Explore the Sunset Strip & West Hollywood

Andaz West Hollywood Rooftop Pool Night Lights

Stay Where the Sunset Strip Became a Legend

Some hotels give you a room in Los Angeles. Andaz West Hollywood gives you a front-row seat. Rising above Sunset Boulevard at one of the most storied addresses in the city, Andaz West Hollywood places guests between the Hollywood Hills and the lights of Los Angeles. Opened in 1963 as the first high-rise hotel on the Sunset Strip, the property has witnessed more than six decades of music, film, fashion, nightlife and reinvention. It is not a newcomer borrowing from the neighborhood’s mythology. It helped create it.

Andaz West Hollywood Rockstar Suite Artwork

History of the Sunset Strip

The Sunset Strip has always been about perspective: being seen, seeing what's next and watching Los Angeles transform in real time. The area now known as West Hollywood remained an unincorporated part of Los Angeles County for most of the 20th century. By the 1930s and ’40s, the Strip was synonymous with glamorous nightlife. In the 1960s, its identity shifted again as clubs, musicians and young audiences turned the boulevard into a center of rock ’n’ roll and counterculture. Today, the Sunset Strip is a roughly 1.6-mile stretch of Sunset Boulevard within West Hollywood, positioned between Hollywood to the east and Beverly Hills to the west. Historic music venues and midcentury landmarks now stand beside design hotels, restaurants, boutiques, wellness destinations and contemporary nightlife.

Andaz West Hollywood Woman Dancing In Guestroom

The Hotel That Became the "Riot House"

On May 31, 1963, Gene Autry’s Hotel Continental opened at 8401 Sunset Boulevard. As the first high-rise hotel on the Strip, it offered something new: a modern perch above the action, close to the clubs where a new generation of musicians was finding its audience. The property later became the Continental Hyatt House.

During the late 1960s and 1970s, its proximity to the Strip’s music venues made it a preferred Los Angeles base for touring bands. Guests included members of Led Zeppelin, The Who and The Rolling Stones, and stories of rock-star excess earned the hotel its enduring nickname: the "Riot House."

Some stories are documented. Others have grown more spectacular with each retelling. The hotel’s official history connects Room 1015 with Keith Richards’ famous 1972 television incident. Little Richard later made the hotel his home for years, sometimes entertaining guests with impromptu music. Together, the stories transformed the property from a place where artists stayed into a character within rock ’n’ roll history.

In January 2009, the property reopened as Andaz West Hollywood, becoming the first Andaz hotel in the United States. The transformation introduced a more contemporary expression of the building without erasing its past. The former balconies became light-filled, glass-enclosed spaces; local art and music entered the guest experience; and the Riot House name found a new life in the hotel’s vibrant restaurant and bar.

Andaz West Hollywood Rooftop Pool Night Lights Cityscape

Things to Do in West Hollywood

West Hollywood covers only 1.9 square miles, yet few places in Los Angeles hold as many distinct cultural identities in such a compact area. WeHo is home to the rock ’n’ roll mythology of the Sunset Strip, the LGBTQ+ landmarks and nightlife of Santa Monica Boulevard, and the architecture, fashion and creative showrooms of the Design District. It sits between Beverly Hills and the City of Los Angeles, creating a remarkably central base for exploring the wider region.

See Comedy Steps from the Hotel

Steps away from Andaz West Hollywood, The Comedy Store is an iconic venue that features world-famous (and up-and-coming) comics. Catch scheduled acts and surprise drop-ins in any of the comedy club’s three rooms. The surrounding blocks have been associated with live entertainment for generations: Even on a quiet afternoon, the marquees, black-painted façades and posters create a sense that another performance is always about to begin.

Andaz West Hollywood Male Dj On Rooftop Sundeck

Follow the Music West

Continue west along Sunset Boulevard to explore some of the most recognized music addresses in Los Angeles. The Whisky a Go Go has anchored the Strip since 1964, hosting generations of influential performers as well as emerging artists. Farther west, The Roxy Theatre has operated since 1973, with a history that spans rock, punk, pop, comedy and intimate performances by major artists. Nearby, the Rainbow Bar & Grill remains inseparable from the Strip’s rock culture, while the former Tower Records site recalls the years when album releases, autograph signings and spontaneous performances drew music fans to Sunset Boulevard

Spend an Afternoon at Sunset Plaza

Sunset Plaza brings a different rhythm to the boulevard. Located west of the hotel, the open-air district combines independent and international fashion, beauty and wellness destinations with cafés, restaurants and people-watching patios. With more than 50 businesses along both sides of Sunset Boulevard, it offers a highly walkable way to move from coffee to shopping, lunch and a little pre-evening reinvention.

