Los Angeles hotel lobbies you can work from


A Los Angeles hotel lobby can offer more than just a place to check into a room. An increasing number of LA hotels are offering private corners and business amenities that make working from the lobby efficient, productive, and enjoyable.

Don't work from the office next time you're in LA. Image credit: Deagreez/iStock
Don’t work from the office next time you’re in LA. Image credit: Deagreez/iStock

Freelancers, writers, and business travelers have left the quiet space of coffee shops in search of better, more comfortable urban workspaces conducive to business.

For people who travel out of town for business and need somewhere to meet clients, hotel rooms have traditionally made poor places to have business meetings. Unless you spend extra money to rent a suite, having a business meeting in your room is kind of like inviting a client or colleague into your bedroom. What’s more, depending on the hotel, your guests may have to navigate elevators, long hallways, and courtyards to reach your room. A good way to avoid this awkwardness when traveling through LA is to use a hotel lobby as a site for your next business meeting or just to get your work done.

Obviously, some Los Angeles hotel lobbies are better suited as workspaces than others for this purpose. That’s why we’ve done the legwork for you and scoped out a half dozen hotel lobbies in the Los Angeles area that offer the perfect place to work from.

In our opinion, a good Los Angeles hotel lobby to work from is one that offers a lot of amenities, like free, easy-to-access Wi-Fi, a nearby business center where you can print from, as well as private spaces where you won’t be overheard by other guests. Below are six hotel lobbies in the greater LA area we feel meet these criteria.

Mr C. in Beverly Hills – a space that exudes Italian elegance

A favorite of entertainment industry executives, Mr. C Beverly Hills is a boutique, Venetian-inspired hotel located in Beverly Hills near Sony Pictures Studios, Fox Studios, and William Morris Entertainment. The lobby has a comfortable European appeal with velvet couches, crystal chandeliers, and lots of private spaces divided by columns, banquettes, and potted plants. There’s also a spacious outdoor terrace if you’d prefer to meet clients. When it’s time to celebrate a successfully-closed deal, the Lobby Lounge bar makes one of the best Cipriani bellinis in town. You’ll think you’re in Venice.

Freehand Los Angeles – Relaxing 70s chic

Work from a retro-styled hotel lobby. Image credit: Adrian Gaut/Freehand Los Angeles

Freehand Los Angeles has great, no-password-needed internet access as well as plenty of outlets to charge your devices. Best of all, this unpretentious 70s-style hotel lobby is conveniently located in downtown LA and has abundant private spaces, ideal for sealing the deal, putting the finishing touches on your screenplay, or interviewing your next key employee.

Montage at Laguna Beach – work by the ocean

If you’re looking to impress a client while still having access to all the business amenities you need, we suggest the hotel lobby at Montage Laguna Beach. The Pacific Ocean view is mesmerizing; the free Wi-Fi is fast, and the fireplace will add a touch of warmth, both figuratively and literally, to your meeting.

Getting out to the beach from the airport doesn’t have to be a chore, Book a reliable Blacklane limousine service in Los Angeles. You can even get work done while you ride.

Hollywood’s Roosevelt Hotel – 1920s glamour

The Hollywood Roosevelt has a great lobby to work from. Image credit/Hollywood Roosevelt
The Hollywood Roosevelt has a great lobby to work from. Image credit/Hollywood Roosevelt

Another of our picks for top hotel meeting rooms in Los Angeles is the Library Lounge, located in the lobby of the Roosevelt Hotel on Hollywood Boulevard. This classy lobby lounge evokes the Hollywood glamor years of the 1920s with luxurious banquettes, dark paneling, and built-in bookcases. Privacy is what this famous hotel banks on. It doesn’t matter if you’re an A-list movie star or a business traveler, you’ll find lots of quiet corners and plenty of discrete staff.

Just because the hotel was constructed close to a century ago, that doesn’t mean it hasn’t kept up with the advances in telecommunications. You’ll find free Wi-Fi and plenty of outlets in this gem of a lobby.

The Custom Hotel – close to the airport

If you’re looking for a hotel lobby to work from in Los Angeles near LAX airport, then the Custom Hotel might be just the option for you. The lobby, with its carpet-covered sheep and cork stools, is quirky, we admit. However, the lobby has been designed with work in mind. Of course, there’s Wi-Fi, but there are also wall-mounted work tables with outlets and plenty of open space to meet with customers or network. It’s a quiet oasis in a hectic part of the city.

If you are meeting with more than a couple of clients, the Custom Hotel also has some of the most attractive meeting space of any Los Angeles hotel near the airport. You can choose from seven meeting spaces, many of which have a view of the pool or the Pacific Ocean in the distance.

The NoMad Hotel – Hollywood grandeur

Work in a setting with a difference. Image credit: Benoit Linero/NoMad Hotel
Work in a setting with a difference. Image credit: Benoit Linero/NoMad Hotel

This Los Angeles hotel lobby looks like a Hollywood movie set. Although the NoMad Hotel is new, the building harks back to the glory days of Hollywood’s silent film days.

Much of the original architectural detail remains, such as arched doorways, a gilded ceiling, and massive columns. Despite all this grandeur, it’s amazingly easy to find a quiet spot to work here. There are two lobby levels plus a mezzanine. Heavy, velvet curtains and colorful, plush area rugs keep the noise from getting too loud.

Wi-Fi here is free and there are a number of living room-type sofa groupings where you can meet with clients. After you’ve finished your work, there’s a cozy bar just a few steps away that is quickly becoming one of LA’s top spots.

Apart from closing business deals in L.A.’s restaurants, hotel lobbies have fast become the go to place to do this. Many have transformed themselves into urban meeting places with amenities and spaces ideal for working and hosting business meetings. The next time you are in southern California for business, consider using a Los Angeles hotel lobby for work.