Hollywood City Inn

The generic sign outside the Hollywood City Inn might make you think that the hotel has seen better days -- or that it hasn't changed in decades -- but inside, the facilities are clean and modern enough, with updated free Wi-Fi and flat-screen TVs. The lobby is compact and has limited decor, with just a check-in desk, two easy chairs, and a breakfast station with a couple of cereal stands and a pastry case. There is a computer by the door for guest use, though the whole facility also has free Wi-Fi. The counters of the Hollywood City Inn are wood with marble countertops, much like you would find in a home kitchen. This, coupled with the prints of coffee mugs and a drawing of a chef on a bicycle that sit above the breakfast items, makes the space have a homey feel. 

The pool patio is lovely, with slate tile circling the kidney-shaped pool; it's surrounded by palm trees, rose bushes, and other shrubbery. A few plastic lounge chairs (some in better condition than others) are laid out around the patio, and if you can grab one, this is probably the best place in the hotel to relax. 

The Hollywood City Inn is located in the center of Hollywood, making it convenient to a number of local attractions. It's a five-minute walk from Hollywood Boulevard's Walk of Fame, while places like Universal Studios, the Sunset Strip, and Rodeo Drive are only a short drive away. It's about a five-minute walk to the Hollywood/Western Metro Station, though, like most places in L.A., it's useful to have a car. It's a 45-minute drive to Los Angeles International Airport, although the journey can take much longer during periods of heavy traffic. 

The rooms at the Hollywood City Inn have a bright, if somewhat mismatched, color scheme. In Double Full Rooms, walls are a light key-lime green or a deep red, while the floor is made from unnaturally dark wooden panels. Bedside furniture is a deep cherry-wood color, but the bedspreads are worn, and garishly multicolored. Still, rooms are spacious and come with love seats and coffee tables, as well as mini-fridges and microwaves. All come with flatscreen TVs with cable and HBO and small writing desks. The Double Pool View Rooms and King Rooms are more subtly designed, with plush white duvets and sconces instead of track lighting, which gives off a softer glow, but these rooms lack sofas. Bathrooms are cramped and some have some calcium build-up on the showerheads, but they're otherwise clean and bright, with marble countertops and red walls. 

The slate-tiled pool patio is probably the most attractive feature of the Hollywood City Inn, and offers the most common space. It's beautiful and sunny, with rose bushes and palm trees that make it feel somewhat secluded, despite the fact that the whole facility sits near the road. The hotel also offers free parking, free Wi-Fi, and a limited continental breakfast, with coffee, tea, a few types of cereal and pastries, and little else. Local papers are available in the lobby at all times and the reception is open 24/7. On-site parking is free.