This New Hotel Just Raised the Bar for Santa Monica Stays. We Got an Early Look.

The Afar take

The last time the Regent brand was in Los Angeles, it was at the Regent Beverly Wilshire (now a Four Seasons) and had a starring role in 1990’s Pretty Woman. The “Reg Bev Will,” as Julia Roberts’s friend Kit described it, was a byword for aspiration and opulence, essentially the apex of L.A. glamour for a generation of movie fans. But how does the newly opened Regent Santa Monica Beach stack up—and stand out—in 2024 in a place with no shortage of alluring oceanfront hotels?

Firstly, location, location, location. The back of the hotel abuts the famous Muscle Beach workout space in the shadow of the even more famous pier. It’s hard to get closer to the quintessence of Santa Monica without riding the roller coaster. Occupying an entire city block over some 116,000 square feet in a former Loews hotel, the Regent has been reimagined and retouched to the tune of $150 million plus.

Secondly, the meticulous attention to detail. Throughout the hotel, furnishings and service are of a quality you’d expect from the Regent brand, which is a member of IHG Hotels and Resort’s luxury and lifestyle portfolio (and the price that commands; rooms start at $1,100). TV remotes are enclosed in leather boxes embossed with that signature R. Guests’ phone chargers are tidied by housekeeping with similar leather straps. Personal “experience managers” are only a text away for any requests, and rooms can be stocked with the food and drink you like—and can be set to your required temperature—before arrival. This is available to all guests and it’s complimentary.

Travelers already had plenty of choice in Santa Monica, with the Proper, Georgian, Fairmont Miramar, Viceroy, and Shutters on the Beach. This new kid in town makes choosing a little bit harder.

Who’s it for?

Those who want to be in the heart of the action without compromising on quality or comfort—and have the necessary means. Fans of the Guerlain brand, too; the Regent will house the only Guerlain spa on the West Coast across 10,000 square feet of the ground floor when it’s ready to open.

The location

The Regent Santa Monica Beach sits on Ocean Avenue literally steps from the pier. To the north is a small patch of green space, Tongva Park, followed by downtown Santa Monica and the Third Street Promenade for pedestrianized shopping. To the southeast, Main Street runs parallel to the beach for several blocks and is full of more shops and restaurants. On the ocean side, the Marvin Braude bike and hike path stretches for 22 miles, to Will Rogers State Beach in the north and through Venice Beach, Marina del Ray, and on to the South Bay in the opposite direction. The Metro train station, which runs directly to downtown L.A., is a 10-minute walk north.

Photo by Tanveer Badal Photography

The rooms

The Loews hotel had 347 rooms. That’s been reduced to 167 guest rooms and suites, with rooms featuring a minimum of 720 square feet and suites several times bigger.

My two-bedroom oceanfront corner suite was a spacious delight packed with pleasing design touches: rugs and table lamps in muted greens and turquoise that evoke kelp forests and relaxing seascapes; fresh orchids and other flowers throughout; the kind of bed you never want to leave. The whole suite was a harmonious and understated blend of coastal relaxation—although a full-length mirror wouldn’t have gone amiss.

In-room refreshments include complimentary spiced nuts, yogurt-coated raisins, and the usual teas and espresso—which can be enjoyed in lovely porcelain mugs and fine bone china cups. For me specifically, a preordered cheese platter and a bottle of cabernet sauvignon were laid out too.

Technology was high end and discrete: a Bose smart speaker by the bed, a thousand-dollar piece of Bowers & Wilkins audio kit on the sideboard. A collection of Everyman’s Library books featuring the likes of Doctor Zhivago lined a side table. (Does anyone have the time or inclination to read Doctor Zhivago on a trip to Santa Monica? Probably not, which might be why the suite’s other book collection—all in matching blue covers—had four copies of Hacking Planet Earth lined up. But I digress.)

The large bathroom, with freestanding tub, waterfall shower (that took some time to heat up), toilet, and bidet, was stocked with Periccone MD products and fluffy dressing gowns in green seashell print. A walk-in closet offered yoga mats and beach bags, all branded with the distinctive R.

Photo by Tanveer Badal Photography

The food and drink

My favorite part of the Regent runs down the center of the hotel from the main entrance doors. It’s a stunning lobby full of curvy couches and intimately grouped armchairs that are ideal for nestling with a good book, gathering with friends, or simply people-watching. It leads directly onto the comfy leather booths of Orla restaurant and Orla Bar.

Here, chef Michael Mina (a James Beard Award winner) serves dishes from across the Mediterranean and Middle East. A chilled lobster salad with local mango chunks, avocado, and sweet Jimmy Nardello peppers was a highlight, as was a mixed grill of charcoal cooked meats and the bigeye tuna on top of crispy falafel and tahini. The whipped hummus with perfectly al dente graffiti cauliflower, pomegranate seeds, and pistachios, meanwhile, comes with pita but is best savored with a spoon like no one’s looking.

Order the “tableside gintonico” to summon a vintage bar cart topped with a complicated series of flasks that look borrowed from a high school chemistry lab—and to watch premium gin drip through a glass bulb full of botanics from the nearby farmers’ market before being mixed with Fever Tree tonic that’s poured from a great height down a stirring rod. Nonalcoholic drinks include an N/A espresso martini and other concoctions using zero proof tequila and prosecco.

There’s a lot of design work to enjoy here, too. Check out the huge mosaic of an octopus on the floor of the partitioned dining area, handmade by Italian artisans with some 300,000 tessarae tiles (and a hand-painted octopus on the ceiling).

Other dining options include Azure Bar for poolside bites and Sweet July Cafe, a collaboration with restaurateur, chef, and Food Network host Ayesha Curry and her first location outside the Bay Area. Come here for coffees with a range of syrups, simple but well executed avocado toast, pastries, and grab-and-go boxes including her signature bread pudding.

Staff and service

My “Regent experience manager” for the stay, Myra, is the director of guest experience and was a great help when I realized I’d forgotten deodorant. It wasn’t a test, honestly. She fixed quickly fixed the problem and within 10 minutes a little stick of Old Spice—along with an iron and ironing board I asked for—was making its way to the room.

Staff at the poolside cabana were attentive and friendly, too. (Although it must be said that the pool and hot tub are fairly small and the sun loungers were packed in like sardines during my stay.)

Accessibility

The lobby, event spaces, spa, and fitness center are all reachable through designated accessible routes, and the hotel says it offers “mobility accessible and communications accessible guest rooms and suites in several categories.” Signs were still being finished across the hotel during my visit in the soft opening period, but braille and tactile signage will be added. Service animals are welcome at no additional cost. The main restrooms in the lobby are all-gender.

Family fun

Gentle waves, buckets of soft sand, a small aquarium, and a series of playgrounds make Santa Monica a kids’ dream destination—and the Regent has several offerings to make family trips easier. A concierge offers a range of strollers (including compact, full-size, and jogging models), as well as baby bouncers and high chairs. A beach butler service can set you up on the sand with chairs, a speaker, and food and drink (whether or not you have tots in tow). Cribs from Nestig, which makes all of its products from sustainable wood, will be available for a range of ages. And a Seascape Explorers program will offer a range of activities. The hotel can also set up an in-room tent, which I know from previous experience is a huge hit with little ones.

From $1,100.