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Santa Monica's Huntley Doesn't Impress The NYT
Since the Huntley Santa Monica reopened a couple of years back, there's been um-ing and ah-ing about whether it's really up to the luxurious standard it should be. This weekend the NY Times got around to checking the place out and they were pretty harsh.
The NYT reviewer Leah Rozeen had a few complaints about the Premier Room (#1404) she got to stay in. A cramped bathroom, a broken towel rail and no new towels at turn-down time, no comfortable armchair to read in and a room layout that didn't take full advantage of the ocean view were just a few of the negatives.
Tags: Green Hotels / Eco-Hotels / Santa Monica Hotel Reviews / Green-Hotels-Map / → All Tags
It's Easy Being Green at the Ambrose Hotel
HotelChatter tipster Ray Burger recently gave us the tip that the Ambrose Hotel in Santa Monica is worthy of being included in a list of top green hotels in the US. We've already mentioned the reasonable prices at the Ambrose, along with its big bathrooms, so the fact that it's also not doing badly in the environmental department is a bonus.
The Ambrose is proud to be green, and the "Green Initiatives" button hits you pretty loud and clear from their website. Their goal is to offer their guests "truly holistic hospitality" and there are a number of ways they try to achieve this, including using ecologically-responsible cleaning products, recycling and composting.
In fact, staff at the Ambrose have put together a really long list of all the eco-friendly activities at the hotel, covering areas such as energy and water conservation, waste reduction, alternative transportation and staff and guest awareness. On top of that, they've also won a few prizes for being green, like Santa Monica's Sustainable Quality Award Grand Prize, among others. Seems like the Ambrose is extremely serious about being green, so it's a worthy addition to your list if you want to take an eco-friendly vacation.
[Photo: ShamrockTattoo]
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Tags: Santa Monica Hotel Reviews / Hotel Restaurants / → All Tags
Oceana Hotel Gets a Good 'Eater' Review
Last month, we checked out the Oceana Hotel in Santa Monica and pretty much liked what we saw, except for crazy expensive room rates.
But Eater LA managed to snag a one night stay at the place (thanks to an NPR-KCRW pledge) over Labor Day Weekend and has the inside scoop on the guests-only restaurant.
We held court at the The Ocean Lounge, a guest-only restaurant conceived by New York City's Jonathan Morr, that recently opened. (Morr will bring his BOND ST. to the Thompson Beverly Hills hotel soon.)
The restaurant offers a pretty lavish breakfast buffet in the morning with an array of Bread Bar baked goods, fruits, smoked salmon, yogurts, plus an a la carte menu. Scrambled eggs studded with ham and Emmenthaler cheese on rustic bread did us quite well.
Dinner is simple (steaks, seafood, a few pastas, sandwiches), but decent. Poolside cocktails are served all day, but it's not like the Backyard at the W or the Standard hotel pools. Here, it's quiet, laid-back, not crazy at all. And there's something to be said for a Grey Goose lemonade with watermelon ice cubes...sweet, cool watermelon ice cubes...
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· Inside the Oceana Santa Monica Hotel [HotelChatter]
Tags: Hotel Video Tours / Santa Monica Hotel Reviews / Hotel Openings / Hotel Renovations / → All Tags
Inside the Oceana Santa Monica Hotel
As we mentioned last week, we were able to get a tour of the newly renovated Oceana Santa Monica.
The hotel has been transformed from a ho-hum little hotel by the ocean to a bright and vibrant place worth checking out. Originally built as an apartment building in 1952, the current owners (who have a place by the same name in Santa Barbara) added seven new rooms and suites for a total of 70. And since this was a former apartment building, all but 12 of the accommodations have a separate living area. Suite, indeed.
Guests can also choose between Lanai suites, Ocean View Suites and Deluxe Ocean View Suite with Balcony which has prime views. For those looking to stay a little longer or who just like the added convenience, six of the suites have kitchenettes.
Of course, these are not the only changes at the Oceana. The renovations took place from top to bottom.
Tags: Hotel Renovations / Snapshots / Santa Monica Hotel Reviews / → All Tags
Snapshot :: The Newly Renovated Hotel Oceana
This week, we took an in-depth tour of the newly renovated Hotel Oceana in Santa Monica. While we were there, we snapped this shot of the hotel's Ocean Lounge on the first floor where guests can enjoy meals and cocktails. (There are proper dining tables off to the side.)
You may remember this hotel from a few months back when it was undergoing the changes and put up an "Extreme Makeover" sign causing us to believe it would actually be featured on the show, Extreme Makeover. Well, it was just a gimmick but the hotel has undergone some tremendous changes, all of which we like very much.
