Walk through the streets of Los Santos long enough and you start to realize that most of the city is just a giant, beautiful movie set. You can't go inside 90% of the buildings. One of those places that always trips people up is the GTA V Templar Hotel. It sits there in the middle of Downtown, looking all official with its fancy architecture and "Templar" signage, but if you try to walk through the front doors, you’re just going to run face-first into a static texture. It’s a weird spot. Honestly, the Templar is a perfect example of how Rockstar Games uses real-world Los Angeles inspiration to fill out a map that feels alive even when it’s technically hollow.
The building is located on the corner of Adam's Apple Boulevard and Elgin Avenue. If you're looking for it on the map, it's right in the thick of the Mission Row area. It’s a tall, brownish-brick structure that clearly takes its visual cues from the real-life Hotel Cecil in Los Angeles. Yeah, that Hotel Cecil. The one with the dark history and the Netflix documentaries. While Rockstar never explicitly says, "Hey, this is the haunted murder hotel," the architectural parallels are too close to be a coincidence. It's got that same early 20th-century gritty elegance that defines the real Skid Row area of LA.
Why the GTA V Templar Hotel feels so empty
Most players only notice the Templar because they're running away from a five-star wanted level and looking for a lobby to hide in. Spoilers: there isn't one. The GTA V Templar Hotel is what developers call a "non-interior" prop. It exists to provide verticality to the skyline and a sense of scale. It’s funny how we expect every door to open in 2026, but back when this game dropped, a building this detailed was a feat.
Is it a missed opportunity? Maybe.
In the decade since GTA V launched, players have modded the hell out of the game to try and give these buildings a purpose. If you’re playing on a standard console version, the Templar is just a backdrop for a drive-by. But if you’re on PC using something like the Open All Interiors mod, you can sometimes see the "nothingness" behind the curtain. Usually, there’s just a void or a very low-resolution floor plane. It’s a reminder that Los Santos is a masterpiece of smoke and mirrors.
The name "Templar" itself feels like a little nod to the Freemason or Illuminati themes Rockstar loves to pepper into the game. You’ve seen the eye on the 100-dollar bill in-game, and you’ve seen the Mount Chiliad mystery hunters losing their minds over mural symbols. Does the Templar Hotel connect to the jetpack? Probably not. But the name choice definitely keeps the "everything is a conspiracy" vibe of the GTA universe consistent.
The real-world connection to the Hotel Cecil
You can't talk about this building without talking about the Cecil. The real-life inspiration for the GTA V Templar Hotel is located at 640 S. Main Street in Los Angeles. In the game, the Templar captures that specific vibe of a grand hotel that has seen better days. It looks like it was the height of luxury in the 1920s but has since settled into a more "economical" (read: sketchy) role in the city.
- The windows are narrow and repetitive.
- The fire escapes are prominent on the exterior.
- The signage is placed high up to be seen from blocks away.
Rockstar is famous for this kind of "location scouting." They don't just build random blocks. They send photographers to LA to capture the exact way the sunlight hits old brick. When you stand outside the Templar in-game, the shadows fall exactly how they would on the Cecil. It's a level of detail that most people ignore until they see a side-by-side comparison on a subreddit.
Can you actually do anything at the Templar Hotel?
In the base game? No. Not really.
There are no missions that take place inside. No NPCs give you tasks there. However, it's a popular spot for the GTA Online roleplay (RP) community. Because the exterior looks so distinct, RP players often use it as a "neutral ground" for meetings or a backdrop for character stories. Since you can't go inside, people usually park their cars out front and use the menyoo mod to spawn furniture on the sidewalk to simulate a functional business.
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It's actually kinda cool how the community takes these empty shells and gives them a life that Rockstar never intended. I've seen entire "hotel management" storylines play out on FiveM servers centered entirely around the GTA V Templar Hotel. It just goes to show that even a static building can become a landmark if the players decide it is.
Getting on the roof: The only "real" gameplay
The only part of the Templar you’ll actually spend time on is the roof. It’s a decent vantage point for snipers during a chaotic public lobby session in GTA Online.
- You’ll need a helicopter or an Oppressor Mk II to get up there easily.
- The ledges provide decent cover from ground fire.
- The view of the Maze Bank Tower from here is actually pretty great.
If you’re trying to survive a bounty, the roof of the GTA V Templar Hotel isn't the worst place to be. It’s not as high as the skyscrapers, so you aren't a sitting duck for jets, but it’s high enough to keep you away from the sticky bombs on the street.
The "Glitch" rumors and myths
The internet loves making stuff up about GTA. Over the years, there have been countless YouTube videos with titles like "SECRET ROOM FOUND IN TEMPLAR HOTEL." Usually, these are just clickbait. They use a "wall-breach" glitch to get the camera inside the building's collision box.
What do they find?
Nothing. Just gray walls and the underside of the street.
There's no hidden ghost, no secret weapon, and no link to the DLC that never happened. It's just a building. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, and a hotel in a video game is just a bunch of polygons meant to make the city look crowded.
How to find it yourself
If you want to go see it, just head to the Mission Row Police Station. From there, head south a couple of blocks. You’ll see the big "TEMPLAR" sign. It's hard to miss once you're looking for it, but easy to ignore if you're just speeding by in a Zentorno.
The building stays the same across all versions of the game, from the PS3/Xbox 360 days all the way to the "Expanded and Enhanced" versions on PS5 and Series X. The only difference is the texture quality. On the newer consoles, you can actually see the grime on the windows and the individual bricks much clearer. It makes the "abandoned" feel of the place even more apparent.
Practical steps for players
If you are a photographer in-game (Snapmatic enthusiasts are a real thing), the Templar is a goldmine. The way the neon lights from nearby stores hit the brick at night is perfect for a "noir" style shoot.
- Wait for 22:00 in-game time. This is when the lighting hits its peak.
- Use the "Cairn" filter. It brings out the oranges and browns of the Templar's brickwork.
- Stand across the street near the parking lot. This gives you the best angle to capture the height of the building without the perspective warping too much.
For the modders out there, the GTA V Templar Hotel is a prime candidate for a custom MLO (Map Load Object). If you're learning how to use CodeWalker or building your own FiveM server, creating an interior for this specific building is a rite of passage. Since it's such a recognizable landmark in the Mission Row district, having a functional lobby there adds a ton of "immersion" for your players.
At the end of the day, the Templar is a monument to Rockstar's world-building. It doesn't need to have a mission inside to be important. It just needs to be there, looking slightly ominous and very "Los Angeles," to make the world feel like a place where people actually live and sleep. Even if those people are just lines of code we never actually see.
To get the most out of this location, stop looking for a way in and start looking at the details. Check out the architecture compared to the real-world buildings in the DTLA Fashion District. Use it as a waypoint for your next high-speed chase through Mission Row. Or, if you're on PC, download a basic interior mod to finally see what's behind those brick walls—even if it's just a reminder that the world is a stage.