90401 Travel Guide

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Loews Santa Monica Will Have Your Kid Hiking, Biking, Surfing and Hula Hooping On Muscle Beach

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  Site Where: 1700 Ocean Avenue [map], Santa Monica, CA, United States, 90401
March 9, 2012 at 8:59 AM | by | Comments (0)

Loews Santa Monica isn't about to let kids get away with saying "I'm booooored" during their stay. Through its brand new Fit For Fun wellness program, families wanting to get in a little exercise during their stay can choose from over a dozen outdoor activities offered at the iconic beachfront hotel.

Kids age five and up can try doing yoga on the beach, surfing in the Pacific Ocean, or hiking through the Santa Monica Mountains—they'll even get a taste for celebrity life in the "run from the paparazzi" jogging tour. Parents are of course encouraged to join in on the fun too, but the bulk of the activities are geared towards keeping kids fit and healthy.

As the hotel puts it, "Muscle Beach’s newest body builders are four-feet tall and weigh in at 46 lbs," which is probably true ever since word got out that one of the Jonas brothers likes to work out here too.

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Smile! You're On Camera (If You Want to Be) at The Shore Hotel

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  Site Where: 1515 Ocean Ave [map], Santa Monica, CA, United States, 90401
January 11, 2012 at 3:00 PM | by | Comments (0)

Aside from having stylish and green guestrooms with Pacific Oceans views, an eco-friendly fitness center and an upcoming Blue Plate Taco restaurant, The Shore Hotel in Santa Monica has now added a bit of fun for their guests in the form of a digital photo booth.

Found in the lobby near the check-in desk the photo booth lets guest take either a single image or an old-school photo strip with the Shore Hotel logo (as you can see in the gallery below, the hotel's logo is everywhere!).

And keeping in line with the hotel's emphasis on being green and conserving waste, the photos are only emailable (no paper waste here) and you can share them on Facebook and Twitter as well. Cheeeeese!

Room rates at the hotel start around $220 a night.

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The Water Bottle Water Fountain isn't The Only Green Thing at the Shore Hotel

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  Site Where: 1515 Ocean Avenue [map], Santa Monica, CA, United States, 90401
December 9, 2011 at 10:35 AM | by | Comments (0)

Guess the Hotel Revealed!

Two of you hotel experts were stumped but Dbenaderet was absolutely correct in guessing the hotel with the water bottle water fountain was the new Shore Hotel in Santa Monica.

After touring the hotel the other day, we're not so sure we've ever seen a more stylish yet totally green hotel from the construction of the building to the materials in the rooms down to the recycling bins under the desk. The hotel even employs its own Green Concierge. And below is the shot of the hotel's fitness center where we found the water bottle water fountain and which has a floor made from recycled rubber and tires.

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Santa Monica's Shore Hotel is Open Now, For Sure

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  Site Where: 1515 Ocean Avenue [map], Santa Monica, CA, United States, 90401
October 11, 2011 at 9:00 AM | by | Comments (0)

While the first weekend open for the new Shore Hotel in Santa Monica was a hot and sunny one, the temp cooled down a bit yesterday when we stopped by to check out the spot.

Still, the chilly weather didn't stop a few guests from hanging out by the street-facing pool (which can only be accessed with a hotel key card btw) and it looked like some sort of corporate event was happening in the lobby. We also spotted a few beach towels hanging over the railing of a room on the top floor as well as some beach chairs in the restaurant space where the Blue Taco restaurant is set to open.

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The Shore Hotel Will Also Taste Great, Thanks to Blue Plate Taco

Go To The Hotel's Web 
  Site Where: 1515 Ocean Ave [map], Santa Monica, CA, United States, 90401
September 13, 2011 at 9:15 AM | by | Comments (0)

Just yesterday after we learned how good The Shore Hotel in Santa Monica will smell, we learned how good the place will taste. The hotel, opening on October 1, has announced that Blue Plate Taco will be the restaurant that's serving up lunch and dinner to guests and non-guests seven days a week.

As the restaurant's name suggests, menu options will include tacos like the mouthwatering Lobster Truffle Tacos but also salads, grilled seafoods and meats and ceviches, all served with the restaurant's homemade tortillas. Also homemade? The margaritas flowing from Blue Plate Taco's full bar. Not a marg person? It's ok, the restaurant promises ice cold Mexican beer too.

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The Shore Hotel Will Sure Smell Festive When It Opens

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  Site Where: 1515 Ocean Ave [map], Santa Monica, CA, United States, 90401
September 12, 2011 at 9:20 AM | by | Comments (0)

What's that smell? Well, it depends on what month it is!

It's no secret here that HotelChatter is a little obsessed with hotel scents as we've been chronicling who smells like what for some time now. And now we've got a whiff of what the upcoming Shore Hotel in Santa Monica will smell like.

According to our top nose, the hotel is going to use a different scent each month. This immediately had us wondering if the hotel would smell like a Pumpkin Spice Latte since opening day is October 1, prime fall time.

But alas, the hotel is going to start off with "fresh" scents for the opening and then transition into seasonal ones. So will the hotel smell like turkey and cranberry in November and pine trees in December? We can only hope!