We promise a full report on Monday including a Hotel Video Tour but in the meantime, check out the hotel's revamped website which launched this week.
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· Hotel Oceana Gets 'Extreme Makeover' [HotelChatter]
Tags: Hotel Renovations / Santa Monica Hotel Reviews / → All Tags
Santa Monica Shangri-La Getting a $25 Million Facelift
The Shangri-La in Santa Monica, built in 1939, is closing its doors for a little while to undergo a $25 million renovation. When the property reopens in the spring of '08, it aims to be known as "Hollywood's oceanfront hotel."
All rooms on the property are set for a total makeover and 17 new ones will be added, kicking the room count up to 71. The lobby's getting completely remodeled, with a brand new restaurant and lobby bar added as well. They're planning to build an elevated pool and a bunch of private cabanas around it, plus an awesome-sounding rooftop bar that features a "covetable vibe." You know how we love our rooftop bars, especially those at which the vibes are covetable. Yes.
Tags: Celebrity Scoop / Santa Monica Hotel Reviews / Jennifer Aniston / → All Tags
Jennifer Aniston Not Too Big of a Celeb to Talk to Hotel Valet
Or at least we think she's talking to him. By the look on his face, he's definitely talking to her. But maybe Aniston was just trying to hide from the photographers as she lunched at Shutters on the Beach last week in Santa Monica, reportedly with her bad-boy date, Paul Sculfor, who has made the news lately for being a former coke addict and hungry fame seeker. Just another day in Hollywood, huh?
[Photo: Gossip Rocks]
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Tags: Santa Monica Hotel Reviews / Hotel Video Tours / → All Tags
Viceroy Santa Monica Video Room Tour
As promised, here is the video room tour of the Viceroy Santa Monica, dog lamp and all. Remember if you have a hotel video tour of your own, you can upload it to the HotelChatter YouTube Group and share it with the world. Or if you're shy, then you can just watch ours.
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· Guess the Hotel Dog Lamp: Hotel Revealed! [HotelChatter]
Tags: Guess the Hotel / Santa Monica Hotel Reviews / → All Tags
Guess the Hotel Dog Lamp Hotel Revealed!
Yesterday, we gave you some chances to Guess the Hotel and most of you were spot on about which hotel features a dog lamp in their rooms. And it's the Viceroy Santa Monica! As for the dog breed, we are pretty sure it's King Charles Spaniel but MLCohn was somewhat close when she guessed a Lhasa Apso. DonBrown also was close with his comment that the dog is a "pain-in-the-ass yapper."
Tags: Hotel Amenities / Sheraton Hotels / Santa Monica Hotel Reviews / → All Tags
A Hotel's Pay-For-iPod Policy
The other day when we were taking our tour of the Sheraton Delfina we came across this little sign on the desk in the guestroom.
Chill out to our signature sounds with the complimentary use of an iPod Nano for two hours, then $15 each additional hours
$15 for each additional two hours? It just seems outrageous, mostly because many other hotels offer you an iPod to use while you're a guest...for free. Like at Gramercy Park Hotel which comes fully loaded with original playlists. But if you happen to walk away with it after your stay, you will promptly be charged something like $800.
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· Guess the Hotel: Hotel Revealed! [HotelChatter]
Tags: Killer View / Santa Monica Hotel Reviews / → All Tags
Room with a Killer View: Sheraton Delfina
We are suckers for a room with a killer view. We find that we are even more likely to forgive some minor hotel inconveniences if we can stare out the window at something pretty--yeah we are that shallow. Let's help out our fellow hotel mavens by uploading rooms with killer views to the HotelChatter/Flickr photo pool, or by sending the photo along to us. We will feature our favorites in this space from time to time. Remember to tell us the name of the hotel and the room number of the hot view.
Here's a somewhat killer view from the Sheraton Delfina in Santa Monica. It's actually a good view when the coastal haze and fog burns off in the afternoons because you can see straight to the ocean. But we'll admit, this view from Room 434 can also be an anti-view.
See the not so pretty view after the jump.
Tags: Santa Monica Hotel Reviews / Kor Hotels / Starwood Hotels / Hotel Video Tours / → All Tags
Guess The Hotel: Hotel Revealed!
Yesterday, we posted this picture of a hotel somewhere in California with the following hints:
· It's somewhere in California.
· It's a big brand hotel, one you find pretty much everywhere, especially near airports.
· This hotel is not next to an airport.
The mystery hotel is revealed, along with more photos and a video tour after the jump.
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