The bottom line: Sunset Tower Hotel operates 81 rooms and suites within the 1929 Leland A. Bryant-designed Art Deco landmark on the Sunset Strip — one of the finest examples of Art Deco architecture in the Los Angeles area. The hotel opened in 1931 and once housed Howard Hughes, John Wayne, Marilyn Monroe, Errol Flynn, Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Sinatra, Paulette Goddard, Zasu Pitts, and Bugsy Siegel. Owner Jeff Klein purchased the property in 2004 with partner Peter Krulewitch and hired designer Paul Fortune to restore the property under its original name. Rooms feature floor-to-ceiling windows, Egyptian cotton linens, and Nespresso machines.
Sunset Tower Hotel at 8358 Sunset Boulevard operates as one of the principal West Hollywood / Sunset Strip historic-luxury hotels — 81 rooms and suites within the 1929 Leland A. Bryant-designed Art Deco landmark, restored to its original name by owner Jeff Klein in 2004 after operating as The Argyle in the 1990s. The property’s historical-resident roster (Howard Hughes, John Wayne, Marilyn Monroe, Errol Flynn, Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Sinatra) anchors the broader cultural-heritage commercial position.
This piece is a 2026 configuration analysis of the property — the 8358 Sunset Boulevard geographic position, the 1929 Art Deco landmark heritage, the 81-accommodation inventory, the Klein / Krulewitch / Fortune restoration framework, and the position in the broader LA luxury hotel set.
The 8358 Sunset Boulevard Position
Sunset Tower Hotel occupies 8358 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood. The position places the property:
- On the Sunset Strip — the principal Sunset Strip entertainment-industry corridor between Hollywood and Beverly Hills
- With views over Beverly Hills — supporting the principal western view orientation
- With views over the Hollywood Hills and downtown Los Angeles — supporting the broader LA panorama view orientation
- Within walking distance of the Sunset Strip dining and entertainment cluster — including the broader West Hollywood restaurant set
- Within close proximity to the Beverly Hills ultra-luxury hotel cluster — including the Peninsula, Maybourne, Beverly Hills Hotel, and Hotel Bel-Air
The Sunset Strip geographic position differentiates Sunset Tower from the Beverly Hills ultra-luxury cluster and the broader Downtown LA business-hotel cluster, supporting specific entertainment-industry use cases that anchor the Sunset Strip commercial profile.
The 1929 Art Deco Heritage
Sunset Tower was designed in 1929 by architect Leland A. Bryant and opened in 1931. The property is considered one of the finest examples of Art Deco architecture in the Los Angeles area. The principal architectural features:
The Art Deco exterior: Bryant assembled an eclectic and strange assortment of decorative motifs across the broader Art Deco tower exterior — some exotic, some taken from nature and modern life. The motifs include:
- Male and female figures
- Stags and goats
- Fighter planes
- An eagle
- An elephant
- The sun
- A zeppelin
- A submarine
- A pagoda
The combined motif programme reflects the broader 1920s American Art Deco design register with the period’s characteristic embrace of contemporary technology (fighter planes, zeppelin, submarine) alongside classical and exotic references.
The tower form: The Sunset Tower’s vertical proportions and the broader Art Deco tower massing operate as the principal architectural signature of the property. The tower form is one of the most-recognised Art Deco hotel landmarks in the Los Angeles area.
The 1929 Art Deco heritage is one of the principal commercial differentiators of Sunset Tower from peer LA luxury hotels operating with more contemporary or generic-historic architectural frameworks.
The 81-Accommodation Configuration
Sunset Tower operates 81 rooms and suites total — a boutique-scale inventory that supports the broader historic-luxury commercial position. Each accommodation features:
- Panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows — supporting the principal city view orientation
- City views across Beverly Hills, the Hollywood Hills, and downtown Los Angeles
- Egyptian cotton linens — anchoring the bedding programme
- Luxury toiletries — within the broader brand-standard amenity programme
- Complimentary wireless internet access
- Nespresso machines
- Gourmet minibars — including the signature minibar curation
- Signature toiletries — within the property’s curated personal-care programming
The boutique 81-accommodation scale supports a more curated guest experience than peer larger-scale Sunset Strip and West Hollywood hotels operating at 200-500-accommodation footprints.
The Notable Former Residents
The building counted among its former residents one of the most-notable historical-celebrity rosters in the broader Los Angeles hotel-heritage set:
- Howard Hughes — the broader aviation and entertainment industry figure
- John Wayne — the broader Western and American film actor
- Billie Burke — the broader American actress
- Marilyn Monroe — the broader American film star
- Errol Flynn — the broader Hollywood Golden Age actor
- Elizabeth Taylor — the broader American film actress
- Frank Sinatra — the broader American entertainer
- Paulette Goddard — the broader American actress
- Zasu Pitts — the broader American actress
- Bugsy Siegel — the broader American organised-crime figure who anchored the broader Las Vegas Strip founding history
The historical-resident roster is one of the most-celebrated in the Los Angeles luxury hotel set and supports the property’s broader cultural-heritage commercial position within the Sunset Strip context.
The Klein / Krulewitch / Fortune Restoration
Sunset Tower operated under multiple names through the 20th century before the 2004 restoration:
The 1992 Lancaster Group acquisition: The Lancaster Group purchased the hotel from Peter de Savary in 1992 and renamed it the Argyle. The Argyle-era branding operated through the 1990s into the early 2000s.
