Los Angeles' Music Video And Movie Famous Hotel Offers Both A Chic Stay And Abandoned Mall Vibes

When picturing a Los Angeles getaway, travelers might imagine Santa Monica's beaches or star-studded Hollywood. But trading those places for downtown LA's Westin Bonaventure Hotel and Suites creates a unique, blockbuster science-fiction experience that also happens to be surprisingly chic. In 1977, architect John C. Portman Jr. designed this property as a self-contained "city within a city." Occupying an entire block, the 367-foot-tall postmodern structure rises 35 stories across each of its four glass towers and has hosted various heads of state, high-ranking officials, and other VIPs.

The retro-futuristic layout features glass cylinders that surround a larger central tower. Glass elevators glide along the exterior and descend into an atrium with spiral staircases and reflecting pools. Each elevator bank is color-coded to make navigation easier for guests. Discover Los Angeles called it a "spaceship ready for launch," and Pin-Up Magazine compared it to an indoor theme park. Tripadvisor reviewers agree; one noted the pods "felt like a Disneyland ride," while another compared them to "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." Meanwhile, shoppers rushing toward the lower-level Bonaventure Galleria will instead discover an eerie, decades-old "abandoned mall" vibe with only a few functioning storefronts.

Located in downtown LA's Bunker Hill neighborhood, the hotel attracts business travelers and conference-goers because of its location.  Many tourists completely overlook downtown LA, missing out on what is surprisingly one of the city's most walkable neighborhoods. The hotel is less than a mile from sights such as Crypto.com Arena, Walt Disney Concert Hall, and The Broad. Downtown LA also houses eclectic local art galleries and St. Vincent Court, a hidden, charming secret alley with a European feel and plenty of shops. The historic Grand Central Market is also nearby, offering an artsy marketplace filled with award-winning eats, as well as Olvera Street, LA's oldest thoroughfare with a lively Mexican market.

The Westin Bonaventure is different from the traditional "old Hollywood" script that many travelers might expect when booking a stay in Los Angeles. Guests who are looking for vintage luxury might opt for the timeless old Hollywood glam of Hotel Bel-Air or check into the Hollywood Roosevelt hoping to spot Marilyn Monroe's ghost. That said, the Westin Bonaventure trades classic glamour for a futuristic aesthetic and has been the setting of numerous films, television shows, and music videos, which means it holds star power of its own.

The hotel was used as a film location almost immediately after its completion in 1977, showing up in the 1979 pilot episode of the classic science-fiction series "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century." Its glass elevators were later featured in the 1993 thriller "In the Line of Fire" and the 1994 action blockbuster "True Lies," with commemorative plaques near the elevators marking those filming locations. The uniquely curved, slightly brutalist interior spaces also appear in "Interstellar," "Vice," "Rain Man," "The Dark Knight Rises," and "Zoolander." The hotel's spinning rooftop restaurant, BonaVista Lounge, also inspired the sitcom "It's a Living."

The building remains a popular backdrop for music videos as well. Kendrick Lamar and SZA used the atrium's walkways and elevators for their "Luther" music video. Fans can also spot the unmistakable post-modern architecture in Harry Styles' "Aperture," Usher's "U Don't Have to Call," The Weeknd's "Out of Time, Maroon 5's "Priceless," and HAIM's "Down to be Wrong." Adding to its entertainment resume, Rihanna also transformed the property into a futuristic runway for the "Savage x Fenty Show Vol. 3," her Emmy-winning Amazon Prime fashion special.

Alongside its cinematic appeal, the Westin Bonaventure functions as a 1,354-room urban hub. The building's cylindrical towers give the guest rooms unconventional pie-shaped layouts with floor-to-ceiling windows. One Tripadvisor reviewer shared that "the breathtaking view from [their room]... was an unforgettable experience" as they watched the city light up at sunset. As with all Westin properties, amenities include the signature Heavenly Beds and Sleep Well lavender balm. Travelers can ride the fitness center's Peloton bikes overlooking the atrium, or lounge on the fourth-floor heated outdoor pool deck. For dinner, guests can visit LA Prime, the 35th-floor steakhouse with 360-degree panoramic views, followed by drinks at the revolving BonaVista Lounge. 

The Bonaventure Galleria, the complex's indoor shopping mall, might surprise guests hoping to shop or pick up forgotten items. While the mall spans six atrium levels, anyone expecting a bustling environment like Beverly Hills' Rodeo Drive, a fashion boulevard world-famous for its luxury shops will instead discover a mostly vacant complex with an oddly ghostly atmosphere. That feeling is not new. In a 2008 BBC interview, urban theorist Edward Soja noted that "there are shops that receive no customers largely because customers can't find them" inside the maze-like concrete layout.

Today, only a handful of businesses are open, including DESUAR DTLA Spa for facials and massages, River Dentistry for sudden vacation toothaches, and K-Grill Korean Cuisine, a family-owned fast-casual restaurant. Signs of life may show at Bonaventure Brewing Company, but it is only available for private events. One Tripadvisor reviewer praised the hotel's chic amenities but noticed the vacancies, sharing that "there were several spots for business, restaurants, that were just sitting empty." For abandoned mall explorers, the Bonaventure offers a particularly unique — and strange — contrast: a nearly empty shopping center situated inside one of downtown LA's busiest hotels.