Sunset Tower Hotel – Art Deco in Los Angeles
West Hollywood, California, USA
www.sunsettowerhotel.com

If you have ever driven along the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles, you must surely have noticed Sunset Tower Hotel—one of the most iconic Art Deco landmarks in California. As the Sunset Strip is perched above Hollywood, West Hollywood and Beverly Hills, Sunset Tower Hotel enjoys commanding views of the entire city.

Designed in 1929 by Leland A. Bryant, Sunset Tower’s dramatic setting and elegant Art Deco styling attracted the who’s who of Hollywood. The Tower’s exterior is decorated with plaster friezes of plants, animals, zeppelins, mythological creatures and Adam & Eve. In their guide to Los Angeles architecture, David Gebhard and Robert Winter wrote that “this tower is a first class monument of the Zig Zag Moderne and as much an emblem of Hollywood as the Hollywood sign.”

Originally operated as a luxury apartment building, Sunset Tower was the tallest building in Los Angeles County when completed in 1933. A sampling of former residents includes John Wayne, Claudette Colbert, Bugsy Siegel, Howard Hughes, Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, Zsa Zsa Gabor and Elizabeth Taylor. Can you imagine the antics that must have occurred in this building throughout the years? John Wayne reportedly once brought a cow up to his penthouse apartment at 3 a.m. telling his party guests who were gathering for coffee: “they would have to go directly to the source if they wanted cream.” In 1947, Truman Capote wrote in a letter: “I am living in a very posh establishment, the Sunset Tower, which, or so the local gentry tell me, is where every scandal that ever happened happened.”

In recent years, the hotel has morphed with different ownership—from Sunset Tower, to St. James Club, to Argyle, to Sunset Tower Hotel. Today, hotelier and restaurateur Jeff Klein is the mastermind behind the success of Sunset Tower Hotel. After launching City Club in New York City to great aplomb in 2000, Mr. Klein turned his sights and passion for high standards toward the West Coast and the aging Sunset Tower—installing an upgraded room design and exceptional style to the public spaces.

Mr. Klein worked his magic on the dining room with the ultra-chic Tower Bar Restaurant. There are many nooks and intimate settings, but if you are looking for a celebrity sighting, Tower Bar may be a sure bet—and you certainly will not be disappointed in the graciously designed restaurant, turn-of-the-century ambiance, and well presented cuisine . . . let alone the stunning view. Tower Bar is a ‘must try’ when in Los Angeles.

Rooms are stylish and spacious—thoughtful design for today’s traveler and a range of 350 square feet for a standard room to 2000 square feet for penthouses, which offer separate living and boudoir areas, along with wraparound terraces.

All day dining is available at the casual indoor/outdoor Poolside Café starting with breakfast, followed by lunch, high tea, and dinner—again offering a sweeping view of Los Angeles.

Toronto’s The Globe and Mail reviewed the renovated Sunset Tower and noted: “This isn’t a place that needs to declare itself ‘hip’ because its grand history speaks for itself—and has been successfully carried forward to the present.” A cozy rendezvous with a nod toward early Hollywood; Sunset Tower Hotel offers a most handsome display of classic Art Deco style at its L.A. best.

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