The Prospect Hollywood

A 1939 House on the Hill Where Hollywood Slept

Cherokee Avenue climbs away from the noise of Hollywood Boulevard, and near the top of it sits a Hollywood Regency building from 1939, white-walled and low, the kind of address that used to house studio names rather than advertise them. This is Whitley Heights, laid out by Hobart Whitley, the developer often called the father of Hollywood, and lived in over the years by Gloria Swanson, Marlene Dietrich, Bette Davis and Charlie Chaplin. The Prospect Hollywood keeps that lineage in plain view. Martyn Lawrence Bullard took the renovation in hand and left the bones alone, adding custom pieces and vintage finds instead of scrubbing the period out. Twenty-four rooms, no more.

Why It Works

We keep coming back to the scale. Twenty-four rooms and an adults-only policy give this house the temperature of a private club rather than a hotel lobby, and the design carries it: Bullard themed the rooms individually, so no two guests come back to the same interior. It is also one of the few Hollywood addresses that reads as residential. You arrive on a hill street with houses on either side, not on a boulevard, and the MICHELIN Guide hotel selection has taken note. For a traveller who wants the neighbourhood and its history without a lobby full of tour groups, the calculation is simple.

Why This Location

Whitley Heights sits just above Hollywood Boulevard, which means the theatres are a walk rather than a drive. The Pantages, the Hollywood Palladium and the Dolby Theatre are all within a short stroll, and the Capitol Records tower is a little over half a mile away. The Hollywood Bowl is close enough to reach on foot on a concert night, which is worth more than it sounds when the canyon traffic backs up. Beyond that, the Greek Theatre, Griffith Observatory and Universal Studios are each a short drive. It is a hillside street, so you come back up on foot; the quiet at the top is the reward.

Fast Facts

• Price: Luxury

• Vibe: Residential, cinematic, grown-up, quietly theatrical

• Rooms: 24, from Superior to Grand Premier, including junior suites and studios with a kitchenette

• Best For: Couples, design-minded travellers, anyone in town for a show at the Pantages or the Bowl

• Our Favorite Thing About the Hotel: The outdoor fireplace in the garden, lit after dark, with the hill above and the boulevard out of earshot

• Dining: Lobby lounge with a full-service bar, wine and champagne, and Farmshop baked goods in the morning

• Amenities: Garden, sun terrace and sun deck, outdoor fireplace, valet and private on-site parking, adults only, dogs welcome with bowls provided

• Attractions: Pantages Theatre, Hollywood Palladium, Dolby Theatre, Capitol Records Building (about 0.7 miles), Hollywood Bowl

Rooms Named for the People Who Lived Here

Bullard's brief was to theme each room around the building's past and its former residents, and the result is a set of interiors that feel collected rather than specified: custom furniture next to vintage pieces, strong colour, pattern used with confidence. Categories run from Superior through Deluxe and Premier to Grand Premier, with junior suites at the top and studios that add a kitchenette for longer stays. All are king-bedded, and the footprints are generous for the neighbourhood, roughly 28 to 39 square metres. An accessible room is available. What you will not find is a repeat of the room next door.

The Lounge, the Garden and the Fire

The house does not run a restaurant. What it has instead is a lobby lounge small enough to feel like someone's drawing room, with a full bar that pours wine and champagne, and pastries from Farmshop set out in the morning. Step through and the garden takes over: a sun terrace, a deck and an outdoor fireplace that gets lit once the light goes. On a warm Hollywood evening that is where the house gathers. For dinner, the boulevard's kitchens are minutes away on foot.

What to Know Before You Book

This is an adults-only house, a grown-up trip by design. Dogs are welcome, bowls included. Parking is private and valeted, which matters on a hillside street where kerb space is scarce. There is no pool and no gym; the money has gone into the rooms and the garden instead. Check-in is mid-afternoon, check-out at midday. Book a Premier or above for room to spread out, and ask for the quieter side of the house.