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Luxury Hotels in Los Angeles: 12 Picks Ranked by MICHELIN Keys and Forbes Stars

The best luxury hotels in Los Angeles, ranked by MICHELIN Keys and Forbes Travel Guide 2026 stars, with areas, room counts and private jet airports.

By Wijet Editors

luxury hotels Los Angeles: a pink Beverly Hills hotel entrance framed by palm trees at golden hour

At a glance

Los Angeles luxury hotels: the recognition on record

Three MICHELIN Keys
2 hotels
The Beverly Hills Hotel and Hotel Bel-Air, per the MICHELIN Guide's Los Angeles article of June 24, 2025
Forbes Five-Star
3 hotels
The Beverly Hills Hotel, The Maybourne Beverly Hills and Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, per Forbes Travel Guide's Los Angeles pages, 2026
Both top ratings
1 hotel
Only The Beverly Hills Hotel holds Three Keys and Forbes Five-Star, per MICHELIN (June 2025) and Forbes (2026)
The 50 Best Hotels 2026
Nos. 57 and 65
Hotel Bel-Air at No. 57 and The Beverly Hills Hotel at No. 65 on the 51 to 100 list released September 2026 (the50.com, formerly The World's 50 Best Hotels)

The best luxury hotels in Los Angeles by outside recognition are The Beverly Hills Hotel and Hotel Bel-Air, the only two with Three MICHELIN Keys, per the MICHELIN Guide’s Los Angeles article of June 2025. Of the two, The Beverly Hills Hotel is also a Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star hotel for 2026, alongside The Maybourne Beverly Hills and Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills.

Those are the luxury hotels Los Angeles visitors should shortlist first, and the order below follows the evidence, not the brochures. None of these hotels publish a fixed nightly rate on their award pages, so the cost section explains how pricing works instead of quoting a number.

How We Picked

We used three yardsticks: the MICHELIN Guide’s Los Angeles Key list (an article dated June 24, 2025), Forbes Travel Guide’s 2026 ratings as shown on its Los Angeles destination page and on each hotel page, and The 50 Best Hotels 2026 (the list formerly called The World’s 50 Best Hotels, renamed by its owner William Reed in September 2026, per Restaurant magazine), whose 51 to 100 list was released in September 2026. We then spread the picks across the neighborhoods where visitors actually stay.

Los Angeles is spread out, so the area matters as much as the badge. Room counts come from Forbes Travel Guide hotel pages, and where a page gives no count we leave it out. We take no paid placement.

Keys vs Stars: Two Different Judges

MICHELIN’s Keys reward the whole stay: design, service and personality. Forbes sends anonymous inspectors who evaluate up to 900 criteria, per its own site in 2026, and its Five-Star tier is for highly customized service.

The two judges agree less here than in some cities. Hotel Bel-Air holds Three Keys but is a Forbes Four-Star hotel, while Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills and The Maybourne are Forbes Five-Star hotels, with Two Keys for the Maybourne. Use the Keys for character and the Stars for service polish.

The Best Luxury Hotels in Los Angeles

The Beverly Hills Hotel

Three Keys and Forbes Five-Star for 2026. It stands at 9641 Sunset Boulevard and opened in 1912, per Forbes Travel Guide. The Polo Lounge serves breakfast through dinner, with live piano jazz at lunch and dinner. Private bungalows let guests keep out of sight, and the retro pool deck has palm trees, white umbrellas and private cabanas. It is also No. 65 on The 50 Best Hotels 2026 extended list (the50.com, 2026).

Hotel Bel-Air

Three Keys and Forbes Four-Star for 2026. It has 58 guest rooms and 45 suites at 701 Stone Canyon Road, and opened in 1946, per Forbes Travel Guide. The hotel sits on 12 acres of gardens, the rooms are pink bungalows with gated entrances, and Swan Lake is part of the grounds. It is No. 57 on The 50 Best Hotels 2026 extended list (the50.com, 2026). MICHELIN files it under Westwood.

The Maybourne Beverly Hills

Two Keys and Forbes Five-Star for 2026. It stands at 225 North Canon Drive in the Golden Triangle, near Rodeo Drive, per Forbes Travel Guide. The Whisky Bar holds what Forbes calls the largest Macallan collection in North America. The rooftop has Dante Beverly Hills with Hollywood Hills views, and the ninth-floor pool plays music underwater.

Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills

Forbes Five-Star for 2026. It has 119 rooms and 51 suites (170 in total) at 9850 Wilshire Boulevard, per Forbes Travel Guide. The 12-story building cost about $200 million, per the same page, with art deco interiors by Pierre-Yves Rochon. The Rooftop by JG is by chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, and guests get a house Rolls-Royce transfer within three miles. It is not on MICHELIN’s June 2025 Los Angeles Key lists.

