Hotel 45 — A Westwood Hotel Filming Location with Poolside Glamour and an Old Hollywood Lobby

Hotel 45 is the kind of Westwood filming location that gives a crew two very different looks without leaving the property. Outside, the three-story courtyard wraps a bright, palm-lined pool with long gallery walkways looking down over the water. Inside, the mood shifts to formal Old Hollywood, with polished marble, crystal lighting and classical detail in the lobby. The brick-accented bar and residential-style suites add more coverage, so the hotel can play hotel, resort, apartment and restaurant scenes with a natural sense of continuity.

A Pool Courtyard With Built-In Camera Angles

The pool court is the first thing that feels camera-ready here. The modern pool sits in the middle of a broad open-air courtyard, with enough pale concrete deck around it for poolside action, gear and wider establishing shots. Blue loungers and umbrellas bring a strong hit of color against the beige exterior, while tall palms give the space a very Los Angeles hotel character. The pool itself has an irregular geometric shape, which makes it feel more designed than a standard rectangle. What really helps for production is the way the three levels of rooms look inward. The long open galleries give you clean elevated views down to the water, and the decorative black iron railings create repeatable foreground patterns from almost any side. You can shoot across the courtyard, reverse back toward the opposite wing, or use the arched stonework on one side for a slightly more resort-style frame. It reads naturally as a vintage Los Angeles hotel, but with the balconies and symmetry, it could also play as an upscale apartment complex.

Old Hollywood Lobby and a More Intimate Brick Bar

Step inside and the property changes tone completely. The lobby has a tall, formal feel, with a coffered white ceiling, oversized crystal chandeliers and glossy cream marble flooring that catches reflections beautifully. Classical pilasters frame the large landscape painting, and the crystal sconces on either side give the room a composed, symmetrical backdrop. The black upholstered salon chairs with carved gilt frames create a clear seating vignette without making the room feel crowded. Across the lobby, the dark wood reception desk gives productions a strong anchor point for check-in scenes, arrivals and dialogue coverage. Full-height black-framed glass runs along the exterior wall, so there are long lateral sightlines from the seating area toward reception and the entrance. During the day, the window side goes bright and reflective, while the deeper reception area stays easier to control with practical and supplemental light. The bar is a useful shift in scale. With dark plank flooring, brick arches, bentwood stools and white-clothed café tables, it feels less like a generic hotel lounge and more like an established neighborhood restaurant. It is a good contrasting interior to move into when the lobby light changes or when a scene needs something warmer and tighter.

Light, Movement and Production Use

The upper galleries are especially helpful for movement. They run continuously along the courtyard-facing rooms, giving crews space for walking shots and clean views toward the pool, palms and surrounding Westwood skyline. Orange awnings shade parts of the walkways, while planter boxes and iron railings give actors natural places to enter, pause or hold a dialogue position. The courtyard gets hard, direct sun from above and across its open sides, so the pool deck can look bright and graphic at the right time of day. When that contrast becomes too strong, the shaded gallery sections offer a steadier alternative without leaving the same visual world. For upper-level skyline views, clear daytime conditions are worth planning around. The suites add a quieter residential option within the same property. Their carpeted rooms, sofa groupings, dining tables, chandeliers, framed art and table lamps give them the feel of a private apartment or extended-stay accommodation. Softer side light comes through shuttered or curtained windows, and the open living-and-dining layouts leave enough depth for two-person coverage. Teams planning arrival or exterior staging for a Westwood shoot can coordinate permit needs with FilmLA before scheduling the courtyard.