Background:

I recently scheduled a property tour of the Andaz West Hollywood as I had a group project in my class about Los Angeles to focus on an area, (I was given West Hollywood), and make a ten minute video. Perfectly enough, the Andaz is a West Hollywood (WeHo) icon, as it has hosted many famous musicians such as Led Zeppelin, The Who and the Rolling Stones. The hotel was even known as the “Riot Hyatt” in the 1960’s and 70’s because the hotel would be trashed due to parties thrown by the rock bands who stayed here.

The Andaz was rebranded and renovated in 2009, as it used to be Hyatt West Hollywood. This is the second property of the Andaz brand, with the first being the Andaz Liverpool Street in London. With the renovation, they decided to close off the balconies the rooms had that were made famous with stories of rock stars throwing television sets off the balconies. Now, the balconies are enclosed sunrooms!

Lobby:

The lobby was small, but hip and swanky. At first, I was confused as I couldn’t find the front desk, but it turns out that the front desk for the Andaz looks like a bell desk. It’s just a small desk with 3 computers right when you enter. Their vision is to not separate/block the guest from the staff, but to create a nice communal flow. Interesting new concept. Not quite sure if I like it.

 

There are plenty of other seating areas on the lobby level, with a large communal table next to the restaurant, and the second floor has lots of communal seating as well.

 

To the right of the lobby, is the hotel’s only restaurant, the Riot House and the Riot House Bar as well. There is also room service for dining options. The restaurant was quite crowded at 9:30 AM, and it looked really nice!

The Room:

I toured a room on the 8th floor, with a view of the Sunset Strip. It was well appointed, with modern furnishings and it was a decent size.

 

My favorite part of the room was the sunroom area, which used to be the balcony. It was a nice addition of space and contributed to the roomy feel. The bathroom had nice marble, but was a bit on the small side.

Penthouse Floor:

While I didn’t tour the penthouse suite, I did visit the top floor! 🙂

There is a rooftop pool, the highest in the city of Los Angeles! Too bad it is winter, and it was raining the day I visited. When it is open, the Sundeck also serves food up on the rooftop pool!

Additionally, the Panorama Ballroom is on the Penthouse Floor, and it is a huge ballroom to host events. It has a very nice view of the city (if it wasn’t raining !)

The Verdict:

The Andaz WeHo is a cool boutique hotel! The location is walking distance to most of the hot spots on the Sunset Strip, and also could be convenient base to explore L.A.

 

Cheers,

theresorttraveler