12825 Ventura Boulevard, Studio City, Los Angeles, California, United States | (888) 710-7049
Trendy hotel with old Hollywood flair and colorful mod furniture and style
Large pool suitable for laps with sleek orange and green pool furniture, hot tub, and bar
On-site futuristic Patio Cafe with orange and white furniture and bakery section
Elegant dining room, River Rock, serving brunch and dinner
Free Universal Studios shuttle
Hip business area with sleek chairs and widescreen PC computers and printer
Spacious meeting room with sliding terrace door
Free bicycle rentals, Wi-Fi, and newspapers in the lobby
Six acres of garden space with a gazebo and quirky seating
Outdoor parking for a fee
Hallways and pool area can get noisy
Modern gym is adjacent to the hotel, not on-site
Overnight fee for self-parking
No safes in the rooms
Mini-fridges only available upon request, for a fee
The upper-middle-range Sportsmen's Lodge and Hotel drips with style and design features that combine old and new Hollywood, with 190 sleek rooms loaded with colorful details. There are open common areas with trendy furniture, a pool and hot tub, simple but modern rooms, garden space, on-site dining, and free Wi-Fi. The hotel, has a party and business vibe, not necessarily one that caters to families (toys are not allowed in the pool, for example). Plenty of families still come, though, thanks at least in part to the free shuttle to Universal Studios. A more kid-friendly hotel is down the street at the Studio City Courtyard, which offers less snazzy decor but lower prices.
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Scene
Hip mid-range boutique hotel with cool accents and mod vibe
The silver antler chandelier hanging above the entrance to the Sportsmen's Lodge conveys immediately that this is an unusually designed hotel. With its closeness to the San Fernando Valley River, the Sportsmen's Lodge opened its doors in the 1880s and served watering hole for local farmers. With Hollywood on the rise, it became a hangout for Bette Davis, Lauren Bacall, Clark Gable, and Katharine Hepburn. Today the revamped hotel honors its past with old Hollywood Warholesque photos hung throughout hotel and a flat-screen TV in the lobby that plays old movies. Think country-lodge chic. The common areas, though, are hip enough for today's young Hollywood, with white hallways that feature ceramic animal heads, pops of cheerful colors, quirky furniture, white antler chandeliers, and inspiring quotes from legends like Bob Dylan. The trendy hotel is a great spot for traveling bands, especially with its spacious lobby, large pool with groovy vibe, and large outdoor parking lot that can fit a bus.
Location
Studio City hotel on the outskirts of Hollywood
Just off Ventura Boulevard, the main drag in Studio City, the Sportsmen's Lodge and Hotel is slightly tucked away from the touristy and more frequented areas of Hollywood. But the area is not desolate. Right on the block, five minutes or less of a walk, is a Ralph's grocery store, a Starbucks, Pinz Bowling Center, the Six Restaurant, Five Guys Burgers and Fries, Iroha Sushi of Tokyo, and Drybar hair salon. To get to the heart of Hollywood -- the Walk of Fame, Roosevelt Hotel, El Capitan Theatre, and more -- it's a 20-minute drive. The subway is not convenient to the hotel, but there are public bus stops on the main drag. It's a bit of a trek to the Los Angeles International Airport, about an hour by car, assuming there's no gridlock.
Rooms
Modern, bright rooms bursting with color and trendy accents and flat-screen TVs
Compared to the thoughtfully designed country-lodge chic common areas, the rooms at the Sportsmen's Lodge and Hotel feel simple and modern. White bed headboards stand out against orange walls and 1970s psychedelic bedspreads. Available room choices are: Standard, Pool View, City View, Pool Access, Garden View, and Studio Suite. All come with coffee machines, high-end toiletries, free Wi-Fi, balconies, flat-screen TVs, and bright and modern bathrooms. Mini-refrigerators are available on request.
Features
Free hotel shuttle and sprawling garden space
The six acres of garden space -- with a gazebo and quirky seating -- at the Sportsmen's Lodge is an unusual feature for a mid-range boutique hotel in L.A., making it a suitable location for private banquets and weddings. The meeting room -- albeit with low-hanging ceiling -- can also be converted into a banquet space -- it has a flat-screen TV, audiovisual capabilities, and a sliding terrace door. A free hotel shuttle also goes to and from Universal Studios/CityWalk, in about 15 minutes.
