Shutters on the Beach

Santa Monica, Los Angeles

Virgin rating

The hotel

A member of Preferred Hotels & Resorts, Shutters on the Beach is an award-winning establishment with a distinctly discerning clientele. Similar in style to a 1920s or 1930s beach resort, it is light, airy and luxurious with many works of art on show, including pictures by David Hockney and Robert Motherwell. Rooms and suites boast all the comforts of home and are very generous in size with great views of the ocean. Amenities include the gorgeous ONE Spa offering a wide range of signature treatments, including the Signature Facial with Augustinus Bader. There’s also a swimming pool to laze by and a well-equipped fitness centre with sauna and steam rooms. One Pico is the hotel’s fine dining restaurant, showcasing a seasonally changing menu of modern American cuisine. If a more laid-back atmosphere appeals, however, beach-side cafe Coast more than fits the bill and is open from morning until night. For afternoon tea and evening cocktails, look no further than the lobby lounge, a cosy, intimate space that is popular with locals and guests alike.

Amenities

  • Bar
  • Fitness Centre/Gym
  • Internet Access
  • Laundry Service
  • Restaurant
  • Room Service
  • Safety Deposit Box
  • Spa
  • Swimming Pool

Where is it

Overlooking the golden sands of Santa Monica Beach, 2 blocks from the historic Santa Monica Pier with amusements and restaurants. Transfer time from airport: 30 minutes.

Hotel information

198 rooms and suites on 7 floors in 1 building. All with air-conditioning, satellite TV with pay-per-view films, telephone, WiFi*, mini-bar*, tea/coffee maker, safe, hairdryer, iron and board. Deluxe Rooms with 1 king-size bed, sleeping maximum 2 adults.

Superior Rooms with 1 king-size bed, sleeping maximum 2 adults.

Partial Ocean View Rooms with 1 king-size bed, sleeping maximum 2 adults. 

Ocean View Rooms with 1 king-size bed, sleeping maximum 2 adults.

One Pico (fine dining restaurant – lunch, dinner and Sunday Brunch). Coast (beach-side cafe – breakfast, lunch, brunch, happy hour and dinner). Lobby bar. Swimming pool with Pacific Ocean view, whirlpool. Fitness centre with unisex sauna and steam room. ONE Spa offering a wide range of signature treatments*. Complimentary yoga classes on the beach. Gift shop. 24-hour room service*. Concierge service. Laundry/dry cleaning service*. Valet parking approx $40 plus tax per night (payable locally, subject to change).

This hotel has resort fees that are included in the room rate (subject to change)

Resort fee includes: - Premium high speed internet access - Welcome Drink (valued at $20) - Daily Exercise Classes - Daily on-hour bicycle rental - Twice Daily in-room bottled water service - House car transfers within 3 mile radius. Resort fee, tax and inclusions are subject to change - please see hotel check-in for current inclusions available to you upon arrival.

*Denotes local charge.

Rating summary

  • Location Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Sleep Quality Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Rooms Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Service Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Value Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Cleanliness Image of the Tripadvisor rating

Traveller rating

  • Excellent (1276)
  • Very good (441)
  • Average (230)
  • Poor (119)
  • Terrible (138)
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Outstanding

Feb 17, 2024 SereneTravels55

Perfect service at a great hotel. I love the music in the large, living room-like lobby. Great pool and right on the beach. The white-haired gentleman at Coast is the best waiter I’ve had in years. Concierge was efficient and very knowledgeable. Will be our go-to in LA!
Image of the Tripadvisor rating 6-stars

Feb 4, 2024 David L

I’ve been traveling to LA for business for years and, lucky for me, have stayed at most of the 5-star hotels in the city. Shutters is consistently 6-stars. The location, ambiance, bedding, the curated collection of books and furnishings, big and small details that have been considered by people with taste and the impeccable staff (increasingly… Read more
I’ve been traveling to LA for business for years and, lucky for me, have stayed at most of the 5-star hotels in the city. Shutters is consistently 6-stars. The location, ambiance, bedding, the curated collection of books and furnishings, big and small details that have been considered by people with taste and the impeccable staff (increasingly rare), all set Shutters apart from the other high end hotels in LA. On a personal note. My daughter, who has an even more discerning eye and palate than her parents, now attends college in LA. When I tell her I’ll be in town, she always wants to know whether I’ll be staying at Shutters, her favorite hotel. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating WARNING: if you are a woman traveling alone, do not stay at Shutters.

