Review: Loews Hollywood Hotel – So Good We Extended Our Stay!

We’ve just got back to the UK after a three-week trip to the West Coast and Hawaii. This was our first trip back to L.A. since 2019, and it’s safe to say a lot has changed in that time. Most notably, we now travel with a baby.

During this trip, our little boy Oliver turned 14 months old, and it’s safe to say that in those 14 months, we’ve learnt a lot about travelling with a baby.

We now value convenience, location and space more than ever before, which is why when planning a two-day trip to Universal Studios Hollywood we chose the Loews Hollywood Hotel.

Loews Hollywood kindly offered us a three-night stay here in return for our review. However, we enjoyed the hotel’s location and service so much that we extended our stay for an additional two nights which we happily paid for ourselves. If you’re looking for the TL;DR then that should tell you enough.

Where Is The Loews Hollywood Hotel?

The Loews Hollywood Hotel is a beacon of luxury and comfort situated in a prime location on the corner of Hollywood and Highland.

Within walking distance of this hotel you have;

• Hollywood Walk of Fame
• TCL Chinese Theatre
• Runyon Canyon

Within a 15-minute drive of this hotel (even in LA traffic) you have;

• Universal Studios Hollywood
• Hollywood Bowl
• Griffith Park

Finally, within a 30-minute drive of this hotel (again, even in LA traffic) you have;

• The Getty
• Beverly Hills
• Rodeo Drive

Connected to this hotel you’ll find the Ovation Hollywood open-air shopping mall complete with a range of popular retail stores as well as chain and independently-owned restaurants and fast-food options.

Not only is Loews Hollywood Hotel well connected to attractions and entertainment options, but it’s also well connected to multiple international airports;

• LAX is just under 14 miles away (roughly 45 mins)
• Burbank Airport is 7.7 miles away (roughly 20 mins)
• Long Beach Airport is 32.5 miles away (roughly 1 hour)

This combined with the 628 luxurious guestrooms and suites as well as 76,000 square feet of indoor function space makes it easy to see why this is a prime location for conferences, social events and celebrations.

The King Suite

We spent our five combined nights at the Loews Hollywood Hotel in a Studio King Suite with one king bed and views of the Hollywood Sign.

This suite is 622 square ft and is available in both one king bed and two king bed formats depending on your requirements.

The Studio King Suite is the introductory suite with Corner Suites, Directors Suites, Highland Suites and Producers Suites all available as an upgrade.

However, the suite feels far from introductory with windows spanning its length providing the most breathtaking views of the Hollywood Hills and subsequently the Hollywood Sign.

We stayed at Loews Hollywood Hotel during the off-season (late January) and attempted to check in at 1.30pm almost 3 hours earlier than the pre-set time of 4:00pm and were pleased to find that our room was available.

This didn’t seem like special treatment either since many other guests were also able to check in early. However, we can’t think this will be the same during the peak season when the number of guests staying at the hotel is significantly higher.

Our room was located on the 19th floor and boasted;

• Large sitting area with a full-size sofa bed
• Desk by the window
• The dressing area connected to the bathroom
• Krups coffee machine
• Mini-fridge
• Safe
• Robe
• Julien Farel Anti-Aging Haircare and Body Products

We arrived at the suite during half-time of the Conference Championship Game between the 49ers and the Eagles, and since we hadn’t had lunch, we opted to order room service before relaxing and watching the second half of the game.

Helen and I each ordered the Chicken Caesar Salad and a Diet Coke, with a portion of fries for little Ollie.

As I’m sure most parents of little ones would agree, eating out with kids is stressful. So the fact Oliver could roam around the spacious room, snacking on fries while playing with his toys was an absolute blessing.

The Vibe

Loews Hollywood Hotel is an urban oasis and a home-away-from-home to a mix of both business and leisure travellers.

During our stay, we only saw one other family. However, we never felt uncomfortable or out of place, and we estimate that during the peak season, the number of families is significantly higher, especially since Loews Hollywood is a Universal Studios Hollywood partner hotel.

The Facilities & Amenities At Loews Hollywood

The Loews Hollywood Hotel offers an extensive range of modern facilities and amenities for guests to enjoy during their stay.

The Pool

With Loews Hollywood being in such a prime location, it’s rare to find a pool. Especially a pool of this calibre. Located on the fifth floor, this heated pool boasts some incredible views.

As you can see, nobody (including ourselves) was brave enough to take on the pool on this brisk January afternoon (despite being heated).

However, during the summer months, this place is a hive of activity and operates a pool bar from Thursday through to Sunday serving wine, champagne, cocktails and mocktails and a select menu from Wolfgang Puck.

The Fitness Center

Somewhere I (Cora) did manage to experience first-hand during our stay at Loews Hollywood was the fitness centre.

Located on the 5th floor, this fitness centre is available 24 hours (closed for cleaning 8:00am – 8:30am, 3:30pm – 4:00pm, and 10:00pm – 10:30pm).

Much like the pool, it’s surprising to find such a large and modern workout space at a hotel in such a prime location.

The fitness centre features a range of workout equipment, a refreshments station and a free-style space, perfect for yoga or dance.

I visited the fitness centre multiple evenings (often between 3:00pm and 6:00pm) and found the occasional guest would come in / leave during my time. However, there was always enough space and equipment for everyone.

Casual Fare, Coffee & Store

Bodega is the casual café located on the ground floor of the Loews Hollywood Hotel.

The café is open from 6:00am until 8:00pm daily and serves Starbucks coffee alongside a selection of fresh pastries, sandwiches, wraps, snack bars, potato chips and candy bars.

We visited Bodega every morning for a quick and affordable family breakfast – usually containing a mix of cereal (Oliver fell in love with Cheerios during our trip), pastries and coffee.

As well as most late afternoons / early evenings after coming back from a long day exploring everything this area of L.A. has to offer.

The pricing of everything here was reasonable (as far as California prices go) while the variety was impressive, especially in such a small space.

H² Kitchen & Bar

H² Kitchen & Bar is located to the right of the lobby on the ground floor at the Loews Hollywood Hotel. This casual lounge and bar is the perfect place to catch up on work, watch the game or grab a quick bite to eat.

The bar offers delicious hand-crafted cocktails, while the kitchen serves a range of luxurious small plates.

Sadly, we didn’t find the time to hang out here but did notice that it was popular in the early evening with friends and colleagues meeting for a drink before heading out.