Chateau Marmont

There are too many hotels on Sunset Boulevard. From chain business hotels to boutique design hotels, the choices are numbing. Chateau Marmont is different. Since opening in 1929, it has remained Hollywood's living room. I stayed three nights in 2019 and five nights last October. The two experiences were very different, worth writing about.

The Building's History

Chateau Marmont was built in 1929, originally as an apartment building. Designer Arnold A. Weitzman drew inspiration from châteaux in France's Loire Valley. It converted to a hotel in 1931. The main structure is reinforced concrete, which was rare in Los Angeles at the time.

The hotel occupies about one acre at 8221 Sunset Boulevard. The main building has 63 guest rooms and suites. The garden contains several standalone bungalows and a two-story cottage. In total, there are roughly sixty-plus room units.

John Belushi died in Bungalow 3 in 1982. This complicated the hotel's reputation. Many people come because of this; others stay away because of it.

I booked a standard room on the fourth floor of the main building. The rate at the time was $495 per night. The room was about 35 square meters, with a king bed, an old sofa, and a desk. The window faced the interior courtyard.

The furniture in the room didn't match. The nightstand was 1940s style, the lamp looked 1970s, and the chair may have been added in the 1990s. Several black-and-white photos hung on the walls, all of old Hollywood stars. I only recognized two of them.

The air conditioning was loud. With it on, normal conversation in the room was difficult. On the second night, I turned off the AC and slept with the window open. Nighttime temperatures in Los Angeles in August are around 22 degrees Celsius—tolerable.

The bathroom tiles were small white hexagons with black borders. This style was popular in the 1920s. The faucets were brass with obvious signs of wear. The showerhead pressure was weak.

Breakfast was at the garden restaurant. Eggs Benedict was $28, taste was mediocre. The coffee was good though—they use Intelligentsia beans.

This time I stayed in a standalone bungalow. Bungalow number 5, deep in the garden, about 50 meters from the main building. Two bedrooms, a living room, and a small kitchen, totaling about 90 square meters. Listed prices for these bungalows range from $1,200 to $1,800, depending on the season.

The bungalow experience was completely different from the main building. Quiet. Looking out the windows, you see plants, not buildings. The kitchen was fully equipped with a German brand oven and stovetop, and a full-size refrigerator. I bought ingredients at the nearby Gelson's supermarket and cooked dinner twice myself.

The furniture condition this time was much better than in 2019. The sofa was new, and the mattress had been replaced. The bathroom had been renovated, and the shower pressure was normal. The air conditioning was still an old window unit, still loud—that hadn't changed.

I later learned that the hotel announced a transition to a private membership model in 2020, accepting only members and hotel-invited guests. I was able to book because of the writing program's partnership.

Service

The front desk is staffed 24 hours. Bellhops offer help proactively but aren't overly eager. This sense of restraint is uncommon among Los Angeles hotels.

Room service response times are inconsistent. During my first stay, I ordered a sandwich at 10 PM and waited 55 minutes. During my second stay, a similar order took only 20 minutes. This may depend on occupancy that day.

The hotel has no gym. The pool is small, about 15 meters long, with a few lounge chairs beside it. Peak pool hours are 3 to 6 PM; finding an empty spot during that time is basically impossible.

Parking is $45 per night, valet only. The hotel garage has limited spaces, and sometimes cars are parked in a lot across the street. Average wait time for car retrieval is eight to ten minutes.

Location

Driving from the hotel to the Hollywood Walk of Fame takes about ten minutes. Beverly Hills is fifteen minutes. Santa Monica Beach is around thirty minutes, over an hour with traffic.

This stretch of Sunset Boulevard in front of the hotel is lively. Within a five-minute walk, there are three coffee shops, two restaurants, and a bookstore. The nearest supermarket is the previously mentioned Gelson's, a three-minute drive.

This area isn't very quiet at night. On weekends, you can still hear street noise at two or three in the morning. Street-facing rooms in the main building are affected; courtyard-facing rooms are better. The bungalows are quietest.

To Stay or Not to Stay

This is not a hotel pursuing efficiency and standardization. Rooms have old furniture, minor issues, and unpredictable service speed. Room rates are high compared to hotels with similar hardware—that premium pays for location and history.