Overall, a nice hotel in a picture perfect location. But there were minor details that caught my attention that a hotel in this price range should have corrected. First, the bed skirt was stained and dirty. Second, the bathroom sink was cracked and the paint in the tub was chipped. I was told by the cleaning staff that the hotel was in the process of being touched up here and there, so hopefully it will be better.
We spent 3 nights here on the LA leg of our girls road ttip.
When we arrived there was a conference going on and the hotel was consumed by it - therefore you fealt like you were an inconvience comparitive to the conf personnel.
Our room was great, spacious, huge TV, great bed and clean - however we were positioned at the back of the hotel next to the main road which from a noise perspective wasnt great.
There is Gym facilities here but get this you have to pay $20 to use them..........???!!!!!! What were we paying hundreds of dollars for 3 nights if we have to pay to use the hotel facilities..... .this really anoyed me and the pool is the size of a postage stamp !
Staff here weren't great or very unhelpful and due to the conference were very consumed with this.
On a positive note location is just fab opposite Muscle beach and Santa Monica pier and they rent bikes so you can cycle down to venice beach which is a nice touch.
I was a little apprehensive about staying here after reading some of the reviews but I have to say we had a great stay at Lowes. The rooms weren't huge but clean and nicely decorated. Very big screen TV. Two sinks in the bathroom which was good.
The staff were friendly and helpful. The pool area was lovely.
We were given a room on arriving with no sea view but when we explained that we were told we would have a partial sea view because we had booked for 3 nights, we were moved the next day to a room overlooking the pool and out onto Santa Monica beach. We had room service breakfast which was fantastic.
Overall a great experience which I would not hesitate to repeat!
I would highly recommend this hotel. We had a fabulous stay. Our room was beautiful. We had his & hers sinks, flat screen tv, tv in the bathroom & a phone by the toilet, it was ultra special. The room was large, light & airy. The staff were friendly, polite & not stuck up like in some of the larger hotels.
The views to the ocean from the hotel were excellent and we both thoroughly enjoyed a cocktail in the bar overlooking the pacific.
Those people who have critisised this hotel are in my opinion moaning about nothing, their expectations must be way of the scale!
5* rating.
For this family vacation, we decided to splurge at the Loews Santa Monica and sprung for a partial ocean view. After waiting 4 hours to check in, we were taken to a 2nd floor room with a view of the street and the back side of a buidling with an electrical box. Oh, and a nearby dumpster. You would have had to pay me to stay in this room.
After much waiting and complaining, we were finally taken to a 6th floor room with a partial ocean view looking towards the Santa Monica peer. It was fine.
Moral to the story, just be sure you know exactly what you are getting here. It's just not worth the money to be in a room without a view. Note that the 2nd floor is actually below the lobby. And, you must cross the street to get to the beach.
No doubt the location for Santa Monica beach front can't be beaten. However i found it expensive for what it was ($500 a room per night) and can't help wondering what the others (Shutters, Marigot) were like. The pool is the biggest in the area but is no more than 12' wide and about 30' long - so not big, esp when its got more than 10 people in it. Also sun lounge area has you lined up like sardines and half the day only half the loungers have sun - due to the U shape of the hotel built around the pool, so bag those places early.
I booked an ocean view on a high floor (and paid extra for it) but was given a so so room on the second floor which looked out on to the parking lot - albeit you could see the sea behind that. We complained and after a few days got upgraded to 6th floor and nicer room.
Also you have to pay $10 for the gym!!! Don't expect to pay that if you already pay $500 a night.
All staff were great but overall think this place is over priced (but suppose that's santa monica for you) and lacks a little something. More like a 3* experience than 4/5*.
