1920 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica, California, United States | (251) 219-4428
Nice location in quiet corner of Santa Monica
Incredible view of Los Angeles cityscape from fourth floor
rooftop
Renovated rooms include flat-screen TVs, coffeemakers, and mini-fridges
IHOP on-site, delivers morning room service
Free Wi-Fi and garage parking
Small fitness center and a business center
Five-minute drive to the beach
Ideal for visitors of St. John's Hospital
Free shuttle to Third Street Promenade and beach
Bright, beachy ambiance throughout
Wi-Fi can be spotty in places
Thin walls
No bar on-site
Freshly renovated in 2014, Gateway Hotel Santa Monica is about as close as you can get to St. John’s Hospital without being a patient, and is a 15-minute walk from Santa Monica Beach. Coffeemakers and mini-fridges are nice room perks, though walls are thin. With freebies like garage parking, Wi-Fi, and a shuttle to Third Street Promenade, along with an IHOP restaurant inside the lobby that delivers room service for breakfast, this hotel is one of the best value mid-range options in the neighborhood.
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Scene
Fresh, beachy, and brighter than expected for a value hotel
Although the beach is 20 blocks away, the Gateway’s warm
colors, clean hardwood floors, and sand dollar accents might give guests the urge to drop
everything and play beach volleyball on the spot. Fresh and modern after a 2014
renovation, the rooms and lobby feature a soft color palette of tan, orange, and white with
wooden Venetian blinds and bamboo mats. The IHOP restaurant that serves as the
hotel’s breakfast venue is nothing remarkable but has a cozy diner feel. The bright and open lobby is adorned with old photographs of Santa Monica. Four
stories high, there is a lovely deck on the roof with amazing views of Los
Angeles.
Location
Beach and Promenade about 15 minutes' walk
Situated on a quieter section of busy Santa Monica
Boulevard and surrounded by UCLA medical offices with St. John’s Hospital located in the
same complex, the Gateway hotel is an ideal spot for visitors to the hospital. It's also 20 blocks -- or about 15-minutes
walking -- from Santa Monica Beach. The hotel
provides a free shuttle to and from Third Street Promenade, and the blue and red line buses
that run up and down Santa Monica Boulevard stop in front of the hotel every 15-minutes. John Wayne Cancer Institute, Bergamot Station, and Water Garden are within a 15-minute walk of the hotel and Pacific Park Pier, Muscle Beach, and the UCLA Ocean Discovery Center are about a five-minute drive. Santa Monica Airport is about a 10-minute drive while Los
Angeles International is just nine miles away but, depending on traffic, can be
anywhere between 20-minutes and an hour.
Rooms
Cheerful orange accents and creature comforts
The Gateway is home to 123 rooms, most of which look chain hotel-ish
in their uniformity, but after a 2014 renovation feel new and fresh with bright
orange and light blue accents. Small reading lights are attached to headboards and cheerful,
colorful prints of beach scenes hang on the walls. Each room comes with free Wi-Fi access, a large
flat-screen TV with basic cable, mini-fridge, safe, coffee machine, iron and
ironing board, and air-conditioning unit. Bathrooms have ample counter space, and include a hairdryer. Shower/tub combinations have curtains rather than doors. Past guests have complained about thin walls.
Features
Free parking and Wi-Fi; IHOP next to lobby
In addition to free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel, Gateway Hotel Santa Monica has a small business center with two desktop computers, printers, and fax machines. There's a small fitness center with a Matrix treadmill, stationary bike, and weight machines. International House of Pancakes serves (not included in the room price) full breakfast daily, including morning delivery to rooms. There's a meeting area that can accommodate up to 45 guests with catering and audiovisual services, free shuttle service to and from Third Street Promenade daily, and free garage parking: a major perk for Los Angeles. While there isn't a pool, or much outdoor space, there's a small rooftop sun deck set with a table and chairs.
