Hollywood Motels - *not* for tourism
 

I've done an extensive search here
among other places. Prefer not asking
redundant questions and using existing
posts when possible.

However, I am looking for an *INEXPENSIVE*
(read: CHEAP) but safe place to stay
in Hollywood near the
intersection of Hollywood and Vine.

This is *not* for tourist purposes
(I wish) but to visit my neice living
nearby. For a variety of reasons(too
many to list) I cannot stay with her
but need to be close.

If I can stay close by, I may not need a car, which will help a bit but still need
economical place.

There is a Motel 6 in her neighborhood
and while never stayed in one
(and prefer not to)it's very reasonable
compared to other locations (why?)
I'm sure she or her boyfriend (or both) will make sureI arrive safely
each evening. It has interior corridors, generally helpful, but is it safe for a woman alone?

Any other suggestions?
Thank you most kindly in advance.

I can't say whether these are good or not, but here's a list of hotels that may work.
Research on Tripadvisor... they could be dumps.

HOLLYWOOD ORCHID SUITES
HOLLYWOOD CELEBRITY HOTEL
MAGIC CASTLE HOTEL
DAYS INN HOLLYWOOD
TRAVELODGE SUNSET LABREA
HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS HOLLYWOOD
RODEWAY INN HOLLYWOOD
HOLLYWOOD HILLS HOTEL
HOLLYWOOD STUDIO INN
GUESTHOUSE INTL HOLLYWOOD
SAHARAN MOTOR HOTEL
HOLIDAY INN WALK OF FAME
BEST WESTERN HOLLYWOOD
COMFORT INN AND SUITES HOLLYWOOD
MOTEL 6 HOLLYWOOD
ECONOLODGE AND SUITES
VAGABOND HOLLYWOOD
BEST WESTERN HOLLYWOOD HILLS
ECONO LODGE HOLLYWOOD
HOLLYWOOD METROPOLITAN HOTEL
HOLLYWOOD DOWNTOWNER
BEST WESTERN SUNSET PLAZA
SUPER 8 HOLLYWOOD
HOLLYWOOD STAR INN
DAYS INN HOLLYWOOD
GUESTHOUSE BEVERLY HILLS
AMERICAS BEST VALUE-HOLLYWOOD
FARMERS DAUGHTER HOTEL
CHAMBERLAIN WEST HOLLYWOOD
PLAZA STES W HOLLYWOOD
OAKWOOD AT PALAZZO EAST
YOUR STAY WILSHIRE APARTMENTS

Thank you TxTravelPro, I will check them out.
Are you familiar with any of them, good bad or otherwise?

Anyone else have any ideas?

We stayed at the Holiday Inn (behind Graumann's Chinese) many moons ago, was a nice hotel, but Hollywood itself, I would not stay at again...alot dirtier and unsafe than I ever would have imagined.

I stayed in that Motel 6 years ago before it was a Motel 6...the location is quite close to Hollywood and Vine. You have to walk one block to Hollywood Blvd then a few busy blocks down to Vine. A woman alone would probably not want to walk it alone after dark but I would not call it unsafe. It is the closest "half decent" choice near Hollywood and Vine. I can't think of anything else close by that would give you less of a walk....there is Orchid Suites and HotelCelebrity that are close to the subway, and you could subway to Hollywood and Vine (2 minute ride)...but you still have to walk a block or two through an "iffy" nighttime neighborhood to get from the hotels to the subway. There's a Best Western on Franklin, the Holiday Inn and the Comfort Inn on Highland...but all are longer walks to Hollywood and Vine, will you be walking alone at night?

As with any Motel 6, the "problem" is often not the hotel itself or its cleanliness, but the other guests of the hotel...at these prices you never know who's gonna be in the next room.

There is also the little Holiday Lodge in Burbank, located in a busy, but very safe neighborhood near Warner Brothers studios. You can walk one block and take the 163 bus to Hollywood and Vine ($1.25 per trip, takes about 10-12 minutes, comes every half hour or so). You would not need a car here, the supermarket is three blocks walk and several restaurants within 3 blocks, quite safe even after dark. (There is a freeway nearby so I imagine the rooms might be a little noisy, I'd bring earplugs.) It's across from a much-more-expensive Best Western.

About a mile further up in Burbank is the Travelodge, safe area but not too much nearby for restaurants etc in the evening, same bus line.

Re: YOUR STAY WILSHIRE APARTMENTS

Your Stay is the former name of WooGo. See other posts here about that company.

Please be careful when booking very cheap, no-name motels in dodgier areas of Los Angeles. Some of these are being used as de-facto homeless shelters.

