Huntley Santa Monica Beach

We stayed at Huntley for a birthday celebration. Had to call and request champagne and strawberries in the room upon arrival, which cost an arm and leg. God forbid they give you anything complimentary for a special occasion. The front desk staff was pretty blah and even after asking for a drivers license to check us in, which clearly showed that day being a birthday, there was no acknowledgement. Just a simple, "Welcome, happy birthday," would've been nice, but nope. Or perhaps a card saying happy birthday in the room along with the strawberries and champagne would've been a nice added touch, but that wasn't provided as well. I've stayed at other hotels where they acknowledge special occasions upon arrival and it makes all the difference. It was also a long wait to check in as there was only one person working the front desk and it was a Saturday evening on a busy holiday weekend. Perhaps more staff is needed in that area especially during peak guest arrival times. The Penthouse restaurant also left a lot to be desired. The cabana experience was not worth $200 a person especially being limited to only the tasting menu. We did not enjoy the food from the very limited options we had. Also, the entire dining experience lasted over 2 hours which is ridiculous. We had to ask for desert to go since we had an event to attend. Departure also wasn't great as we were locked out of rooms half hour before check out. Thankfully the very kind housekeeping staff was able to help us. The positives were the valet staff was very nice and the elevator going up to the Penthouse restaurant was cool. Other than that our experience as not great and we will most likely not return.

Excellent experience- will definitely be back. Room was beautiful and clean- great view, wonderful amenities, amazing lighting and the towels were so luxurious. The Penthouse Restaurant was lovely- I had a great dinner and 2 breakfasts- the food was delicious and colorful, the view from the top floor was an added bonus. Take the glass elevator up from the lobby for a little fun. Danny at the front desk was warm, kind and accommodating- made my stay memorable. I highly recommend staying at the Huntley Hotel it is a fabulous boutique type option with character and class.

In the words of Maya Angelou, "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." From the moment we checked in, Daniel currated an experience for our first anniversary that my wife and I will never forget. We would like to thank Daniel so much for the way he made us feel during our stay and the best hospitality we've ever experienced.

This was a return visit that absolutely lived up to my prior stays. The Huntley is a lovely, centrally located hotel with beautifully designed and surprisingly spacious rooms, warm and friendly staff, plus The Penthouse restaurant, which has a spectacular view of Santa Monica and Malibu. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Perfect service, perfect location, perfect food choices : very high quality of service, it was an amazing stay, THANK YOU