I stayed at the Roosevelt for one night in late June. I used to live in Los Angeles for seven years so as a former local, I am sharing my thoughts on what it was like to stay in the heart of Hollywood.
OVERALL
The hotel itself it lovely with an old school Spanish charm. Lobby is serene and we were checked in pretty quickly and efficiently. However, in my opinion, the hotel seems to attract a specific type of clientele - young singles and couples who are looking to party. If that's what you want out of your Hollywood experience then this could be the hotel for you. However, given the hassle of the proximity to Hollywood Boulevard (a little too close) and the hassles that brings with noise, traffic and people - I didn't think this was great value for the money. I feel like you could get a similar party vibe without the hassles and with better service at some of the hotels on Sunset in West Hollywood.
LOCATION
Well, you're in the heart of Hollywood right across the street from Madame Tussauds, steps from the Kodak Theater and El Captain, less than a tenth of a mile from the Hollywood and Highland complex and close to the Red Line metro stop. However, this location is akin to staying in New York's Time Square - so expect constant traffic, hordes of people, and colorful characters and the noise that comes with this at all hours of the day. Also be aware that getting to the parking lot for the hotel can get congested since it's on a side street. I would highly recommend calling the valet 20 minutes before you need to leave so you can get to where you're going on time. Lastly, if you are staying here during the summer and the Hollywood Bowl is in season -- add extra travel time since the area near the hotel is heavily congested on concert nights.
ROOM
We stayed in room 325 which was a corner room - but located right next to the stairwell. Since the hotel has only two small (slow) elevators, we often heard traffic going up and down the stairs (stiletto heels make lots of noise on metal stairs). The room had two queens and a sitting area. Everything was clean and it was pretty spacious except for the bathroom. If you're tall and you're sitting on the toilet your knees will probably touch the wall (and I'm only 5'7"). Bath is appointed with Bigelow toiletries. The view included a glorious panorama of the rooftop HVAC and be warned you can hear the noise from rooftop events from the room.
SERVICE
This is where the hotel fell down for us. No late checkout was possible (and the cleaning staff started knocking on our door about 15 minutes after checkout time). This normally isn't a problem for me except for the poor service at 25 Degrees restaurant which dragged out our breakfast - which I'll get to shortly. We couldn't use the pool due to a private event and even if we could have, there are no facilities to shower and change in the event you've already checked out. Internet rates begin at $18 per day ($22 for the high speed rate). At the 25 Degrees restaurant they forgot one of our orders. Instead of coming clean with us, we saw our waitress entering the order and when it was brought out we were told it had been there all along, but had been placed to the side. I might have believed it EXCEPT the scrambled eggs were still steaming from being taken off the griddle - usually eggs aren't steaming if they've been sitting out for 10 minutes. The food was passable, but not memorable. The salt in the wound was we were still charged for the dish and charged a mandatory 18% gratuity. Given this was our last interaction with the hotel staff before we checked out, it left a bad taste in our mouths.
I stayed at the hotel because of an event I attended at Hollywood and Highland. I probably wouldn't stay again and would likely save money on the room and use it towards cab fare if I needed to be in the area. Even though you're in the heart of Hollywood - if you're visiting you'll want to venture to different areas. Consider staying elsewhere and making Hollywood a day trip.
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