Petit Ermitage is not a swinger club, and it does not advertise lifestyle parties. It is a family-owned, all-suite hotel on a quiet street in West Hollywood, built for adults who want privacy, a sensual room, and a rooftop that outsiders cannot walk into.
The property sits at 8822 Cynthia Street, West Hollywood, CA 90069, a short walk from the Sunset Strip and Santa Monica Boulevard. Visit West Hollywood calls it one of the city’s best-kept secrets and notes that it holds a Michelin Key. About 80 suites, none of them identical, are layered with original art and worn-in antiques. The rooftop pool, garden restaurant, and bars are for registered guests, not the general public.
That mix is why open-minded couples and polyamorous travelers ask about it. Check-in is 21 and older. After noon, the hotel’s own neighborhood listing says European pool rules apply. Photography and filming are prohibited without management approval. Standard occupancy is two guests per suite. Those rules create a discreet, adult setting. They do not create an on-site play space.
This guide separates hotel policy from guest reports. It covers the rooms, the roof, the weekly calendar, what a stay actually feels like, conduct rules, costs, and where Los Angeles’s lifestyle social life actually happens. If you want a private base in WeHo, read on. If you want a club with playrooms, book a members’ night elsewhere and use this hotel only as lodging.
Source: Petit Ermitage
General Information
A private house, not a scene
Petit Ermitage occupies a former apartment building at 8822 Cynthia Street, West Hollywood, CA 90069. The phone number is 310-854-1114, and reservations run through petitermitage.com. Visit West Hollywood lists about 80 suites and an average rate near $349 a night before taxes and fees. Press reviews more often say 79 suites. Either way, this is a small, all-suite property, not a convention hotel.
The building faces a residential street just below the Sunset Strip. Beverly Hills, Melrose, and Santa Monica Boulevard are a short ride or walk away. The facade is easy to miss. Inside, the look is Euro-bohemian: Venetian plaster, antiques, and art that reviews have linked to names such as Miró and de Kooning. The hotel has long been described as family-owned, and a 2011 Los Angeles Times piece traced the private rooftop club to about 2009.
Who it is for
The published guest policy is explicit. Only guests 21 and older may check in. Maximum occupancy is two per suite. Demi Double suites and larger suites with a sofa bed allow a third person for a $25 nightly surcharge. The rooftop, pool, and restaurant are not open to walk-ins. Visit West Hollywood puts it simply: the only way in is to stay.
That makes the hotel a fit for couples who want a romantic, adult stay and a bad fit for families with young children or for groups hoping to share one room. West Hollywood itself is one of the country’s most established LGBTQ+ neighborhoods, with a long open-minded nightlife culture. The hotel benefits from that setting. It does not host it.
Source: Petit Ermitage
What the name gets wrong
Search results sometimes file Petit Ermitage under lifestyle or clothing-optional travel. The accurate label is adult-oriented boutique hotel. There is no published swingers’ night, no playroom, and no members’ lifestyle club on the property. Treat it as a discreet base, then plan any community events separately.
Key Features and Amenities
The suites
Every room is a suite, and the hotel leans into the idea that no two are the same. Most have a lounge area and a working fireplace. Some include a kitchenette or a sofa bed. Beds are dressed for long stays, and bathrooms are stocked with grown-up amenities rather than a standard chain kit. Masters Quarters suites are the top tier: reviewers describe access to the Masters Lounge and a higher level of personal service. A standard suite still sleeps two. A third guest is the exception, not the plan.
Source: Petit Ermitage
The private rooftop
The roof is the reason most people book. It holds a heated saltwater pool, red-and-white loungers, cabanas, and pool beds that should be reserved ahead, especially Friday through Sunday. The Gardens, also referred to in neighborhood coverage as Cinq à Sept, serves Mediterranean-leaning plates under chef Christopher McLaughlin. The Butterfly Bar pours craft cocktails. The Fire Deck is the open-air living room. The Wiggle Room is the enclosed lounge used for piano and cabaret. The garden is a certified hummingbird and butterfly sanctuary, one of the few Audubon-recognized sites of its kind in Los Angeles.
Source: Petit Ermitage
Pool rules and privacy
The pool is open essentially around the clock. Guests under 18 may use it only from 7 a.m. to noon, and only with an adult. Visit West Hollywood says European pool rules apply after noon. In practice that means topless sunbathing is permitted. It does not mean the deck becomes a nude beach or a play space every afternoon. Guest reports are mixed: some mention a clothing-optional mood, others say they never saw anyone topless.
Photography and filming are prohibited without management approval. That rule is a feature if you do not want to be posted. Smoking is banned in suites and on balconies, and allowed on the roof. A smoking violation in a suite is a $500 fee. Pets are welcome if registered, leashed in common areas, and covered by a $200 plus tax non-refundable fee.