Jan 25, 2024 Juliafan Corte Madera, California

WARNING: if you are a woman traveling alone, do not stay at Shutters. On my last night there, an older, white male employee unlocked and opened my door and started to come into my room without my consent. When I reported this frightening and startling breach of privacy and breach of trust, the white manager, Tyler, scolded me for “making a… Read more
WARNING: if you are a woman traveling alone, do not stay at Shutters. On my last night there, an older, white male employee unlocked and opened my door and started to come into my room without my consent. When I reported this frightening and startling breach of privacy and breach of trust, the white manager, Tyler, scolded me for “making a serious accusation.” Then he said, “Mark [the employee] has been here for 25 years and knows how to make a delivery.” Um, no. Mark started to walk into my room without waiting for my permission, without hesitation, and without identifying himself as a hotel employee. Around 8pm, he knocked on my door, very loudly - it was jarring -and I said “hold on” but about three seconds later, I heard the “click” of the door unlocking from the outside as he swiped his master key and opened my door. I raced towards the door holding my sweatshirt over my naked chest and yelled “whoa, whoa, whoa!” But he didn’t stop. He jammed his arm through the crack in the door, yelled “delivery!” and held out a plastic bag. He never identified himself as a hotel employee; I was not expecting a delivery; he didn’t stop or back up or shut the door when I yelled “whoa, whoa, whoa!” I thought some man had got a hold of a master key and was barging in to hurt me. I am hypervigilant about this kind of thing from past experiences and I thought I was going to have to fight him off. I stood frozen in my room then called the front desk and reported what happened. I was shook. Then I called room service and asked them to take away the dinner they had just brought because I felt like I was going to throw up. When the room service man, I think his name is Inez, came back to take away the table he could see I was really upset and crying. He asked me "what happened?" and was genuinely kind and concerned but I was too upset to talk. A female housekeeper, Lisa, heard us and she came over to comfort me. She called George, the night manager, to come up to talk to me. George came up and was very apologetic. I called him an hour later when I could talk. He said I should speak with Tyler, the director of room ops, in the morning. George said he was comping my dinner. I was awake most of the night with a footstool barricading my door. In the morning, I went to the lobby to talk to Tyler. He could not have been more dismissive, flicking his watch to check the time every 10 seconds while I explained, for a fourth time, what had happened. "I understand you're seeking compensation." was what he said to me. Not, our employee was out of line, or, how can I help you? I can afford to stay at their hotel. What I cannot afford is a full on PTSD-triggering incident and breach of contract over their duty of care then being dismissed and talked down to by a young white guy with no compassion or sincere desire to hold the employee accountable and take responsibility. Before I checked out at 10am, I spoke to Tyler again. He was just as dismissive. Again he said “I know you are seeking compensation.” Again, I explained that it's a real problem that male employees feel emboldened enough that they can unlock the rooms of female guests and come in whenever they feel like it. I have never experienced this before and I have been staying at hotels for 40 years. I said to Tyler that I was very concerned his employee did not follow guest protocol of knock, wait 8 seconds; knock, wait 5 seconds; then knock, wait 3 seconds before entering a guest’s room. [One of the Shutter's employees told me that is their standard protocol before entering a guest's room.] Tyler refused to concede that Mark did anything wrong. “I can comp you the resort fees and give you a $200 credit to the hotel.” He said. His disregard for me and disinterest in what had happened actually shocked me. Two days later, Tyler has not comped the paltry resort fee. And, to add insult to injury, I have been overcharged for a room I did not stay in. So, ladies, be sure to use your dead bolt 24/7 when you stay at Shutters. What a shame because it is such a special place. Aside from Tyler and Mark, all of the Shutters' employees I interacted with, like Myles (front desk), Anthony (front desk), Inez (room service), George (manager), Lisa (housekeeping) and Eric (valet) were genuinely warm, friendly, and caring. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Great service and staff for production

Jan 11, 2024 Max B

Work in production and had a great experience working with the Entertainment Sales team (Christopher Bermudez & Riley Duggan) in securing rooms for our hero talent and team who required ADA assisstance. Had reached out to the Entertainment and booked within a week of needing the reservation. Not only were they able to accommodate with great rates,… Read more
Work in production and had a great experience working with the Entertainment Sales team (Christopher Bermudez & Riley Duggan) in securing rooms for our hero talent and team who required ADA assisstance. Had reached out to the Entertainment and booked within a week of needing the reservation. Not only were they able to accommodate with great rates, but was also able to accommodate production space last second for fittings. Great experience working with Christopher. Although I did not stay, have no doubt when being told what an incredible stay it was for them. Thank you again, Christopher! Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Home away from home

Dec 16, 2023 stephen m New York City, New York

My wife and I recently spent a week at Shutters. We have been to hotels throughout the world, but never one where EVERY employee we encountered from the minute we arrived until we left was cheerful, gracious, patient and eager to help in any way they could. Every guest is treated like an honored guest and we felt we were at a home away from home.… Read more
My wife and I recently spent a week at Shutters. We have been to hotels throughout the world, but never one where EVERY employee we encountered from the minute we arrived until we left was cheerful, gracious, patient and eager to help in any way they could. Every guest is treated like an honored guest and we felt we were at a home away from home. Our son, who lives in Santa Monica, was happy to join us at the Lobby Bar, even with one of his young children, and we look forward to returning to Shutters for our next family visit to Santa Monica. Read less