Venice Beach Welcomes Its First Beachfront Hotel

Although Venice Beach is a popular Southern California beach destination, it's never had a hotel that's on the beach—until last Friday, when Venice V Hotel debuted.

“We’re actually right on the boardwalk," said manager Leah Edwards. "Not only are we oceanfront, we’re beachfront. On a clear day, you can see all the way to Malibu.”

The 36 guest rooms are divided into three themes: Bohemian (boho-chic décor), Artist (ode to Hollywood’s nostalgic elite) and Dogtown (a nod to Venice Beach’s surf and skate culture). All feature hardwood floors, original art, an open layout, platform beds and walk-in showers. “Every room has a view of the ocean,” said Edwards, from varying vantage points. Seven rooftop bungalows are the crème de la crème. Part of Proper Hospitality, which includes West L.A.’s Hotel June and Proper properties in Austin, Texas, and California (San Francisco, Santa Monica and downtown L.A.), this new addition easily embodies the beach town's identity is through wall murals and skateboard art (in the Dogtown guest rooms) as well as murals on the hotel’s exterior windows. Perhaps the most impressive is the 12-by-12-foot lobby mural of Abbot Kinney, the late Venice founder and visionary, constructed entirely of skateboard wheels.

The hotel also features a rooftop deck with a lounge vibe. Beach yoga classes and guided tours of local murals are also offered. A café or restaurant will open later but for now a Great White partnership secures in-room dining, with everything from a Blue Smoothie Bowl (folding in E3 algae as a superfood) and matcha scones to fish tacos and Wagyu steak.

Edwards is banking on a specific type of traveler to check into Venice V Hotel: those who choose properties “where the hotel really reflects the vibe of the city it’s in,” she said.

This isn’t the first time the building has operated as a hotel. After its 1915 opening, The Waldorf (as it was named then) hosted guests like Charlie Chaplin and Marilyn Monroe. Original exterior tile and a metal sign retained during the recent makeover honor this important first chapter. Another cool feature in the hotel is the oldest operating elevator west of the Mississippi.

Relativity Architects, whose other projects include Coffee Commissary, Roosevelt Hollywood, and Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, worked on the architectural buildout while Renee Labbe (of the surf lifestyle brand LABBE) was tapped to design interiors. Both are based in L.A.

“This has been a labor of love for [the owner] since 2017,” said Edwards. “He had a definite vision for the hotel and [Relativity Architects and Labbe] helped him execute it. He really wanted to capture Venice Beach, both past and present, in this remodel.” One example is the artist-made skateboards, created by inner-city youth through The Garage Board Shop in East L.A.—fitting as the Venice Beach Skate Park is next to the hotel.

Dondrell Lee’s murals are another artistic accent. “Lee is a Venice local and does abstract oil paintings and collaborations with others,” said Edwards, while Muckrock’s exterior murals will be familiar to locals. “[Jules Muck’s] very well known in the Venice area and very well respected,” said Edwards.

Edwards strives to provide service that makes you feel at home. “It’s like you’re coming to a friend’s guesthouse as opposed to a hotel,” she said.

Rates at Venice V Hotel start at $250 per night. To book a room, visit the hotel’s website.