Events and Activities at Petit Ermitage, Los Angeles, United States
The weekly guest calendar
The hotel publishes a steady, low-key program rather than a nightlife schedule. Yoga meets daily at 9 a.m. on the Fire Deck. Monday at 7 p.m. is Petit Salons, a curated film on the Fire Deck followed by a conversation led by Darby Gaelle Hannon, James Aaron Oliver, and Sara Carter. Wednesday and Friday from 8:30 to 11:30 p.m. are tarot readings on the roof, more informal midweek and candlelit on Fridays. Thursday at 8 p.m., resident pianist George Holdcroft plays the Wiggle Room. Friday brings The Toledo Show, a cabaret led by Toledo Diamond, built from film noir, soul, and classic numbers across three intimate sets.
Older reviews also mention Monday movie nights with popcorn and occasional burlesque. Those have clearly happened. They are not the same as the current published calendar, so confirm the week you arrive.
Source: Petit Ermitage
Private buyouts
The roof can be hired. Hotel event pages list the Fire Deck for roughly 45 seated or 75 reception-style, the Garden for up to about 80, the Pool Deck for up to 150, and a full rooftop buyout of about 3,724 square feet covering the pool, Fire Deck, cabanas, Wiggle Room, Butterfly Bar, and Garden. Inquiries go to soiree@petitermitage.com. A buyout is still a hotel event. It is not a license to run a play party unless sales agrees to the plan in writing.
Where the lifestyle scene actually is
Petit Ermitage does not publish swingers’ nights. Couples who want an on-premise club in Los Angeles look to members’ venues such as Club Joi, which hosts couples and single women on Friday and Saturday nights at a separate location. WeHo’s bars and seasonal Pride events are the other easy addition to a stay. Use the hotel for sleep, the pool, and a late drink. Use the city for the community.
Visitor Experience
Arrival and the room
Check-in is 4 p.m. Early arrivals are generally welcome on the roof while the suite is cleaned. The lobby is small, closer to a house entrance than a hotel hall, and the staff are used to guests who want to be left alone. Suites feel residential: fireplace, layered textiles, a bar or kitchenette in some layouts, and art that does not match from room to room.
One August 2025 TripAdvisor review reported a “Lovers Kit” in the room and an adult-themed door hanger, plus a $1,000 security hold the guests had not expected. That is one report, not a listed amenity. Ask when you book if either item matters to you.
A day on the roof
Mornings are the quiet hours: yoga, coffee, and the pool before the European rules begin at noon. Afternoons are for the saltwater pool, which is shallow and social rather than a lap pool, and for lunch in the garden. Hummingbirds are not a marketing line. The sanctuary planting draws them in close. Evenings move to the Fire Deck or the Wiggle Room. The crowd is stylish and mixed, heavy on couples and creative locals. Conversation happens. Nobody is required to join it.
Source: Petit Ermitage
Couples, thirds, and visitors
A couple has the cleanest stay. A polycule of three can work only in a sofa-bed or Demi Double suite, with the $25 surcharge, and should clear it before arrival. Visitors are tighter still. Two registered visitors per suite are allowed Monday through Thursday, and one from Friday through Sunday. Dining on the roof can include up to seven people if you reserve. Eight or more is a private event. There is no casual “bring the pod up for the afternoon” option on a weekend.
The social temperature is warm and discreet, not a hosted mixer. People talk. The no-photo rule makes that easier. It is still a hotel, and interest has to be mutual.
Safety and Conduct Policies
Age and who may be on the roof
The hotel is adult at check-in: 21 and older. The pool exception is narrow. Children may use it only from 7 a.m. to noon, and only with an adult. After noon, the deck is an adult space under European pool rules. If you are traveling with anyone under 21, this is the wrong property.
Visitors must be registered before they arrive. The cap is two per suite Monday through Thursday and one per suite Friday through Sunday. Unregistered guests should not expect roof access. Parties of eight or more have to go through the private-events office.
Privacy, smoking, and the incidental hold
Photography and filming need management approval. That protects guests who are topless, famous, or simply private. It also means you should not photograph other people on the deck, even from your own lounger. Smoking is roof-only. A suite violation is $500. The hotel authorizes one night’s room and tax at booking. A 2025 guest reported a $1,000 hold at check-in. Ask reservations what will be authorized on your card so the amount is not a surprise.
Conduct that the hotel implies but does not spell out
European rules are a dress code, not an invitation. Topless sunbathing does not mean someone wants to be approached. Touching without a clear yes is out of bounds in any shared hotel space, and staff can ask guests to leave. There is no published kink, play, or lifestyle code of conduct because the hotel does not operate as a club. Do not assume cabanas, the Wiggle Room, or a suite corridor are play spaces. Keep anything intimate inside your own room, and only with the people registered to that room.
Problems go to the front desk, reservations@petitermitage.com, or 310-854-1114. For a buyout, write to soiree@petitermitage.com and get the house rules in the contract.