The Peninsula Beverly Hills

Two Keys and Forbes Four-Star for 2026. It stands at 9882 South Santa Monica Boulevard, per Forbes Travel Guide. The roof garden has a 60-foot pool and cabanas, the Belvedere is a European brasserie, and private villas sit in a garden behind the hotel. House cars include Rolls-Royce and BMW.

L’Ermitage Beverly Hills

Two Keys and Forbes Four-Star for 2026. It is a small boutique hotel at 9291 Burton Way, per Forbes Travel Guide. The rooftop pool is for guests only, with cabanas rented by the day or half day, and most rooms have balconies.

Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel

Two Keys, and rated Recommended by Forbes Travel Guide for 2026. It has 395 rooms and 137 suites at 9500 Wilshire Boulevard, at the foot of Rodeo Drive, per Forbes. Wolfgang Puck’s CUT steakhouse has an all-white design by Richard Meier. Forbes Travel Guide (2026) notes the hotel’s link to the film Pretty Woman.

Casa del Mar

One Key and Forbes Four-Star for 2026. It has 129 rooms and suites at 1910 Ocean Way in Santa Monica, per Forbes Travel Guide, and opened in 1926 as Club Casa Del Mar, a beach club. The eight-story Italian Renaissance Revival building stands directly on the sand, and Forbes puts LAX 18 to 28 minutes away by car.

Shutters on the Beach

One Key and Forbes Four-Star for 2026. It stands at 1 Pico Boulevard, steps from the Santa Monica Pier, per Forbes Travel Guide. The lobby shows work by David Hockney and Claes Oldenburg, the Living Room lounge has live jazz most nights, and Forbes advises booking a beach-facing room.

Regent Santa Monica Beach

One Key and Forbes Four-Star for 2026. It has 167 accommodations at 1700 Ocean Avenue and opened in 2024, per Forbes Travel Guide, marking the Regent brand’s return to the United States. The Guerlain spa covers 10,000 square feet with 12 treatment rooms, and the largest outdoor pool deck in Santa Monica sits inside the U-shaped building. The largest room is the 3,200 square foot Santa Monica Suite.

Fairmont Century Plaza

Forbes Four-Star for 2026. It has 400 accommodations, including 85 suites, at 2025 Avenue of the Stars in Century City and opened in 2021, per Forbes Travel Guide. The redevelopment cost about $2.5 billion, with interiors by Yabu Pushelberg. Every room has a balcony, and Forbes recommends west-facing rooms above the seventh floor for views.

Conrad Los Angeles

Forbes Four-Star for 2026. It has 305 rooms in a 25-story tower at 100 South Grand Avenue, which opened in 2022, per Forbes Travel Guide. Frank Gehry designed the facade, José Andrés runs Agua Viva and San Laurel, and Walt Disney Concert Hall is across the street.

HotelAreaMICHELIN KeysForbes 2026RoomsSource
The Beverly Hills HotelBeverly Hills3Five-StarNot publishedMICHELIN; Forbes
Hotel Bel-AirBel-Air3Four-Star103MICHELIN; Forbes
The Maybourne Beverly HillsBeverly Hills2Five-StarNot publishedMICHELIN; Forbes
Waldorf Astoria Beverly HillsBeverly HillsNot listedFive-Star170Forbes
The Peninsula Beverly HillsBeverly Hills2Four-StarNot publishedMICHELIN; Forbes
L’Ermitage Beverly HillsBeverly Hills2Four-StarNot publishedMICHELIN; Forbes
Beverly WilshireBeverly Hills2Recommended532MICHELIN; Forbes
Casa del MarSanta Monica1Four-Star129MICHELIN; Forbes
Shutters on the BeachSanta Monica1Four-StarNot publishedMICHELIN; Forbes
Regent Santa Monica BeachSanta Monica1Four-Star167MICHELIN; Forbes
Fairmont Century PlazaCentury CityNot listedFour-Star400Forbes
Conrad Los AngelesDowntownNot listedFour-Star305Forbes

Verdict: for the strongest case on both lists, choose The Beverly Hills Hotel. For a quieter garden setting, Hotel Bel-Air has 103 rooms and suites, and for the highest Forbes service tier in a newer building, Waldorf Astoria has 170.

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What a Night Costs

Neither Forbes Travel Guide nor MICHELIN publishes nightly amounts for these hotels, and the hotels price by date on their booking engines, so no single entry-level figure holds. Rates here move sharply with season, events and room type, and a suite is a different product from a room.

