Jasper2009

Yes, dining certs can be used at the Fairmont Santa Monica (there are very few locations where the certs can't be used)

ptownca

I'm here in a newly renovated bungalow.. Very happy with the choice. More to come in a more in depth review.

ptownca

So, to reply to myself, as promised.

As it was a last minute booking and I wanted to use my remaining certs, but it was peak season, so I paid the full rate for Deluxe room, upgraded to an Ocean View and hoped to use a Suite Upgrade Cert, but even those were sold out. So, on check in they proposed a bungalow. I gladly accepted, which in room rates was a $400 difference. No regrets there. A much larger room and the bungalows are the most recently renovated rooms on property.

While it might imply from the room categories, it is not on the ocean or beach. I'm not saying false advertizing at all. The beach is across the street, which is OK, as it is not a long walk. The higher floors probably have great views, but I loved the bungalow. They are all ground floor but well insulated from the street noise and have a nice fresh, modern decor and great amenities.

While there are lots of off property dining/drinks options, I decided to stay on property with the rare rains in SoCal. I was not disappointed.

Service everywhere was excellent. I look forward to an excuse to return there. Another Fairmont I had on my bucket list ticked off.

SKYEG

My +1's friend is an actress and lives right down the street from here. Checked it out for the first time last week... Very impressed! Will definitely have to stay here the next time I am in the area(I usually stay at SLS or by the airport lol). Friendly staff, convenient valet and beautiful property! I thought drink prices were pretty reasonable too.

The Bungalow was unreal! Great vibes and lively for a Thursday night. $500 min spend for a table. Was a bit starstruck hanging out with an Emmy winning actress but it seemed to be a normal type of thing at this venue lol

wilma

I am here now at the Miramar and not impressed. My room & suite upgrade certs got us a dark, dingy suite on the 2nd floor overlooking the noisy mechanical shed. Ugh. Front desk people are not helpful or very friendly. The Fig restaurant was great for happy hour and they may move us today to a higher floor but this suite has stained carpets and is in need of a refresh!

beefyT

I have an upcoming stay here in February, and I'll be using a suite upgrade (to Pallisades Suite I assume).

However, I just realized I have another suite upgrade that I don't think I'll be using before it expires.

Does anyone have experience with stacking suite upgrades here? I've done so only at a few other properties (Kea Lani, Whistler), and I know they don't accept that practice everywhere.

Boraxo

We were upgraded to a 6th Floor room which had a nice ocean view from the balcony but was otherwise unimpressive. The restaurant is a big plus - great atmosphere on the patio plus a good menu. Parking can be found cheaper at the city garage on 2nd, particularly overnight if you are out the next morning. Overall I would say the rooms were much nicer at the JW Marriott, which is also a bit closer to the beach. However I prefer the Fairmont location which is a shorter walking distance from downtown Santa Monica. And the balconies are awesome! Looking forward to a stay at the Viceroy next year on a black Friday sale rate which is lower than what we paid at the Fairmont I will report back but at this point I'm guessing the ranking is: Viceroy > Marriott > Fairmont, putting aside suite upgrades and other perks.

Carl

Any recent DPs on using UG certificates with free nights? I’m aiming for a room with two beds (sofa bed is fine) and not sure whether to use a room or suite UG for best luck. It’s a two-night stay in the middle of the week, and I am FPC Plat. I’m presuming with two free nights back-to-back, you still have to use two instruments. Thanks!

beefyT

I just got back from my stay at the Miramar.

I too had a 2 night reservation. I used one free night certificate, and one suite upgrade certificate.

Booked a Fairmont (Pallisades) room, received a top floor, front corner Signature Ocean View Suite. These suites are all in the Pallisades building, but face the ocean obviously. So not only a one-level upgrade, but also the best suite in its category.

It was beautiful, and the 6th floor of the Pallisades building has 11? foot ceilings, so it felt extra luxurious!

That suite has a King and a queen sized pullout couch, so it should suit your needs.

I checked out a bungalow suite (which costs around the same as the Signature OV suite) just because I was curious, and they are quite small, but very newly renovated with nicer bathrooms. Still would rather have the space and the ocean view, despite the fact that the Pallisades building is older.

Overall - great use of a suite upgrade. Room upgrades at the Miramar will only get you into the 'Tower' building, which has nice views and a balcony, but the rooms are very small.

Carl

Thanks for the great feedback. I'll report back on my experience later this month.

