Almost level on price, so choose the scene. Santa Monica Proper Hotel, from about $585, if you want Kelly Wearstler interiors, a busy rooftop pool and bar, a spa and the sand under 20 minutes' walk away; Sunset Tower Hotel, from about $595, if you would rather settle into the Tower Bar, with live jazz in the evening and the city spread below the south-facing windows.
Kelly Wearstler interiors across a 1928 city landmark and a new building, with a rooftop pool in downtown Santa Monica.
$$$From about $585 a night
Choose Santa Monica Proper Hotel if
Design lovers
A first stay in Santa Monica
Rooftop sunsets
Walkable city days
The catch
A $55 nightly destination fee plus tax is added to every stay, and valet parking is $90.27 per vehicle with tax, so the room rate is not the nightly cost, least of all for a guest with a car.
A 1931 Art Deco tower on the Sunset Strip, with the Tower Bar downstairs and the city spread below the south-facing windows.
$$$From about $595 a night
Choose Sunset Tower Hotel if
Old Hollywood
Cocktail evenings
Couples
A first Los Angeles trip
The catch
The room rate is not the whole price. A nightly amenity fee of $52.43, tax included, is added to every stay, parking is by valet at $75 a night, and 16.695% hotel tax applies to the room.
Almost level on price, so choose the scene. Santa Monica Proper Hotel, from about $585, if you want Kelly Wearstler interiors, a busy rooftop pool and bar, a spa and the sand under 20 minutes' walk away; Sunset Tower Hotel, from about $595, if you would rather settle into the Tower Bar, with live jazz in the evening and the city spread below the south-facing windows.
Good questions about Santa Monica Proper Hotel vs Sunset Tower Hotel
Santa Monica Proper Hotel or Sunset Tower Hotel?
Almost level on price, so choose the scene. Santa Monica Proper Hotel, from about $585, if you want Kelly Wearstler interiors, a busy rooftop pool and bar, a spa and the sand under 20 minutes' walk away; Sunset Tower Hotel, from about $595, if you would rather settle into the Tower Bar, with live jazz in the evening and the city spread below the south-facing windows.
Is Santa Monica Proper Hotel worth it?
Book Santa Monica Proper to sleep inside a Kelly Wearstler interior in walkable downtown Santa Monica, with a rooftop pool for the afternoon. Pay the step up to a Landmark Garden Terrace for private outdoor space in the 1928 building, and budget for the $55 fee and valet. A design-first hotel in two buildings, with a public rooftop and a walkable downtown address, rather than a beach hotel or a quiet retreat. Expect a lively roof, interiors you will photograph and a walk of 17 to 19 minutes to the sand.
Does Santa Monica Proper Hotel have a pool or a beach?
It has a rooftop pool. A public beach is within walking distance.
Is Sunset Tower Hotel worth it?
Book it for the Tower Bar, the Art Deco tower and the city through the glass, and pay the step to a Studio Suite, asking for the south side, for room to enjoy it. Budget for the amenity fee and valet, and expect to drive to the beach. Old Hollywood still in use: an Art Deco tower on the Strip where the Tower Bar is the room and the city lies below the south-facing windows. It is dear before the fees, needs a car for everything beyond the boulevard, and has a small pool and no spa.
Does Sunset Tower Hotel have a pool or a beach?
It has an outdoor pool. There is no beach; the nearest is a drive away.