open-air Starline Tours van. Your tour guide lets you know that the tour in itself is historic - Starline Tours has been in operation since 1935, earning it the distinction of being the original celebrity home touring company. The tour not only drives by drool-worthy homes of some of the most famous actors of the past and present, but you’re also treated to plenty of Hollywood history and trivia while touring Hollywood, Bel-Air, and Beverly Hills.

Double-Double Animal Style at In-N-Out Burger
Double-Double Animal Style at In-N-Out Burger  |  Photo: Jakob Layman

Back on Hollywood Boulevard, you stroll the Walk of Fame and browse the Hollywood & Highland shopping and dining complex, pausing to snap a selfie outside the Dolby Theatre, home of the Academy Awards®.

By now you’ve worked up an appetite, but since you’ve got a long night ahead, you don’t want to overdo it. All the same, In-N-Out Burger isn't everywhere, and it’s literally on your way back to your hotel. Even movie stars and celebrity chefs can’t resist In-N-Out. You pop in for a Double-Double Animal Style, and it’s as good as you remember.

The Whisky A Go Go on the Sunset Strip
The Whisky A Go Go on the Sunset Strip  |  Photo: Yuri Hasegawa

Back at the Sunset West, you start thinking about the evening ahead. There are so many options in such close proximity - within a few miles are some of the most famous bars and nightclubs in the country. Your inner rock star hears the call of the legendary Sunset Strip - there’s Rainbow Bar & Grill, a favorite of Motörhead's Lemmy, who is memorialized with a statue on his beloved back patio. The Viper Room is also super close, but you’ve got tickets to a show there tomorrow night and tickets for a show at the fabled Whisky A Go Go the following night.

Skybar at the Mondrian Hotel
Skybar at the Mondrian Hotel | Photo: Mondrian Los Angeles

You think about sipping drinks at the ultimate open-air LA lounge, Skybar at the Mondrian, and then heading over to Bootsy Bellows to stargaze at celebs in the Art Deco lounge.

TOI on Sunset Thai food
TOI on Sunset | Photo: Postmates

Ultimately you decide to just see where the night takes you, but make a mental note that no matter how late you finish bar-hopping, you’ll have a late night dinner option at TOI on Sunset - "Rockin’ Thai Food," where Quentin Tarantino once claimed to do most of his writing - after all, it’s open till 4am.

Satisfied that you can’t go wrong no matter what you choose, you hop in the shower and dream about your night of clubbing, your concerts tomorrow, and maybe you’ll even take advantage of your hotel’s discounted attractions and book a Studio Tour. You came to LA to escape into another world, and you’re perfectly situated to do that from the Sunset West Hotel.

 

Sunset West Hotel
7212 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles 90046
(323) 874-6700

 


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