GundamWing01

hey carl. just curious what ur experience was like and if u used any certs. looks like Pallisades suites w/ ocean view is the way to go with offsite overnight parking. just looking for tips.

dmodemd

We just completed a 4 night stay here burning the last of my room and suite certificates. We were given a Palisades Suite. On check-in we were given Room 301 (corner suite) and we asked if it was quiet and we were told that it "should be...". No other higher floor suites were available unless we wanted to buy up. No willingness to upgrade us further. No recommendation for a quieter room. We got settled into Room 301 but grew increasingly concerned that it faced the road and we were already hearing a lot of street noise. We called down to the front desk and were offered a room on the same floor but facing the pool so we took a look at that. It was better in general with a slightly larger bathroom (separate room for toilet and shower from the vanity). However there was a large A/C unit outside the window on the ground directly below which was pretty loud so we declined. We called again later and were offered Room 402 which is also a corner suite but facing toward the pool. We checked it out and moved there. It turned out to be fine, not much activity in the pool area during our stay. We did still hear street noise from loud motorcycles or sirens but that was unavoidable being within a city block. Room 402 had faux hardwood floors in the living area and the bedroom was a little smaller than 301 but otherwise it was the same. We were told it was a slight upgrade... (because of the flooring??).

Some general observations and tips to help others:
We searched for some cheaper overnight parking options than the $50 valet. After checking out most nearby street parking rules we discovered that 2nd Street right behind the hotel has free overnight parking from 6pm-9a, then meters in effect but are 9 hour parking ($1 / hr)! Only overnight restriction is Sat/Sun. However, finding a spot in the evening was VERY hard. We got lucky coming across a hotel worker leaving after picking something up.
We did the Fig restaurant happy hour from 5p-6p with many half price appetizers. All drinks half price and two menu items. It was good but we would not have wanted to pay full price. We did not get reservations and almost could not get in for one and a half hours unless we sat outside (but it was cold and windy that evening), so we took it. Breakfast was excellent, all a la carte. Prices are OK if you don't need to add on to the basic plate. Portions were large enough for me.
Farmers market on Wednesday (and Sat AM it turns out) in Santa Monica was a great treat. Lots of organic produce available. Grocery shopping though was hard to find with a long walk to a Vons with many leering weirdos present. The number of mentally ill on the streets of Santa Monica was distressing. One very prominent panhandler called me a "sh*thead" for just ignoring him. Others walking around yelling or crying.
We rented a car from Hertz at the Loews Hotel a few blocks down the street. It is about a 15-20 minute walk. There is no after hours drop off (unless you pay the $55 valet fee) and they stop taking drop offs at 5:45pm, so you may have a shortened day or have to find overnight parking that could cost more than the car rental! We drove our Malibu to Malibu (checking out the nearly non existent beach at high tide), had a great lunch near Calabasas at The Lure then onto the Reagan museum, back to LA for The Griffith Observatory at sunset, then down to Koreatown for dinner. (Hint: take advantage of any places that have cheap valet parking rather than trying to find street parking!)
Pool and hot tub were great as it was not busy. Pool is outdoor and heated. I didn't try the fitness center but saw some popular yoga classes going on and others exercising on the outside patios as part of the fitness center.
We did not try the bikes, got lazy, but did drive to Venice beach another day after checking out UCLA, Beverly Hills, Rodeo Dr, and The Original Farmers Market.

At checkout I was surprised to find that the resort fee of $30 a night still applied when using comp room certificates! I checked my confirmation emails (from many months ago) and it did not make mention of this fee other than a little note that taxes and resort fees may be extra but without specifics. I argued my way out of it (with manager approval) but I did not have to pay a resort fee at Banff Springs when on certs so thought that it was a Fairmont wide policy. Apparently it is by property so you need to double check!
My F&B certs and gift certificate were applied promptly and easily.... much easier than it was ever done for me pre-Accors.

So that's it for me at Fairmont! Sorry to see it go, I had a good run while it lasted!

nrouxel

https://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4095423.html

greg99

Stayed in a Palisades room last week. No upgrade available (they said they were full). No platinum recognition at check-in. May have been a travel agent issue that the number didn't migrate, but even when I pointed it out, no acknowledgement when added. Room not ready until 2 hours after check-in time, no apology and no offer of any sort of compensation. No welcome drink. No platinum amenity until I called down and asked - amenity was a bottle of still mineral water, an apple and the tartest citrus fruit I've ever eaten. Room was on second floor, so a bit noisy in the morning.

Not sure I would stay there again, but my last Accor experience in LA (at Sofitel BH pre-COVID) was similarly mediocre, so maybe it's an LA thing.