Steps from the Walk of Fame, this bright, friendly hostel offers travelers complimentary perks like wifi, breakfast and transportation around L.A. Shared rooms and common areas, as well as coordinated group activities, make USA Hostels Hollywood the perfect spot to sightsee on a budget and meet new travel partners.
Experiencing Hollywood Boulevard to its fullest requires leaning into kitsch: from the iconic celebrity impersonators to the shops filled with palm tree snow globes and plastic Oscar statues, the neighborhood is a perfect example of L.A.’s often offbeat, delightfully gimcrack culture. It follows, then, that a hotel in the heart of Hollywood should offer the same level of loud, youthful atmosphere, and USA Hostels Hollywood doesn’t disappoint. Inside the brightly painted space, you’ll find modestly priced shared rooms for travelers who don’t mind making new friends during their stay. Six- and eight-person rooms come with bedding, lockers and air conditioning, and shared bathrooms feature walk-in showers. The hostel also offers private rooms with bunk or full beds and private bathrooms, but one of the biggest perks of hostels is how conducive the environment is to meeting and mingling with new people—make the most of your shared stay experience by chatting up your fellow tourists in the USA Hostels Hollywood’s cozy lounge, shared kitchen or surprisingly swank outdoor patio (the latter boasts low-slung furniture and potted palms). The hostel offers amenities that cater to a younger crowd, foregoing turndown service in favor of free shuttle rides to the Santa Monica beach, wifi, and all-you- can-eat breakfast.
Location: Located half a block from the Walk of Fame and five blocks from Mann’s Chinese Theater, USA Hostels Hollywood is ideally situated for tourists hoping to get the full Hollywood experience. The crowds can get overwhelming, however; we recommend you take advantage of the nearby metro to check out adjacent neighborhoods like West Hollywood, Koreatown and Downtown.
Nearby:
Museum of Broken Relationships: This unique museum displays discarded relics of lost love that are alternately funny, tender, sad or all three. Whether you bring a date is up to you.
Musso & Frank Grill: No Hollywood best-of list would be complete without the neighborhood’s oldest and most famous steakhouse. Make like the stars of yore—Charlie Chaplin was a regular—and grab a martini, a steak, and side of house-made sourdough bread.
Hollywood Walk of Fame: If you’re booking here, there’s a good chance you were already planning on visiting the Walk of Fame. It’s a bit hokey (and incredibly crowded) but a stroll down the star-studded boulevard is palpable with glamour and history, too.
Hollywood Forever Cemetery: Find some peace and quiet while you picnic amongst L.A.’s latest and greatest like Rudolph Valentino and Cecil B. DeMille in the city’s most breathtaking historic cemetery. If you visit in summer, you’re likely to stumble into a free screening of cult classic films, complimentary of local film nonprofit Cinespia.
Good for: Young, cash-strapped, and extroverted travelers will thrive in USA Hostels Hollywood’s communal setting. (Solo travelers, in particular, will feel at home.) If you’re traveling with a large group or looking for some peace and privacy, however, this might not be the spot for you.
Amenities: Free wifi, laundry service (self-serve), concierge
Time Out tip: Check your dates to see if they coincide with the hostel’s weekly trips to Magic Mountain. Adrenaline junkies will relish a day at the amusement park, but travelers of all stripes can take advantage of a day out of central L.A. and some respite from Hollywood’s overstimulating vibes.