If you want the extreme end of the market, our guide to the most expensive hotels in the world covers suites at the top. Check the hotel’s own booking page for your dates before you plan around any number you read elsewhere.

Where to Stay: Areas

Beverly Hills

The densest cluster. The Beverly Hills Hotel, The Maybourne, Waldorf Astoria, The Peninsula, L’Ermitage and Beverly Wilshire all have Beverly Hills addresses per Forbes. It suits first visits, shopping on Rodeo Drive and dinner without a car.

West Hollywood

MICHELIN’s June 2025 article files Chateau Marmont at Two Keys here, with The Charlie, Chamberlain West Hollywood and Sunset Tower Hotel at One Key. It is livelier than Beverly Hills and close to the Sunset Strip.

Bel-Air

Hotel Bel-Air is the quiet option, up Stone Canyon Road in its own gardens. You will want a car or a driver, since the address is residential.

Santa Monica

Casa del Mar, Shutters on the Beach and Regent Santa Monica Beach are all on or beside the sand, per Forbes. MICHELIN also lists The Georgian and Fairmont Miramar Hotel and Bungalows at One Key here. Traffic to the Westside can be heavy, so allow time for dinners elsewhere.

Downtown and Century City

Conrad Los Angeles at 100 South Grand Avenue puts you by the Disney Concert Hall. Fairmont Century Plaza is in Century City, near the Westside offices and studios.

Best for History and Old Hollywood

The Beverly Hills Hotel opened in 1912 and Hotel Bel-Air in 1946, per Forbes Travel Guide. Casa del Mar dates to 1926 as a beach club. Forbes Travel Guide (2026) names past guests at Hotel Bel-Air including Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor and Cary Grant.

Best for Beaches and Wellness

Regent Santa Monica Beach has a 10,000 square foot Guerlain spa, and Casa del Mar has a spa and an oceanfront terrace restaurant, per Forbes. The Peninsula Beverly Hills has a seven-treatment-room spa and a 60-foot roof pool, and Hotel Bel-Air has a seven-room spa of its own.

People ask which is the fanciest hotel in LA, which is the famous one, and where is best to stay. The short answers: by recognition it is The Beverly Hills Hotel, by fame it is also The Beverly Hills Hotel (open since 1912), and by area it depends on whether you want Beverly Hills, the coast or a quiet garden.

Arriving by Private Jet: Van Nuys, Santa Monica and LAX

Van Nuys is the main private jet airport. Los Angeles World Airports says it has an 8,000 foot main runway, an FAA tower, and four major fixed-base businesses: Castle & Cooke Aviation, Clay Lacy Aviation, Jet Aviation and Signature Aviation (lawa.org, 2026). The airport is dedicated to noncommercial air travel.

Santa Monica Airport is the nearest field to the coast hotels, but it is not a jet gateway. Business Jet Traveler reported in January 2018 that its runway was cut from 5,000 to 3,500 feet, with the city aiming to close the airport by the end of 2028.

LAX has a Signature terminal at 6201 West Imperial Highway with on-site customs and immigration, per signatureaviation.com. For coast-to-coast trips, see our New York to Los Angeles private jet and Chicago to Los Angeles private jet guides, and our private jet charter guide for fees.

See the luxury hotels hub, the global best hotels in the world ranking, our Forbes Five-Star hotels page, and the sister guides to New York and Las Vegas.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the fanciest hotel in LA?
By outside recognition it is The Beverly Hills Hotel: Three MICHELIN Keys (June 2025) and Forbes Five-Star for 2026. Hotel Bel-Air also holds Three Keys but is Forbes Four-Star. Both are Dorchester Collection hotels in quiet garden settings.
What is the famous hotel in LA?
The Beverly Hills Hotel at 9641 Sunset Boulevard is the best known. It opened in 1912, per Forbes Travel Guide, and is known for the Polo Lounge, private bungalows and a retro pool deck with cabanas.
What is the best place to stay in Los Angeles?
It depends on your trip. Beverly Hills has the most recognized hotels and Rodeo Drive, Santa Monica puts you on the beach, Bel-Air is quiet, and Downtown suits arts and events. Start with The Beverly Hills Hotel for the strongest record.
Which Los Angeles hotels have three MICHELIN Keys?
Two: The Beverly Hills Hotel and Hotel Bel-Air, both Dorchester Collection, per the MICHELIN Guide's Los Angeles article dated June 24, 2025.
Which airport is best for a private jet to Los Angeles?
Van Nuys is the main private jet airport, with four major FBOs and an 8,000 foot runway, per Los Angeles World Airports. LAX has a Signature terminal with on-site customs. Santa Monica's runway was shortened in 2017 and the city aims to close it by the end of 2028, per Business Jet Traveler (2018).

Sources

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