Hollywood Roosevelt

A dramatic $30 million renovation in 2005 wrapped this onetime celebrity favorite in a hip new Dodd Mitchell design (while retaining much of the building’s vintage hand-crafted woodwork), bringing it back to vibrant life. That’s a very good thing: after hosting the first-ever Academy Awards ceremony in 1929, and playing second home to some serious luminaries—the spectacular 3,800-square-foot Gable/Lombard Penthouse is named after its two most famous cohabitants—the Roosevelt went into decline in the later half of the century. Now the hotel draws every starlet not currently in jail or rehab. The 240 tower rooms are chic, contemporary spaces upholstered in chocolate and cream, while the 60 cabana rooms—ideal bachelor pads—are decked out in rich wood and an abundance of mirrors.

Tip: Ladies, if you’ve got ‘em, the poolside Tropicana bar is the place to bust out the Manolos and the Balenciaga clutch.

Room to Book: Guests in the 60 cabana rooms, many of which have private terraces, get priority entrance to the Tropicana bar without having to wait by the velvet rope.