CULVER CITY, Calif. — Sony Studios was once the most likely landmark to spring to mind when thinking of Culver City. But recent years have seen an explosion of entertainment activity, with Apple TV+, WarnerMedia and Amazon Studios acquiring space and, in turn, inspiring a thriving dining and nightlife scene.

Now a hotel is bringing a new amenity to one of Culver City’s main drags. The Shay, opening Wednesday, is the first in the westside enclave with a rooftop pool and restaurant/bar.

What You Need To Know

  • The Shay is a new boutique hotel in Culver City that opened Wednesday

  • It is the first hotel in the area to have a rooftop pool with a restaurant and bar

  • The six-story property has 148 rooms that range from $350 to $2,500 per night

  • The Shay plans to hold pop-up events, including music and comedy shows, as well as a barbershop and yoga classes

The six-story, 148-room luxury hotel on Washington Boulevard was formerly a Metro parking lot but is now part of the Ivy Station development, next door to a new residential complex and Apple TV+ offices.

The hotel leverages its location at the edge of Culver City’s arts district to incorporate a bounty of locally produced art, which is not only used in the rooms’ decor but displayed in a gallery on the hotel’s main floor. Visitors can scan the QR codes with the art to learn more about each piece and its availability.

Pricing starts at $350 for a 300-square-foot room and tops out at $2,500 for a 1,400-square-foot rooftop suite with sweeping city views that visitors can admire from a 700-square-foot terrace patio.

Marketing director Lisa Arias suspects the nearby studios will book the hotel for events and leisure travelers looking to enjoy local dining options, such as the petite dining menu restaurant Vespertine and the Shay’s own ground-floor eatery, Etta. Helmed by Michelin-starred chef Danny Grant and serving “wood-fired” cuisine, Etta opened in September, serving dinner. As of Wednesday, it is also open for breakfast and lunch.

A Destination by Hyatt property that is the company’s first urban hotel in Southern California, the Shay’s decor is designed by the same boutique that curated fellow Hyatt property, the Hotel Figueroa, in downtown LA: Studio Connection. According to spokesperson Angelina Ip, the concept is “loft, very minimalist, a modernized version of innovation.” The property has an elemental yet warm feeling, with an abundance of wood, metal and leather details.

Named for railroad engineer Ephraim Shay, who created the Shay steam locomotive that once called Culver City’s Ivy Substation home, there are subtle tributes to industrial minimalist chic throughout the hotel. The ground floor incorporates an iron-lattice “box” with built-in seating the hotel plans to use for events, including a monthly barbershop service run by the Long Beach grooming product company Imperial Barber.

Imperial Barber also created a signature amenity line for the Shay with scents meant to capture the refreshing spirit of California: eucalyptus sage and watermelon cucumber. 

The barbershop is one of several pop-ups planned for the Shay. The company says its rooftop pool area will host comedy and music shows, as well as yoga classes, while a second cocktail bar in the hotel’s first-floor lobby does double duty as a game room, complete with a pool table and board games.