Palihouse Santa Monica

A very pleasant, quiet retreat so close to the ocean in an historic Santa Monica hotel. The staff is very reactive and very pleasant. Dyptique products in the bathroom, always a treat. I loved sipping coffee in the morning on the back patio. Character and details were kept in the renovation. Bravo. Negative? A little peel off in the floor in the bathroom, a stain on the curtain. But really not much as the feeling is so pleasant, who wants to leave?!! Thank you.

The lobby and gardens here are absolutely beautiful, but our experience in the Grand Studio Residence King was so uncomfortable that we checked out after one night of a planned six-night stay. Temperatures dropped to around 46°F in Santa Monica, with strong, cold winds blowing through the room’s old windows and balcony doors, which don’t seal properly. Although there was a thermostat, the heat didn’t work at all, and when I called the front desk, they confirmed it was nonfunctional. The room felt like it was in the low 50s, and despite a thin comforter plus a light blanket requested from housekeeping, we spent the night shivering. This is clearly an older property that’s only been given cosmetic updates. Without proper insulation, a cold, windy Southern California night is surprisingly miserable—especially when you’re used to truly cold climates where heating and insulation are required by code. To the hotel’s credit, they did provide a 50% discount after some discussion. Unfortunately, even aside from the heating issue, the room had a lot of quirks. The layout felt awkward, the carpeting was dated, the bed wasn’t very comfortable, and the bathroom sink drained slowly. It has a sort of haunted-house charm, with large old closets and an ice-cold bathroom floor—likely a former apartment that’s been turned into a hotel room. It’s a shame, because the common areas are lovely, and we loved our room’s small balcony facing the Santa Monica mountains. This property has real potential, but it needs a full renovation, especially the HVAC, windows and doors, etc. It also isn't ADA compliant if that matters to you. And at rates between $436 and $481 per night, which is what our costs would have been before taxes and fees, I think it’s reasonable to expect at least a reliably heated room.

Couldn’t cancel despite wildfires. Don’t bother. We prepaid and couldn’t cancel because hotel was closed because of wildfire evacuation warning. Be forewarned that you must reserve without prepaying. We had a friend check out the hotel the day before we were expected to check in: the hotel was closed — but we could not find any means to cancel without relinquishing our deposit. Hopefully, MasterCard will right this wrong.

We stayed at Palihouse Santa Monica around Christmas 2024 and had such a wonderful stay. The hotel was beautiful and accommodating to our every need. We had a large room with a living room to fit two adults and a child. Our child slept in the living room and the staff provided a rollaway bed and space heater to make the room comfortable for her. Having a kitchen was such a delight and the café in the hotel was amazing (maybe the best breakfast burrito I have ever had). They provided fresh cookies every afternoon and had delicious pastries available when their café was closed. The valets always had our car ready for us quickly and the staff was happy to provide extra towels and other items we needed at any time. It was such a comfortable place to stay. From the gorgeous grounds and lobby to the location, everything was just lovely. We cannot wait to return.

The staff here are amazing. The building is iconic but it seriously needs investment. Best to come in the summer and ask for a sunny room looking over the front garden. Weekends are for party groups so if you are a party person, this will suit you very well. If you want peace, come midweek. When we were there (our second 10 day stay of the year) it was unusually cold and the rooms are not built for that. Again, staff could not have been nicer in bringing heaters and they mended a French window that was blown open y the wind in the night within 10 mins. But the elevator was broken, the rooms in the back of the hotel are really very dark (lighting could fix some of this) and the kitchen was out of service one day (not that we needed it). Message to the owners, support your great team by investing in this beautiful building! If I see there have been renovations, I’ll be back.