Santa Monica Hotel

It's about a 10-15 minute walk from Santa Monica Pier. The rooms and facilities are clean, and each room has a refrigerator and microwave. However, the water pressure in the shower is weak. The free breakfast was very substantial, with muffins, a cereal bar, and an espresso machine. The reception staff were also kind, and although it was only a one-night stay, it was a good experience.

I do NOT recommend staying here. It might have been the most disappointing hotel stay I've had. Overall, misleading/false advertising, uncomfortable rooms, and lack of resolution of problems. I booked this place due to price, looked nice, and trying to support local businesses during travel. Unfortunately, upon arrival I discovered multiple things that were misleading or false advertising on the website. Although I booked through a third party, I confirmed all the details in their hotel website. The false advertising, which is clearly stated on their own website, is availability of a refrigerator in the rooms. They told me there was no fridge available in the room (randomly) assigned to me, so one of the staff member during the night gave me some extra ice boxes to use and said their common use fridge was only available for staff. This was incredibly stressful as due to my dietary restrictions from certain health conditions, I usually only book places that have fridges as finding easily accessible food during travel is challenging. Unfortunately, I had to toss several items. I informed a new staff member of the same issue during checkout, though she was perseverating on the fact that I booked through a third party until I showed her their OWN website clearly states fridges are available in the rooms as a listed amenity. While apparently some of the rooms have them, not all do, and I explained it was unacceptable to advertise fridge availability if it is not provided in every room. She said she would make the manager aware to correct this mistake on their website, which they have tried to tell the manager before, too. I left my phone number and email address so the manager could reach out. It has been several weeks at this point, and I have heard nothing and their website has not changed. The misleading advertising was regarding the air conditioning in the room. Their website has an icon with thermostat that says "room temperature", and their rooms themselves have fake thermostats in them. While I could have done a more detailed job on finding out there is no air conditioning after reading the fine print not specifically mentioning A/C, it is also not explicitly stated that they lack AC on their website. I also think a majority of customers would fairly guess that an icon with a thermostat with room temperature implies the room has adjustable climate control. The staff and manager are well-aware of this misleading advertising as the staff member argued I need to read more carefully and that "room temperature" means the room will be at whatever temperature the room is. I labeled this as partly my mistake, but also them having misleading advertising. I was just lucky it was not summer yet, so we kept windows open though this increased the amount of noise within the rooms, and they offered a dusty floor fan for the room as well. Beyond these facts, the bed was not particularly comfortable, the desk chair was not comfortable, so I cushioned it with some of my clothes. Positive aspects: Grab-and-go items like yogurt or banana for breakfast, free parking available, close-ish to beach (20 minutes), hot water available in shower. Given the room quality, service, and lack of care at the given price point (~$170-200 per night with fees/etc.), I would definitely not stay here. We would have been better off paying more to stay closer to desired desination or pay similar price somewhere further away. I was only consoled by the fact we only had to be here for 1 night.

I strongly recommend avoiding Santa Monica Hotel if you’re traveling with family or expecting even basic hotel standards. First of all, this place feels more like a roadside motel than a proper hotel. Cars are parked practically right outside your room, yet they still charge a ridiculous $28 USD per day “resort fee.” Calling this a resort is laughable. Even worse, this fee was not clearly disclosed during booking, which feels extremely misleading. The rooms are unbelievably small — barely enough space to move around — and the bathrooms feel like tiny matchboxes. Absolutely not comfortable for families or longer stays. Noise insulation is almost nonexistent. Road traffic noise continues throughout the night, making it very difficult to sleep properly. The biggest disappointment, however, was the so-called “free breakfast.” They advertise complimentary breakfast proudly, but in reality it consisted of granola bars, syrup-soaked cut fruit, and tiny packaged juices. That is NOT a real breakfast, especially if you are traveling with kids. It was honestly a complete disaster and felt very deceptive. Overall, this was one of the worst hotel experiences I’ve had in a long time. Overpriced, misleading, noisy, cramped, and nowhere close to what was advertised. Please read reviews carefully before booking this place. I genuinely don’t want other travelers to waste their money and ruin their trip the way we did.

The location here is great, the atmosphere is nice, it feels safe, and the rooms are cute—but I’ve never been able to get a bicycle, even when I reserve one.

We stayed for 3 days and 2 nights and it was in a great location. They cleaned the room every day. Laura was our receptionist and she was very friendly and helpful with check-in and check-out. Thank you very much!

This is a motel not a hotel. It was a convenient stay but I would never book again. No AC in rooms they give you two box fans. Parking lot gets really full at night. Dirty floor in the shower I wore sandles just to be safe. Had a room with 2 beds 1 bed was extremely uncomfortable you can feel all the springs amd the other had a little plush top thankfully. I say pay a little more to have comfort some where else.

A lovely, quiet hotel, very well located for exploring Santa Monica on foot, by car, and by public transport, as well as Los Angeles. The friendly and attentive service from the hotel staff was outstanding. A big plus is that they have electric bikes available for guests free of charge. The welcome letter in the room was a nice touch. I will definitely return.