Farmers Daughter Hotel would be one worth checking on. It does draw tourists, but still might suit your needs.

The Farmer's Daughter Hotel is fine for your needs, except that it's in WEST Hollywood, across from the Farmer's Market. It's a couple of miles from Hollywood & Vine. If that's not a problem, I'd put it at the top of your list.

The Magic Castle would be somewhat closer and fun as well, if you can get a room.

The budget-level pickings around that area in Hollywood are grim indeed. If you have Marriott points, you might be able to swing something at the Renaissance Hollywood.

Are you eligible for AAA/AARP/military discounts?

I highly recommend the Beverly Laurel in West Hollywood from personal experience. It is reasonable and comfortable, safe and friendly.

Wow, thank you very much
for your posts.
You guys are the best,I'm very grateful for your help.
I am very *leery* of a Motel 6
for all the reasons you mentioned.
We're not at all happy my neice is
living in that area either, but it is what it is-
(one reason I'm going)

But because she lives there,
I'd like to be as close as possible.
Not sure how long I'll stay
which is a factor in the rates.

I've often seen Farmers Daughter
recommended here but am concerned
about the distance vs. actual time
needed to travel. Although just two miles, what are we talking in terms
of drive time?

Again, many thanks for your help.

Truth is, the distance between Farmer's Daughter Hotel and Hollywood and Vine is a little over three miles. Given traffic in that part of town, it's a ten-minute jaunt.

I would so advise taking your chances on Priceline for a better spot at a not-much-different rate, even IF you have to walk some...

it would be SAFER, and what matters more than that?

Hey Northwest Male,
Do you mean a better place than Farmer's Daughter Hotel?
We have Marriott points but really
didn't want to use them this trip -
besides they don't seem to be close
enough to the Hollywood and Vine area.
(what I'd like to do is take niece
with me to a hotel
farrrr from H & V area!!!!!)

Appreciate the feedback everyone.

Depending on just which side of "Hollywood and Vine" that she lives on...the Best Western Hollywood Hills might be right around the corner. Do you know if she's south, or east, or north of Hollywood Blvd and Vine ST?

Hi Joesource,
Supposedly it's *WEST* from
that intersection, although you didn't
list that as an option, so is that
possible?
(I sometimes question my sister's
sense of direction LOL)
I really appreciate your thoughts
(and everyone's) as this whole
thing is just exhausting.
Will check out that Best Western,
do you think its better than.
Magic Castle?
Need to decide soon.
Thanks again.

The Motel 6 is probably the closest, it is about 4 blocks west of Hollywood and Vine.

The Magic Castle would not be a comfortable walk alone after dark but the hotel is fine.

You might plug in her address at Mapquest, and also the address of various hotels, one of them might be right on her block.

I've never stayed at the Magic Castle but our Starline tour bus stopped there one time and it looks very intriguing. Looked it up on Tripadvisor and enjoyed reading all of the rave reviews. Sounds like their customer service is outstanding.

Thank you very much for your posts.

Please forgive me for asking about more places, but I may be there
almost two weeks and price
is important(as well as safety and location)-

Anyone familiar with
these- (Expedia sale!)

-Best Western Royal Palace Inn & Suites
2528 S. Sepulveda

-Best Western Hollywood Plaza
2011 W. Highland

-Best Western Hollywood Hills
6141 Franklin (this seems closest, correct?)

-Ramada (near Griffith Park/Universal
1160 N. Vermont (LA - not Hollywood)

-Ramada Plaze
8585 Santa Monica Blvd (2 bl. from Sunset Strip

Again, I appreciate all your
time and wisdom regarding
these properties. This is an
important *intervention* type
(not drugs)trip and while I need to be in a safe location, I will have transportation to and
from, so Price has become a bit
more important.

Thank you again!

So sorry to ask about another-
But continuing my search I found

Hollywood Celebrity Hotel
1775 Orchid Ave, Hollywood

which looks to be *right there*
near her apartment.

It gets *glowing* reviews on
AND Trip Advisor!
And at an amazing price.

So can these reviews be trusted?
Would like the *OKAY* from a
trusted fodorite in the know --
Thanks again.

Whoops, make that:
It gets glowing reviews on
BOTH Expedia AND Trip Advisor.

(too tired to continue tonight-
grateful for any clarification
or affirmation.)

I hadn't heard of this place so went to Trip Advisor. Is this one of the "glowing comments" you're talking about?

". . . Cons are that the rooms are extremely dated & dark. Everything screams budget. . Not even as nice as a typical Super 8. Just depends on what is important to you I guess. . ."

Several of the others were more positive but all said things like "how much more can you expect for under $100 a night".
I'd think if you aren't expecting too much, it should be great -- especially if you don't need parking which several people indicated was a nightmare.