If you want to sniff out the Shore Hotel when it opens, rooms are currently avail on October 7 for a special grand opening rate of $220 a night. (That's actually down a lot from when we last looked too!)

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We So Excited for The Shore Hotel in Santa Monica

Where: 1515 Ocean Ave [map], Santa Monica, CA, United States, 90401
August 25, 2011 at 3:45 PM | by | Comments (0)

Yes, we just referenced Rebecca Black in that headline.

We've already told you how impressed we were with the interiors at the Shore Hotel opening in Santa Monica in October but when we drove by the hotel last week, we were equally impressed with its slick modern exterior going up on Ocean Avenue.

The hotel, once a dumpy Travelodge (and "dumpy" is us being nice), is giving Ocean Avenue a much-needed 21st century look with its u-shaped design and steel-trestle roof. There's also cool-looking three-tier sky bridge that connects the main building to a second building with more hotel rooms. Though that sounds like a lot of rooms, there's actually only 164 making it just a touch larger than a boutique hotel.

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Santa Monica's Shore Hotel to Open in October at $250 a Night

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  Site Where: 1515 Ocean Ave. [map], Santa Monica, CA, United States, 90401
August 1, 2011 at 5:00 PM | by | Comment (1)

When we last checked in with the new ocean-facing hotel in Santa Monica, The Shore Hotel, it was getting ready for an end of summer opening. That's not quite going to happen anymore but the hotel tells us that it will be accepting guests in October at $250 a night. Considering that most of the hotels along the ocean in SanMon start around $400 a night, the Shore Hotel is definitely a more affordable alternative.

And it's got a lot of cool things in it too like free WiFi, an outdoor pool, two restaurants and a fitness center.

Up in the guestrooms, there's "beach shades" of teal and orange and custom-made Teak wood furniture. The bathrooms will be sporting the peekaboo trend as there are rainshowers with a "one touch privacy screen." (You can get a better idea of that view from the photo below.) And if you're lucky--killer views of the Santa Monica Pier.

Adding to all this, the hotel is a Silver LEED property with a huge focus on sustainability in the common spaces and guest rooms. The hotel describes all their eco-friendly elements:

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The Shore Hotel Sure Has a Long Way to Go Before Opening

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  Site Where: 1515 Ocean Ave. [map], Santa Monica, CA, United States, 90401
March 23, 2011 at 10:21 AM | by | Comments (0)

Yesterday, we told you that a new hotel would be coming to Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica-- The Shore Hotel, a 164-room, open-air hotel just steps away from the Santa Monica Pier and Third Street Promenade.

Here's what the hotel plans on offering guests when it opens at the end of summer:

Free WiFi throughout the hotel, pets are welcome, a personal trainer will be available, sightseeing tours will be offered, and there will be bike and roller blade rentals. If you don't feel like taking a dip in the Pacific, a solar-heated outdoor pool and patio will be under a steel-trestled roof. There also will be two restaurants, a 24-hour gym and plentiful underground parking.

But now we understand why we won't be able to stay there until after summer is over, on September 5. The joint still has a lot of construction to finish up. Still, the hotel will be infinitely better than what used to be there before, a dingy old Travelodge. As always, we'll be keeping an eye on it.

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The New Shore Hotel Will Hit Santa Monica's Shores This Summer

Go To The Hotel's Web 
  Site Where: 1515 Ocean Ave. [map], Santa Monica, CA, United States, 90401
March 21, 2011 at 9:31 AM | by | Comments (0)

If the first sniff of spring already has you planning your big summer vacay, there will be a new Santa Monica hotel vying to be your beachside retreat. The Shore Hotel, on the former site of the Pacific Sands and Travelodge, will open this summer.

The boutique hotel is trying to make itself stand out with its modern design, eco-friendliness and location across the street from the Santa Monica Pier and beach.

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You Can Own the Shangri-La Santa Monica, at Least for a Night

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  Site Where: 1301 Ocean Ave. [map], Santa Monica, CA, United States, 90401
January 28, 2011 at 9:11 AM | by | Comments (0)

If you've ever dreamed of being a hotelier, you can give it a go at the Hotel Shangri-La in Santa Monica for a night.

Of course, it'll cost you to play Andre Balazs. Specifically, it'll be $30,000 to reserve the entire hotel for one evening.

What you do with the Shangri-La for the night is up to you. Rent it out for up to 200 of your closest friends for a party or go over-the-top to impress your loved one—insane Valentine's Day package alert—to have a romantic rendezvous.

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Don't Ask for Wasabi at Loews Santa Monica's New Sushi Bar

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  Site Where: 1700 Ocean Ave. [map], Santa Monica, CA, United States, 90401
September 24, 2010 at 3:34 PM | by | Comments (0)

When you dine at the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel's new oceanfront sushi bar Sushi and Sunset, don't think it's a mistake that your server doesn't bring out any wasabi or soy sauce for your raw fish.

The bar, tucked inside the restaurant Ocean & Vine, specializes in pairing sushi with intricate housemade sauces, rather than the usual standbys. Executive chef Keith Roberts says soy and wasabi are way overused with sushi and that these new sauces will allow you to experience the fish a new way.

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