Pros

  • Ideal location close to the Santa Monica Pier, the beach, and shopping
  • Heated outdoor swimming pool with poolside service
  • Guest rooms are modern and clean, with mini-fridges and microwaves on request
  • Open-concept restaurant and bar
  • Remodeled lobby looks fresh and upbeat
  • 24/7 fitness and business centers
  • Rental bicycles available for exploring the area
  • Laundry room and dry cleaning service
  • Free Wi-Fi
  • Valet parking (for a hefty fee)
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Cons

  • Valet parking is expensive
  • Rates are on the higher end
  • Not all rooms have ocean views
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Bottom Line

This upper-middle-range hotel is ideally located for family-friendly activities at the Santa Monica Pier. Guests can walk to the Pier, the beach, numerous shopping spots, and a variety of eateries, and reach Venice Beach in about 15 minutes by bike. The modern lobby is looking fresh following a 2014-2015 renovation, and it has a new open-concept restaurant and bar. The most recent renovation happened in 2023. The 132 rooms also look fresh, and the heated outdoor pool is a plus. Because its location is so convenient, however, the hotel is a bit pricey, as is its valet parking. Another nearby option is the Ocean View Hotel, which is significantly less expensive, as it's located across the street from the beach.

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Amenities

  • Cribs
  • Fitness Center
  • Internet
  • Pool

Oyster Hotel Review

The Pierside Santa Monica

Scene

Remodeled, modern lobby with multiple seating areas for eating and hanging out

This hotel's seven-story building has been freshly painted with a sophisticated gray and blue color scheme. Remodeled in 2014-2015, the mid-size lobby is modern and sleek, with natural-wood floors, trendy disco-ball-like chandeliers, colorful abstract artwork, and seating areas -- soft brown armchairs and a bar-type countertop -- where guests can relax and hang out. The atmosphere is upbeat and easygoing, with friendly staffers eager to offer travel advice. Large flat-screen TVs on the walls let guests keep track of the score or the weather. An open-concept restaurant and bar, decorated with various woods and wood-laminate furnishings set off by eclectic lamps, also resides in the lobby, so it can get busy at times. Guests are a mix of tourist couples and families, along with business travelers, which are all drawn to the property's beachy location and breezy atmosphere.

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Location

Ideally situated for exploring Santa Monica Pier and nearby shopping

Situated a half-block east of Ocean Avenue and just off the 10 freeway, the hotel is ideally located at the Pier and Pacific Park for family-friendly entertainment including fishing, swimming, amusement rides, an arcade, shopping, and the aquarium. It takes one minute to walk to the busy Third Street Promenade, filled with shops and eateries. In addition to the Santa Monica Pier and the Promenade, the immediate area around the hotel is packed with shops and eateries. It's about 25 to 30 by car to Beverly Hills and Hollywood, and a 10-minute drive to Venice Beach. Los Angeles International Airport is about a 35-minute drive away, depending on traffic.

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Rooms

Modern rooms with tasteful earth-tone color schemes

Rooms are fresh and well-kept, and decorated in a modern, somewhat corporate style: beige-patterned carpeting, dark-wood furniture, and tasteful earth-tone textiles accented with framed beachy prints and pretty, glass bedside lamps. All rooms have iHome clock radios, flat-screen TVs, and coffeemakers, as well as work desks with ergonomic chairs, and mini-fridges are available on request. Bottled water in rooms is exorbitantly priced so guests should check the label before drinking. Bathrooms are tiny but well-maintained with shower/tub combos and granite countertops. Some rooms have glimpses of the ocean, although most are at an angle; and some rooms look out on McDonald's across the street and the city.

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Features

Open-concept restaurant in the lobby, heated outdoor swimming pool, and 24/7 fitness

An open-concept restaurant in the lobby serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and there's a bar there as well. The menu is classic American with a California twist. The outdoor pool beside the highway is heated and suitable for swimming laps. Lounge chairs surround it for relaxing by the pool, but there are only two umbrellas. Poolside food and drink service is available. The small 24/7 fitness center has large windows allowing in natural light, and it's equipped with treadmills, elliptical trainers, stationary bikes, and weights.

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Oyster Hotel Review

The Pierside Santa Monica

Scene

Remodeled, modern lobby with multiple seating areas for eating and hanging out

This hotel's seven-story building has been freshly painted with a sophisticated gray and blue color scheme. Remodeled in 2014-2015, the mid-size lobby is modern and sleek, with natural-wood floors, trendy disco-ball-like chandeliers, colorful abstract artwork, and seating areas -- soft brown armchairs and a bar-type countertop -- where guests can relax and hang out. The atmosphere is upbeat and easygoing, with friendly staffers eager to offer travel advice. Large flat-screen TVs on the walls let guests keep track of the score or the weather. An open-concept restaurant and bar, decorated with various woods and wood-laminate furnishings set off by eclectic lamps, also resides in the lobby, so it can get busy at times. Guests are a mix of tourist couples and families, along with business travelers, which are all drawn to the property's beachy location and breezy atmosphere.

See More Scene

Location

Ideally situated for exploring Santa Monica Pier and nearby shopping

Situated a half-block east of Ocean Avenue and just off the 10 freeway, the hotel is ideally located at the Pier and Pacific Park for family-friendly entertainment including fishing, swimming, amusement rides, an arcade, shopping, and the aquarium. It takes one minute to walk to the busy Third Street Promenade, filled with shops and eateries. In addition to the Santa Monica Pier and the Promenade, the immediate area around the hotel is packed with shops and eateries. It's about 25 to 30 by car to Beverly Hills and Hollywood, and a 10-minute drive to Venice Beach. Los Angeles International Airport is about a 35-minute drive away, depending on traffic.

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Rooms

Modern rooms with tasteful earth-tone color schemes

Rooms are fresh and well-kept, and decorated in a modern, somewhat corporate style: beige-patterned carpeting, dark-wood furniture, and tasteful earth-tone textiles accented with framed beachy prints and pretty, glass bedside lamps. All rooms have iHome clock radios, flat-screen TVs, and coffeemakers, as well as work desks with ergonomic chairs, and mini-fridges are available on request. Bottled water in rooms is exorbitantly priced so guests should check the label before drinking. Bathrooms are tiny but well-maintained with shower/tub combos and granite countertops. Some rooms have glimpses of the ocean, although most are at an angle; and some rooms look out on McDonald's across the street and the city.

See More Rooms

Features

Open-concept restaurant in the lobby, heated outdoor swimming pool, and 24/7 fitness

An open-concept restaurant in the lobby serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and there's a bar there as well. The menu is classic American with a California twist. The outdoor pool beside the highway is heated and suitable for swimming laps. Lounge chairs surround it for relaxing by the pool, but there are only two umbrellas. Poolside food and drink service is available. The small 24/7 fitness center has large windows allowing in natural light, and it's equipped with treadmills, elliptical trainers, stationary bikes, and weights.

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Best Rates

Amenities

  • Air Conditioner

  • Balcony / Terrace / Patio

  • Basic Television

  • Beach

  • Cabanas

  • Cable

  • Concierge

  • Cribs

  • Dry Cleaning

  • Fitness Center

  • Internet

  • Kids Allowed

  • Pool

  • Poolside Drink Service

  • Room Service

Disclaimer: This content was accurate at the time the hotel was reviewed. Please check our partner sites when booking to verify that details are still correct.