Discover the Strip’s Everyday Icons

The Sunset Strip’s history is not contained within a museum. It is visible in the buildings, businesses and curious juxtapositions lining the boulevard. Close to the hotel, Carney’s serves classic Los Angeles fare inside a bright yellow railway car. Across Sunset, the Art Deco Sunset Tower Hotel recalls the boulevard’s Old Hollywood era. Farther west, Book Soup has served readers, writers, musicians and filmmakers since 1975, specializing in art, photography, film, music and literary fiction.

Andaz West Hollywood Sundeck Pride Pool Party View

Experience the Rainbow District

South of the Sunset Strip, Santa Monica Boulevard becomes the center of West Hollywood’s LGBTQ+ culture and nightlife. The Rainbow District extends from La Cienega Boulevard to Doheny Drive along historic Route 66. Its restaurants, clubs, shops, Pride crosswalks and cultural landmarks create a year-round expression of identity, community and celebration. WeHo's nightlife is exuberant, but its deeper story is one of activism, resilience, visibility and belonging.

Explore the West Hollywood Design District

Continue south toward Melrose Avenue and Beverly Boulevard to find another side of the city. Anchored by the Pacific Design Center, the West Hollywood Design District brings together fashion flagships, independent boutiques, art galleries, interior-design showrooms and chef-led restaurants.

Andaz West Hollywood Woman Getting Ready In King Room

Stay in the Story

Andaz West Hollywood stands at 8401 Sunset Boulevard, but its true location is more evocative: between the Hollywood Hills and the city lights, between Old Hollywood and what comes next, between the Strip’s rebellious past and its continually reinvented present. Inside, local art, expressive design and panoramic views reinterpret the building for contemporary Los Angeles. Outside, the boulevard remains unmistakably alive. Stay here and the Sunset Strip is not simply somewhere you visit. It becomes the view from your room, the soundtrack to your evening and the setting for your own West Hollywood story.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Andaz West Hollywood located directly on the Sunset Strip?
Yes. Andaz West Hollywood is located at 8401 Sunset Boulevard, directly on the Sunset Strip in the City of West Hollywood.

What is the Sunset Strip known for?
The Sunset Strip is known for its rock ’n’ roll history, live music venues, comedy clubs, hotels, nightlife, landmark architecture, restaurants and large-format music and entertainment billboards. During the 1960s, it became one of the most influential centers of rock culture in the United States.

Why is Andaz West Hollywood historically significant?
The property opened in 1963 as Gene Autry’s Hotel Continental, the first high-rise hotel on the Sunset Strip. It later became the Continental Hyatt House and earned the nickname "Riot House" while hosting touring musicians and rock bands. In 2009, it reopened as the first Andaz hotel in the United States.

What attractions are within walking distance?
The Comedy Store is steps from the hotel. Guests can also walk along Sunset Boulevard toward Sunset Plaza, Book Soup, historic hotels, restaurants, nightlife and other Strip landmarks. The Whisky a Go Go and The Roxy are farther west along the same boulevard.

Is the Sunset Strip in Hollywood or West Hollywood?
The Sunset Strip is located within the independent City of West Hollywood. It sits between the Hollywood area of Los Angeles to the east and Beverly Hills to the west.

Is West Hollywood the same as Hollywood?
No. West Hollywood is its own incorporated city, while Hollywood is a neighborhood within the City of Los Angeles. West Hollywood officially became a city on November 29, 1984.

Is West Hollywood walkable?
West Hollywood is one of the more walkable parts of the Los Angeles region. The Sunset Strip, Rainbow District and Design District each offer concentrations of restaurants, shops, nightlife and cultural attractions, although transportation may be useful when moving between districts or exploring greater Los Angeles.

Does Andaz West Hollywood have views of the Sunset Strip?
Yes. The hotel offers views toward the Sunset Strip, Hollywood Hills and Los Angeles skyline. The Sundeck and rooftop pool overlook the boulevard and surrounding hills, while many guestrooms feature large windows or glass-enclosed sunrooms.