A $150 million redesign has transformed the old Loews Beach Hotel into Regent Santa Monica Beach, the brand's first US property in 32 years and its new flagship across the Americas. Opened in 2024 right beside the Santa Monica Pier — the official western end of Route 66 — the 167-room resort picked up a Michelin Key in its debut year, which is no small feat for a first outing.
The redesign, handled by AvroKO and Wimberly Interiors, leans into its setting rather than fighting it. The atrium-style lobby and oceanfront pool deck riff on sand, sails and the movement of the Pacific, so the whole place feels like a very polished extension of the shoreline outside.
Service follows the Regent playbook: around-the-clock Experience Managers handle everything from hard-to-get restaurant reservations to specific in-room snacks, which is the kind of thing that matters when you're paying five-star rates.
Food is a genuine draw in its own right. The signature restaurant, Orla by Michael Mina, blends Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cooking with the North African flavours of the chef's childhood — think mezze, handmade breads, just-caught seafood and grilled meats, all sourced heavily from the adjacent Santa Monica Farmers Market. You eat it under a custom mosaic floor with the Pier and the ocean in view.
The spa is another first: the West Coast's only Guerlain Wellness outpost, a 10,000 sq ft space built around the rhythm of the Pacific. Alongside cryotherapy, Hydrafacials and California-inspired rituals, there are two treatments created just for the hotel — Crystal Vibes, which pairs a gem-filled treatment bed with a sound bath, and Solar Shape, designed to calm sun-scorched skin after a day on the sand. Guests who'd rather be outside can book surfing and sailing sessions, and Beach Butlers handle umbrellas, sunbeds and iced drinks on the sand.
Rooms feel residential, with proper entry foyers and living areas, soaking tubs, rainfall showers and Perricone MD toiletries. The top-end Santa Monica Suite on the eighth floor goes further: private cinema, billiards room, floor-to-ceiling windows and a balcony firepit angled squarely at the sunset. It's pitched at everyone from couples to multigenerational groups who want space to actually hang out together.
For travellers weighing up LA's luxury hotel scene, this one is easy to place: it's for people who want a proper resort experience without leaving the city — beach on the doorstep, walkable Pier and Third Street Promenade, and a serious spa for the recovery days. It also fits neatly into a wider Regent itinerary, if you're the type who pairs Santa Monica with the brand's properties in Bali, Phu Quoc or Hong Kong.