The 2004 Klein / Krulewitch acquisition: Jeff Klein and Peter Krulewitch purchased the hotel in 2004. Klein has subsequently anchored the broader property ownership framework and operated as the principal commercial face of the property.
The Paul Fortune-led restoration: Klein hired designer Paul Fortune to renovate the hotel and restore its original name. Fortune’s design framework integrated:
- The restored Sunset Tower name (replacing the 1990s Argyle branding)
- The principal Art Deco architectural-heritage preservation
- The contemporary boutique-luxury hospitality programming
- The broader Sunset Strip historic-luxury commercial positioning
The post-2004 Sunset Tower era has operated as one of the most-curated Sunset Strip historic-luxury hotels and reflects the broader Klein / Fortune restoration framework.
Sunset Tower in the 2026 LA Luxury Hotel Set
In 2026, Sunset Tower Hotel operates within the principal Sunset Strip / West Hollywood luxury hotel set:
- Sunset Tower Hotel: 1929 Art Deco landmark at 8358 Sunset Boulevard (Klein-owned; 81 rooms)
- Chateau Marmont: 1929 Sunset Boulevard heritage property (boutique-luxury historic)
- Pendry West Hollywood: Sunset Strip contemporary luxury (Pendry Hotels)
- EDITION West Hollywood: Sunset Strip Schrager / Marriott modern luxury
- The London West Hollywood (Marriott): Sunset Strip all-suite
And within the broader LA / Beverly Hills ultra-luxury hotel set:
- Peninsula Beverly Hills, Maybourne Beverly Hills, Beverly Hills Hotel, Hotel Bel-Air, Beverly Wilshire (Four Seasons), Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills
Sunset Tower’s structural advantages within the LA luxury hotel set are:
- The 1929 Leland A. Bryant Art Deco landmark heritage
- The 81-room boutique scale
- The floor-to-ceiling-window room product with multi-orientation city views
- The Jeff Klein ownership framework
- The Paul Fortune-led restoration design framework
- The notable historical-resident roster (Hughes, Wayne, Monroe, Flynn, Taylor, Sinatra)
- The Sunset Strip geographic position supporting entertainment-industry use cases
For corporate travel managers building Los Angeles premium hotel programmes — particularly with Sunset Strip geographic preferences, Art Deco / historic-architecture priorities, boutique-scale stay requirements, or entertainment-industry-anchored use cases — Sunset Tower is one of the principal recommendations alongside Chateau Marmont (the other principal Sunset Boulevard historic-luxury anchor) and the Beverly Hills ultra-luxury cluster across distinct use cases.
Sources
Public reporting tracked for this analysis includes the Sunset Tower Hotel official site, the Sunset Tower Hotel history page, the Sunset Tower Hotel rooms and suites page, and the Sunset Tower Wikipedia entry.
Frequently asked questions
- Where is Sunset Tower Hotel located?
- At 8358 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood — the principal Sunset Strip cluster between Hollywood and Beverly Hills. The position places the property within the principal West Hollywood entertainment-industry corridor with views over Beverly Hills, the Hollywood Hills, and downtown Los Angeles.
- What is the architectural heritage?
- Sunset Tower was designed in 1929 by architect Leland A. Bryant and opened in 1931 as one of the finest examples of Art Deco architecture in the Los Angeles area. The exterior features an eclectic assortment of decorative motifs including male and female figures, stags, goats, fighter planes, an eagle, an elephant, the sun, a zeppelin, a submarine, and a pagoda — reflecting the broader 1920s American Art Deco design register.
- How is the hotel configured?
- 81 guest rooms and suites total — distributed across the Art Deco tower. Each accommodation features panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows with city views (Beverly Hills, Hollywood Hills, downtown LA orientations), Egyptian cotton linens, luxury toiletries, complimentary wireless internet, Nespresso machines, and gourmet minibars.
- Who are the notable former residents?
- The building counted among its former residents Howard Hughes, John Wayne, Billie Burke, Marilyn Monroe, Errol Flynn, Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Sinatra, Paulette Goddard, Zasu Pitts, and gangster Bugsy Siegel. The historical-resident roster anchors the property's broader cultural-heritage commercial position within the Sunset Strip context.
- What is the Argyle / Sunset Tower naming history?
- The hotel operated under multiple names through the 20th century. In 1992, the Lancaster Group purchased the hotel from Peter de Savary and renamed it the Argyle. In 2004, Jeff Klein and Peter Krulewitch purchased the property, and Klein hired designer Paul Fortune to renovate the hotel and restore its original name — Sunset Tower. The property has operated under the restored Sunset Tower name since the 2004 acquisition.
- How does Sunset Tower sit in the 2026 West Hollywood / Sunset Strip hotel set?
- Sunset Tower operates as the principal Sunset Strip historic-luxury hotel — distinguishing it from the Beverly Hills ultra-luxury cluster (Peninsula, Maybourne, Beverly Hills Hotel, Hotel Bel-Air) and the broader West Hollywood boutique-luxury set (Pendry West Hollywood, Edition West Hollywood, Chateau Marmont). Sunset Tower's structural advantages are the 1929 Art Deco landmark heritage, the 81-room boutique scale, the floor-to-ceiling-window room product, the Jeff Klein ownership and Paul Fortune-designed restoration, and the historical-resident heritage.
