BLVD Hotel & Spa

When looking for a hotel in LA my tendency is to look on the south side of the Santa Monica Mountains. I decided to venture ‘over the hill’ on a recent excursion to the City of Angeles, and was happy to find BLVD Hotel & Spa on Ventura Boulevard.

Screen Shot 2014-11-27 at 2.46.28 PMSituated within a potential walk to Universal City (and a convenient Metro stop), the hotel is located just past the Hollywood Bowl as you head north on Cahuenga.

Opened in 2011, the modern design of this Studio City venue is evident from the outside. Covered parking near the entrance is convenient, with the lobby split between the front desk, a seating area and an inviting bar. We sadly managed to miss happy hour, which would have been fun while watching the cars hustle by.

Our room featured two king beds, each of which was comfortable. The dark wood motif we saw in the lobby was continued in the room. A small seating area backed up to a desk, where I was quickly able to sign into the free WiFi. A small fridge was available for chilling our beverages.

Screen Shot 2014-11-27 at 2.51.59 PM
Screen Shot 2014-11-27 at 2.51.21 PMScreen Shot 2014-11-27 at 2.51.47 PMThe bathroom is very recent vintage, with a large step in shower. The fixtures all worked well, and the shower was luxurious.

I took advantage of an efficient aerobic workout room, working out on an elliptical machine looking over the 101 Freeway.

BLVD is part of the Preferred Hotel Group, and there are two more BLVD hotels in the area: Hollywood and Newport Beach.

The room was quiet, leaving us refreshed to tackle the city…on either side of the hill.

Further information here.


Brad Auerbach has been a journalist and editor covering the media, entertainment, travel and technology scene for many years. He has written for Forbes, Time Out London, SPIN, Village Voice, LA Weekly and early in his career won a New York State College Journalism Award.

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