The Best Two Star Hotels in Los Angeles for Theater Nights

Which two star hotel works as your Los Angeles base depends on three conditions: which stage holds your ticket, whether you will drive, and how late the show lets out. The city spreads its stages across Hollywood Boulevard, downtown and the Wilshire corridor, the hills around the Hollywood Bowl and Greek Theatre, and the Coliseum south of downtown. Every base here trades something away. I spent years on a concierge desk in an old grand hotel in Portland, and I still judge a room by what happens after the curtain, not by the lobby. Below I compare four hotels by category, with distances in kilometers and the disadvantages named. This guide is unsponsored: no property paid to be on it.

The Hollywood Boulevard stretch holds the Dolby Theatre, the Hollywood Pantages Theatre and the Fonda Theatre, with the Hollywood Palladium on Sunset Boulevard. Today Rahat Fateh Ali Khan plays the Dolby Theatre, and Bluey's Big Play runs at the Pantages. The Who's Tommy follows at the Pantages on 27 October, with no intermission and no elevator in the building. The Chicks take the Dolby stage on 1 November. By day, the Dolby Theatre Guided Tour runs on 26 October.

Parking is the hidden cost of this district: the Dolby lists 2,000 spaces within a 10 minute walk, while Pantages lots are independently run. I rank a free parking space above a lobby chandelier here.

Catalina Jazz Club on Sunset Boulevard hosts the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame theme fundraiser today, with Scherrie Payne and Lynda Laurence, formerly of The Supremes, and Joyce Vincent, backed by a live band. It requires a dinner or two-drink minimum. On 27 October the Angela & John Witherspoon Foundation gala honors Bill Bellamy there, and on 29 October Whole Lotta Swing plays Led Zeppelin in jazz. Blue Note Los Angeles books Daley on 27 October and Goapele on 29 October.

In the hills, Aerosmith & Friends and My Chemical Romance with The Used fill the Hollywood Bowl on 29 and 30 October, and Tom Jones plays the Greek Theatre on 26 October. Bowl parking is extremely limited and a Park & Ride shuttle is sold. For these nights I care less about distance and more about a desk that stays staffed.

The Orpheum Theatre on South Broadway has Gary Clark Jr. with Xavier Lynn on 26 October as a phone-free night: phones are sealed in Yondr pouches and opened at the end. Marvel Rivals Galactic Concert, a symphonic show, plays there on 1 November. The Ahmanson Theatre stages The Music Man on 27 October. The Regent Theater has John Scofield's Electrospective with Oteil Burbridge, Larry Goldings and Adam Deitch on 29 October, for ages 18 and over.

The Wiltern on Wilshire Boulevard screens The Rocky Horror Picture Show with Barry Bostwick on 26 October, in a new 4K restoration with a live shadow cast. Because the building is historic, its Loge and Mezzanine are reached by stairs only. None of the four hotels here sits downtown, so treat these as ride-in nights.

Daytime culture in the Valley means the studio lots. The Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood runs from Stage 48: Script to Screen through backlot sets to the Central Perk Café and the DC and Harry Potter recreations. Universal Studios Hollywood sells a one-day and a two-day general admission ticket, with the Studio Tour and CityWalk as the evening finish.

My view: do one lot per day. Both reward an early start, so a front desk that is awake at dawn and dusk matters more than the thread count.

Several guided options frame the hills. The Hollywood Sign 2.5-hour tour with comedians and their dogs holds a 4.9 out of 5 rating, and Bikes and Hikes LA offers the full hike to the front and behind the letters or a 90-minute express. For a mounted view there is the Mulholland Trail Horseback Tour, with a minimum age of 8. The Best of Los Angeles city tour includes a stop at the Griffith Observatory.

I would book the hike first and a theater second, because tired legs and a 7 pm curtain do not mix well.

The harbor is its own day. Harbor Breeze runs a guided whale watching tour from Long Beach; gray whales are seen from November to April and blue whales from May to November, with humpbacks possible year-round. A private guided golf cart tour of Avalon on Catalina Island runs about 2 hours and covers the island's history.

Plan these as a pair and keep the theater nights for another day, since the stage districts are far from the water. Check the transfer to the Long Beach departure before you book.

The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum offers Historic Tours: a 75-minute walking tour entering at Gate 33A, with the Founders Suites, the 1923 Club rooftop deck, the locker room and the Players Tunnel. It ends in the seating bowl, under the Coliseum Torch and by the Court of Honor. Parking is in Exposition Park's Blue Structure, and the Metro E-Line stops at Expo Park/USC. USC plays Ohio State here on 31 October.

Crypto.com Arena hosts the Lakers on 27 October, YG on 28 October and the Kings on 29 October; BMO Stadium has LAFC against LA Galaxy today. The tour is the cultural choice. I would book it over the game.

Halloween week is dense. On 29 October, Johnny Goth plays a Sideshow Halloween at the Moroccan Lounge, with costumes heavily encouraged. On 30 October the Regent Theater hosts Devils Night with Starcrawler, for ages 18 and over, and the Moroccan Lounge runs a Dark 80's New Wave Halloween party for ages 21 and over.

On 31 October, Yoi Toki's Future Funk Halloween plays Teragram Ballroom, Marilyn Manson headlines the Wiltern and "Weird Al" Yankovic screens UHF with an orchestra and live Q&A at the Greek Theatre. Shows end late, so book a base with a 24-hour front desk and a plan for the ride back.

Unsponsored: no property or booking site pays for placement, and the table uses only the listing details above.

It depends on: car or no car, late arrival or early start, and group or solo. With a car and evening shows, the Hollywood-side category wins on free parking. For daytime lots, the Valley category wins on a work desk and a museum. For hikes with children, the hills category wins on a pool. For the harbor, the port category wins on the battleship.

At my old desk, the question guests asked most before theater nights was how late they could check in after the show. Every hotel here lists a 24-hour desk or reception except Welcome Inn, which lists private check-in and check-out. Compare the rest on Los Angeles hotels and apartments.

Hollywood stage-goer with a car: Super 8 By Wyndham North Hollywood, for free parking and a 24-hour desk. Studio parks and museums: Economy Inn Motel, for work desks and a museum under 1 km. Hiking family: Welcome Inn, for the year-round pool and family rooms. Harbor and battleship: Portside Inn & Suites, for the USS Iowa on foot.

My own choice for a theater week: Super 8, with a car, one show per evening and the late arrival mentioned to the desk. I judge it by these listed specs, not by marketing. Prices and availability can change, so confirm when booking, and compare more on hotels in California.