Hotel Shangri-LA

I’ve stayed twice at this beautiful hotel and ended up very sick both times. The first time I chalked it up to allergies or a cold but the second time when myself and my husband ended up violently ill we soon realized why. This hotel 100 percent has a serious mold issue! We stayed in the rock n roll suite and used the giant shower and as we were in it we both started to become very ill. There was no fan in the bathroom area to vent all the steam the shower produced. By the time morning came we both could not take it anymore and tried to open the windows to see if we could breath better and to our surprise and shock we then noticed all of the condensation was pooling puddles all along all the window sills and upon greater inspection of the wood we saw painted over black spots and peeling paint. We ran out of the room and explained the situation to the front desk who said nothing other than the manager would call us. The manager never called nor would they return my several calls. I spent over 800 dollars on this suite to get violently ill have my husbands birthday ruined and be exposed to whatever water damaged toxins this hotel is producing! Shame on this establishment for having no customer service skills whatsoever and charging ridiculous room rates when they know there are issues that are affecting guests! I’ll post the photos in a bit of all the water in our room! Read less

Travelled from Las Vegas to the Shangri La Hotel where my wife and I stayed for 4 nights and to be honest I would not stay here again. The Hotel is without doubt in a fantastic location on the Sea front, however it is more a 3 star than the 5 star we were led to believe and to be fair it is stuck in time and needs the rooms upgrading. We were on the 5th floor with great Sea views however we had upgraded to this before going and although our room was quite large with a kitchen and separate bedroom it needed an upgrade as it just felt like an average room that would have benefited from carpet and better decor/seating. The staff were very friendly and helpful and Rebecca at the reception was especially pleasant. We did not use the facilities due to being out virtually all Day & Night. This is a small Hotel with a good pool area and the views from the roof top Bar are excellent however be mindful that it is open to the public and gets very busy at the weekend. We did not agree with this but I suppose the Hotel needs to keep making the Money but quite intimidating for residents. Be aware that they requested $400 dollars on checking in which included the $100 for the $25 per night resort Tax. The other $300 was a retainer for things like damages, mini Bar use however this is returned if not used but not on leaving but within 3 - 4 Days we were told. This amount was not made aware to us on the booking by our travel agent and may be a new thing that the Hotel now does. In relation to Santa Monica itself there is very poor public transport so a Car is a good idea for getting around to see the sights which are some good distances apart. Be aware that the traffic in many areas is like nothing I have seen before and is generally bumper - bumper especially at peak times. The Beach here is superb with golden Sand that is looked after and plenty of sport facilities to use free of charge along it. There are numerous restrooms, places to eat and drink and the Pier although not very big is generally very busy and interesting with people selling their trinket souvenir items or Tat as we like to call it. We visited this again on a Saturday when a special event was taking place and they were giving out free water and some food items. We also visited Venice Beach on a cloudy but warm Day and got a Tan even though the temperature was only in the high 60's. Venice Beach can be quite intimidating when you first reach and enter it due to the numerous homeless people who have set up along it. The homeless are everywhere and not just on this Beach. We opened the curtains in our Hotel room to see several asleep across the Road on the grass verges and it is very sad. They do not bother you but we did not take pictures of any of them and I would not suggest you do this as we felt they would take offence. There is a smell of Marijuana although this was not as strong as in Las Vegas but remember it is legal in LA so many smoke it. The old Muscle Beach is nothing to get excited about and consists of a slab of concrete and this was fenced off but could be seen through the fence. We believe that this has now been moved to another location with better facilities. Only annoying thing is those who try to sell you the CD's that apparently have nothing on them but if you politely tell them no thank you and walk off they generally leave you alone. The Town centre is excellent with many great Shops, entertainers especially during the evening and great places to eat and drink although very tourist orientated and a bit pricey. Love America but come on and get your homeless sorted out as you are suppose to be the number one super nation and many of your homeless are apparently veterans and with mental health issues. Read less

From the moment we arrived to the day we left we were treated like royalty. Jessica at the front desk was amazing. She was professional and friendly and had our room ready even though we arrived before check in. Jean Paul took our bags to our room and told us about all the events going on at the hotel. He was always smiling and so friendly. Adrienne at the concierge desk gave us great recommendations for places to eat and fund things to do. We went up the the rooftop bar and watched the sunset. The hotel is right across the street from the beach and walking distance to great restaurants and shopping. We chose this hotel based on its location and it exceeded our expectations. We would highly recommend staying here. The thing that made it the best were the employees. Best customer service ever! Read less