Thank you for your concern Neopolitan.

Trip Advisor lists
this property as # 7 of 163 in
Los Angeles. Is that not significant?
Reviews are better on Expedia, also
offering great rates.

""Everything screams budget."

Good. This is not one of my
3-4 fun vacations each year during
which I would never consider such a place.

This will be a room in
which I will do nothing more than
sleep and shower -

needing a safe and **CLOSE**
place to stay near my niece,
where I will be spending the
vast majority of my time.

Any other replies?
Thank you.

I've walked the area, alone, and nothing near Hollywood & Vine is terribly scary nor terribly comfortable. Hotel Celebrity is fine as long as you know what you're getting into, it's not the Ritz. Even the Motel 6 is fine, except, as another poster mentioned, you never know who's right next door in these places.

It doesn't get dark until 8:30pm, and even after that there are theatregoers and clubhoppers abuzz in the area. Don't flash a rolex watch or stop at an ATM after dark with your wallet hanging out.

If you're expecting Mayberry, you'll be in for a rude awakening. But I agree, take whatever budget spot is closest to your niece. Or stay in Burbank and take the 10 minute bus ride if you're more comfortable being where there are no homeless approaching you for spare change.

By the way, don't expect her to be in her current apt. for very long, the whole area is being torn down to make way for revitalization of the area and construction of expensive condo and townhome highrises.

Also I would note that if there's decent service from your home airport, flying into Burbank instead of LAX would make for a much easier departure & arrival from this neighborhood.

Thank you very much Tracy for
your very helpful posts.
No I'm not naive, fairly street
smart and I've also *been there*
both as a tourist several times,
also visiting my niece. Not
expecting Mayberry LOL and I'm
relatively aware of what I may encounter.

I just made a reservation at the
Best Western Hollywood Hills,
which seems to be a bit beyond
her immediate neighborhood,
but feel better about the hotel and
the location. Thoughts?

Interesting tidbit about new
condos.
Thanks also for the tip about
Burbank, I will check into that
immediately!

Nobody in their right mind stays at Motel 6 in this day and age. You can get much higher quality for about the same price through Priceline.com.

Wouldn't the safety of a better chain establishment a mile away be a positive trade-off from staying in a fear-inducing dive that happens to be half a block from where you expect to be going every day?

All of these posts and I didn't see exactly what nightly room rate you are willing to pay.

I do know that wanderluster should go to biddingfortravel.com and at least CHECK various rates awarded to others in the area where she wants to stay.

The Priceline selection in the general area is as follows:

Hollywood

3 Star
Holiday Inn Hollywood Walk of Fame LINK TO HOTEL REVIEW
Renaissance Hollywood LINK TO HOTEL REVIEW
Roosevelt Hotel

2 Star
Metropolitan Hotel LINK TO HOTEL REVIEW

1 Star
Comfort Inn on Vermont LINK TO HOTEL REVIEW
Super 8

That Metropolitan Hotel is at

5825 West Sunset Boulevard (90028)

THAT seems to be about 2 blocks from Sunset and Vine, and Sunset is a few blocks from Hollywood Blvd.

If the Priceline hotel list is current at Biddingfortravel.com... then the worst case scenario is that you bid for a 2-star hotel in the region and get a 3-star hotel at the price you bid for a 2-star.

You should look at the hotels above, and figure out where they are in relation to where YOU wish to be... and determine the worst-location scenario.

THEN bid at a price that SUITS YOU... rather than sucking-it-up and paying what the individual websites are demanding.

If you aren't sure how long you'll be staying, then make a Priceline reservation for a shorter period, and then either extend with the same hotel/motel OR make a new priceline bid during your trip (for the remaining nights).

At least offer a sense of how much per night you're shooting for!

I hope this inspires you.

I would choose the Motel 6 in Hollywood over the Comfort Inn on Vermont or the Super 8, and the Metropolitan is too long a walk for wanderluster at night

If she wants to email me @vtmail.com, I can have my husband check on thewalk from the Best Western to her intersection. . He thinks it could be iffy at best (after dark).

Tracy, I left before I saw
your latest post. Thanks again for
all the information. I stayed *safely*
and enjoyed the Best Western Hollywood Hills.
It was a nice (AAA3 star) location in terms
of my niece and the 101 Cafe located
downstairs was handy and great for
people watchng. My trip was *successful* and also fun for the little bit of touring I was
able to do.
Thanks again for your help.

ttt -
While I wouldn't have chosen this
locale for a tourist type trip with family (kids)
it was very sufficient for my *objective* with niece, and is a viable alternative for those looking for budget and safe.