The Roosevelt Hotel is unique in the fact that is has a rich history and is still a hotspot for both tourists and locals in Hollywood. The hotel, named after Theodore Roosevelt, opened in May 1927. It cost $2.5 million to build with 300 rooms with Spanish colonial revival style architecture. Today that $2.5 would translate to about $33.9 million. Managed by Thompson Hotels, the Roosevelt has had some pretty major moments in its history. The hotel hosted the first Academy Awards ceremony in 1929, which was held as a dinner in their ballroom with about 250 attendees. The ceremony quickly outgrew the location, but it is still held nearby, down the street at the Dolby Theater. The Roosevelt was also the temporary home of many Hollywood celebrities. Marilyn Monroe stayed there for about two years and she reportedly had her first modeling shoot there. The Gable & Lombard suite is of course named for Clark Gabel and Carole Lombard, who once paid $5 a night for the suite (don’t expect that price today). The hotel is allegedly haunted, or so some have been lead to believe. Reported ghost sightings included dead celebrities, as well as a little girl, some orbs in photographs and mysterious phone calls to the operator. 
These days, the Roosevelt is a popular hotel for guests but also a huge force in the LA nightlife scene and it is home to some of LA’s best hotel bars. The exclusive Teddy’s bar is near the front and the eccentric Beacher’s Madhouse in the basement. There’s the Spareroom bar and a bowling alley setup upstairs and the Tropicana bar out by the pool. Two other bars are in the lobby area. Beacher’s is known for its oddball variety acts, costumed employees and the delivery of table service bottles via people flying across the room on cables. Tropicana is home to Sunday pool parties all summer long, and is a popular location for private events that are amplified by the private environment and iconic palm trees. The hotel also has a more formal restaurant that hosts brunches and a 24-hour restaurant called 25 degrees, which offers up all the upscale burgers and fries one could need. Book a room on the LosAngeles.com hotel page to experience Roosevelt Hotel for yourself.
Roosevelt Hotel: A Hollywood Classic
