Travel
The 15 Best Hotels in Los Angeles, According to Travel + Leisure Readers
Los Angeles, California, isn’t condensed like most cities. LA County is a sprawling metropolis that covers more than 4,000 square miles, touching the shore and the mountains. It’s the most populated county in the United States — and it’s so big that it can take hours to get from one end to the other if its infamous traffic is doing its thing. This makes it all the more important to choose the right hotel for an LA vacation, and according to Travel + Leisure readers, some tried-and-true classics do the trick.
How Voting Works
Every year for our World’s Best Awards survey, T+L asks readers to weigh in on travel experiences around the globe — to share their opinions on the top hotels, resorts, cities, islands, cruise ships, spas, airlines, and more. Over 186,000 T+L readers completed the 2024 survey. A total of more than 700,000 votes were cast across over 8,700 properties (hotels, cities, cruise lines, etc.).
Hotels were classified as either resort hotel, city hotel, inn, or safari lodge based on their location and amenities, and they were specifically rated on the criteria below:
- Rooms/facilities
- Location
- Service
- Food
- Value
For each characteristic, respondents could choose a rating of excellent, above average, average, below average, or poor. The final scores are averages of these responses.
What Readers Loved
In this year’s World’s Best Awards, T+L readers showed their love and adoration for LA’s hospitality institutions that have stood the test of time. That included spots like Shutters on the Beach (No. 8), which opened in 1993; The Beverly Hilton (No. 14), which opened in 1955; Hotel Bel-Air (No. 4), which first opened its doors in 1946; and the Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows (No. 10), which opened all the way back in 1921. However, sprinkled throughout this year’s list are some new-school finds, including the West Hollywood Edition (No.13), which opened in 2019, and the Conrad Los Angeles (No. 3), which hosted its opening party in 2022. And one more relative newcomer took home the whole shebang — the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, which opened for guests in 2017 and has quickly become just as iconic as the hotels nearly 100 years its senior.
The Winner
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills
“Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills truly understands luxury,” one reader wrote about the hotel that famously cost $200 million to build. “From business stays to romantic getaways — they have been my getaway of choice in the Los Angeles area.”
It really is the living embodiment of “get you a hotel that can do both.” The hotel boasts 5,600 square feet of flexible event space, ideal for your next big presentation or one-on-one with investors — but those same spaces can be tailor-made for love, too, transforming into the ideal wedding venue. Equally versatile are its dining venues, ready for A-list meetings or romantic date nights — including the lush Rooftop by JG, which looks out onto the glittering skyline below.
“Love dining at The Rooftop by JG and the new Espelette restaurant — both are phenomenal and a must-visit when exploring the property,” the same reader said, adding that the can’t-miss spa is “truly the best service [they’ve] ever experienced.”
T+L Reader
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills truly understands luxury. From business stays to romantic getaways — they have been my getaway of choice in the Los Angeles area.
— T+L Reader
The Full List
1. Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills
Reader Score: 96.22
Reader Score: 94.32
Reader Score: 94.10
Reader Score: 93.68
5. Kimpton La Peer West Hollywood
Reader Score: 93.60
Reader Score: 92.96
7. Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills
Reader Score: 92.56
Reader Score: 92.17
Reader Score: 91.60
10. Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows, Santa Monica
Reader Score: 91.09
Reader Score: 89.65
12. Beverly Wilshire, a Four Seasons Hotel
Reader Score: 89.25
13. The West Hollywood Edition
Reader Score: 89.01
Reader Score: 88.00
Reader Score: 87.20