Practical Information
Rates and mandatory fees
Visit West Hollywood lists an average near $349 a night. Recent press has cited roughly $350 in low season and $475 in high season, before breakfast. The resort fee is $49.75 per night. Taxes and daily charges on the hotel’s terms page include 16.5 percent tax, $1.10 per night, and a $10 city ordinance fee. Valet is the only parking, at $65 per night plus tax. Street parking is permit-only. A third guest, where allowed, is $25. A pet is $200 plus tax, non-refundable.
Hours and contacts
Check-in is 4 p.m. Checkout is 11 a.m. After 11 a.m., a late fee applies unless management approves it. After 1 p.m., the hotel can post a full extra night. Individual bookings: reservations@petitermitage.com or 310-854-1114. Groups: sales@petitermitage.com. Press: pr@petitermitage.com. Private events: soiree@petitermitage.com.
The hotel’s own offers include an Early Bird rate for stays reserved five or more nights ahead, up to about 20 percent off a non-refundable booking, and an Extend Your Pleasure rate for three nights or more. Pool beds and cabanas should be requested ahead on weekends.
Getting there and when to go
You do not need a car if you plan to stay in West Hollywood. Rideshare covers Beverly Hills, the Strip, and any members’ club night elsewhere in Los Angeles. Weekdays are the quieter pool days. Spring and fall are the easy outdoor months. Summer afternoons are hot but the pool is the point. Do not book a holiday weekend expecting a lifestyle event. Nothing on the public calendar is one. Confirm the incidental hold, visitor cap, and pool rules by email a week before arrival. Those three details change how a polyamorous trip feels more than the thread count does.
Online Presence and Community Engagement
What the hotel publishes
The official site, petitermitage.com, is the source that matters. Guest policies, the events calendar, rooftop dining, and the soirée pages are all there. The voice is deliberate and private. The brand still describes the roof as a hideaway rather than a venue, which matches the no-photos rule and the members-and-guests history of the Butterfly Bar. Instagram is visual and atmospheric. It is not a channel for lifestyle announcements, because the hotel does not make them.
What reviewers and neighborhoods say
TripAdvisor listings recently showed about 4.4 out of 5 from roughly 1,800 reviews, with the hotel ranked near the top of West Hollywood. U.S. News has cited a guest score around 8.7. The rooftop dominates both praise and questions. Visit West Hollywood is the clearest public line on dress: “European pool rules apply after noon. You’ll figure out what that means.” That sentence does more work than most hotel copy.
Lifestyle forums rarely list Petit Ermitage as a play hotel. The recurring question is whether the pool is actually European in practice. Answers conflict, which is useful information: the permission is real, the scene is not guaranteed. No credible public calendar shows a hotel-hosted swingers’ night.
How to read the community around it
West Hollywood is the community, not the hotel. Couples use the stay as a base, then meet people through apps, private parties, and members’ clubs. A useful reading habit is to separate three layers: hotel policy, guest reports, and city events. The hotel will not confirm your plans with other guests. If you want introductions in Los Angeles, make them before you arrive, and do not treat the Fire Deck as a mixer with a host.
Visitor Testimonials and Reviews
What regular guests praise
The pool is the review. Guests call it the best part of the stay: heated saltwater, skyline views, striped loungers, and a deck that feels closed to the street. Service gets the next round of praise, especially from repeat visitors who mention staff by name. Design splits people in a good way. Fans like the antiques, fireplaces, and the sense of sleeping in someone’s house. The Telegraph has scored the character highly and noted a sultry, brooding suite mood that opens up on the roof. Cabaret, piano, and movie nights are the programming guests actually remember.
What surprises people
Fees are the practical complaint: resort fee, valet, and an incidental hold that one August 2025 review put at $1,000. That same review is the clearest recent account of the adult positioning. The guests found a lovers kit and an adult-themed door hanger, were told the pool was adults-only and clothing-optional after noon, and felt the hotel should have said so more plainly at booking. Other guests, answering a TripAdvisor question about topless sunbathing, said they never saw it. Both can be true on different days.
How to use these reviews
Read for the pattern, not the outlier. The pattern is a beautiful, private, adult roof with uneven disclosure about dress code and deposits. Families and anyone expecting a standard resort should book elsewhere. Couples who want discretion, and who will ask about the hold before they arrive, are the guests these reviews are really describing. Check the live calendar and the terms page again before you travel. Programming and fees are the lines that age fastest.
Conclusion
Petit Ermitage works for a couple who want a private West Hollywood base, a guest-only roof, and an adults-only pool after noon. It does not work as a swing club, a group crash pad, or a place to bring an unregistered party onto the deck. Confirm the visitor cap, the European pool rules, and the card hold before you book. Then use the city, not the hotel, for the rest of the social plan.
Wander Together – Where Curiosity Turns Into Endless Play
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