Ocean Park Hotel — Hotel in Santa Monica

This place grew on me throughout my stay. But please read the reviews carefully before committing so you know what you're paying for. I booked this "hotel" - closer to a private room hostel setup - with airline points, so I was trying not to be too critical when I first got there. The actual room prices seemed way overpriced for what you get, but in this economy, this is one of the last affordable places to stay in the city.

When I first arrived, I was given a key to a first floor room that nearly gave me a panic attack. The door would open on its own unless deadbolted - I did not feel safe with just that. Tile floor, bed with no frame, no night stand or lamp, no clothes hangers for the rod on the wall. The desk, chair, and bureau looked like they were 20 years old picked up from a Goodwill and nothing matched. Super weird dorm room vibes. HOWEVER, I got up the courage to ask for a different room, and the man at the front desk was so kind to show me one on the second floor with carpet and a better door lock. I felt instantly more comfortable (despite the furniture set up still being the same weird old dorm look.) I was told they were in the process of updating the rooms to the ones you see in the pictures on the website - which is true! Throughout my stay, I saw them painting and cleaning those rooms and they looked beautiful! So hopefully by the time you read this, you don't have to worry about this at all. I ended up having a great time despite some moments of discomfort. Will I return? Eh, probably not unless I was on a road trip.

PROS: Very clean Updated beautiful (shared) bathrooms Hardly ever ran into anyone in the bathroom Cute hallway decor (bright blue with b&w photos of lifeguards) Updating rooms is currently taking place Friendly desk staff - if you ask nicely, you shall receive. I asked for a hairdryer. Great location - close to lots of restaurants, nice morning walk to breakfast and the beach, and the lady that works at the coffee stand right next door is super sweet. Safe residential neighborhood Easy and safe for Uber pickup spot (an Uber to the beach was under $10) Parking lot TV, mini fridge, and sink in room for convenience Ear plugs provided

CONS: Glass front door (although it has a security code to enter after 10pm) feels very odd because if you're on the first floor walking to the bathroom in the middle of the night in your PJs, someone from the street can just look right in and see you. Feels super vulnerable. I strongly recommend they put a shade on the door. Rooms that aren't updated yet are bleak (as described above) Amenities at a typical hotel (like a hairdryer, an extra blanket) aren't provided unless you ask Poor value - even for the updated rooms - somewhere with a shared bath (when everything else isn't high end) shouldn't cost over $100 per night. There is a reason they provide ear plugs - the walls are PAPER THIN. I could hear conversations, spicy times, the works.

Insider tip - if you're uncomfortable with shared bathrooms, there is an accessible bath with a lock on the first floor with a shower included for extra comfort/privacy if you feel you need it - though I felt perfectly safe in the shared showers.

In short, if you are super low maintenance, are just looking to save money while visiting LA ,and want to be near the ocean, this is a fantastic spot for you. If you need more pampering on your vacation, skip it and spend extra money on a more...

Pros: Clean room, cute pictures and paint in hallway, firm and comfy bed, nice firm pillows. Cons: Old school keys to unlock your room. In 2020 why aren't there digital locks? Having to wake up in the middle of the night, find your shoes, find your keys, lock your room door, go to the bathroom, unlock your door, take your shoes off and go back to bed was a process. Shared bathroom was very uncomfortable, I felt like I was in a dorm or hostel (there's a sign that says only 1 person allowed in the bathroom due to Covid, but you couldn't lock the bathroom so it felt unsafe. Having to wake up in the middle of the night, find your shoes, find your keys, lock your room door, go to the bathroom, unlock your door, take your shoes off and go back to bed was a process. There's hooks to hang your towel and clothes but no separate area/changing area to put on your clothes in the bathroom after you shower so with an unlocked bathroom, you're possibly coming out naked to someone accidentally entering the bathroom. There are no locks in the bathroom so if you're a woman who comes out naked from the shower to put your towel/clothes on and a man accidentally enters (the floors are co-ed), it's very unnverving. The room is darkly lit making it reminiscent of a scary motel. There is a ceiling fan with 2 lightbulbs but it was so dim would be helpful if the hotel had another floor lamp for extra lighting (I imagine buying extra floor lamps from Target or Ikea wouldn't cost them that much money to make for comfortable rooms. Lighting is everything and really changes the mood). I tried to open my curtains in the morning and there was a guy watering the plants just outside my bedroom; made me uncomfortable. You can hear everything. Since the halls are narrow, bathroom is shared, you can hear conversations, people walking up and down the halls, maintenance/hotel staff with their keys clanging, housekeepers knocking on people's doors, etc. Tiny room so the bar fridge is super loud. I had to unplug it during the night so I could sleep. There are no carpets to absorb noise. Check out is at 11am (that's early to me, I'm so used to checking out at 12 or 1pm (extended check out). The shower took so long to heat up (and I kept testing the knob) so instead of standing there wasting water (I wasted about 5 minutes worth), I just took the fastest cold shower ever. If you want a hot/warm shower, this isn't the place for you.

Overall, lesson learned for me is to spend the extra money and stay somewhere else more comfortable. My whole stay (1 night) I couldn't wait to get out of there and fly home.

Disclosure: I knew the bathroom was shared before I booked but didn't expect the experience to be so unnerving with no locks or separate changing rooms as the shower looked large in the picture so I thought it would be divided into a shower then a...

For the price point it would be really hard to top this hotel. The shared bathrooms were exceptionally clean, and with the exception of one single extraordinarily loud car (or was it a helicopter?! Sheesh!) street noise was not noticeable. The other guests were all quiet and respectful, even on a Saturday night. Street parking was plentiful, and I actually preferred it to the on site parking. My rental Audi was safe and sound :) Hotel staff were friendly, kind and accommodating, especially when my bird brain somehow lost the room key the very first night. The neighborhood is beautiful and historic with gorgeous foliage, and while the cafe was closed I walked less than five minutes to a delicious upscale breakfast bistro with no lines on a Saturday morning (WHAT?!). The mattress could have been better; and the pillows weren’t great, but I’ve had worse at much more expensive places. The interior is decorated with historic lifeguard photos and very tastefully painted to accentuate the neighborhood image. Unless I find something better I’m using this as a home base when I stay in west LA. For the showers, the towel hook was on the opposite side the shower door opened on (thank GOD no creepy shower curtains) so I did have to fully undress to hang the towel and get into the stall. This doesn’t bother me at 35 years old in a same sex bathroom, and as it was I had it all to myself. It’s an old building and I assume that’s just the was the frame was made. Toiletries and plentiful toweling were provided, much more than I...