Hotel Erwin Captures Venice Beach’s Creative Spirit with an Elevated Spin
Rising above the carnivalesque mix of street buskers, bodybuilders, skaters, surfers, tattoo artists, and souvenir shops, the Hotel Erwin is among the best places to stay on Venice Beach. Just steps from the famous boardwalk and wide sandy beach, Hotel Erwin is a love letter to Venice Beach’s madcap creative spirit but with an elevated vibe. A landmark in its own right, the family-owned hotel will celebrate 50 years in 2025.
I could hear the party pulsing on the hotel’s rooftop lounge from the moment I arrived. The valet driver who took my car was wearing pink sunglasses, as was the surfer dude posing as a front desk clerk who checked me in. When I later ventured up to the roof, DJs were cranking out tunes for a crowded dance floor where nearly everyone was wearing pink sunglasses as well. One of the dancing wait staff slipped a pair of pink sunglasses into my hand and invited me to dance. I put them on and joined the crowd dancing in the hazy, golden-hued sunshine and ocean breeze.
Spanning the entire top floor of the hotel and aptly named High, the open-air rooftop lounge boasts stunning views gazing out over the Pacific Ocean and the city. The panoramas extend from downtown Los Angeles to the Santa Monica Mountains and along the glittering, palm-fringed coastline stretching from Malibu to Palo Verdes. The DJ booth and dance floor are tucked back near the bar while cushy seating lining the perimeter of the rooftop provides front-row views of the city, the planes taking off from LAX, and the epic sunsets over the ocean.
Los Angeles’ best westside DJs spin tunes on the rooftop lounge until 10 p.m. every Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night, attracting a cult following of locals as well as hotel guests. Regardless of whether the music is pumping, the epic sunsets are a nightly lure, as are High’s expertly crafted seasonal cocktails and fresh, locally inspired cuisine.
In addition to the rooftop lounge, Hotel Erwin also features two other culinary draws: the craft cocktails and small bites at Barlo Kitchen + Cocktails and the first brick-and-mortar location for Caroline D’Amore’s viral Pizza Girl, which serves up sensational Neapolitan pies and slices in pink boxes.
When you’re ready to turn in for the night, the rooms at Hotel Erwin offer a relaxing oasis infused with creativity and luxurious touches. I stayed in a partial ocean-view king room with a bank of sliding glass doors that opened to a private balcony with views of Venice Beach high above the fray. The playful décor includes bedside tables inspired by Jeff Koons, a hand-drawn wallpaper print of signed handprints, and half-moon orange pendant lights on dimmers. The rooms are also equipped with 49-inch HD TVs with media hubs, free WiFi, and well-curated honor bars with chilled mixers stashed in the fridge.
Hotel Erwin serves a complimentary breakfast each morning downstairs at Barlo Kitchen + Cocktails. But if you’re nursing a hangover and just want to munch on leftover pizza while lounging around in a robe, the hotel provides two options: a cozy standard white hotel robe or a lime-green leopard-print robe to channel your inner party animal.