Pros

  • Nice location in quiet corner of Santa Monica
  • Incredible view of Los Angeles cityscape from fourth floor rooftop
  • Renovated rooms include flat-screen TVs, coffeemakers, and mini-fridges
  • IHOP on-site, delivers morning room service
  • Free Wi-Fi and garage parking
  • Small fitness center and a business center
  • Five-minute drive to the beach
  • Ideal for visitors of St. John's Hospital
  • Free shuttle to Third Street Promenade and beach
  • Bright, beachy ambiance throughout
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Cons

  • Wi-Fi can be spotty in places
  • Thin walls
  • No bar on-site
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Bottom Line

Freshly renovated in 2014, Gateway Hotel Santa Monica is about as close as you can get to St. John’s Hospital without being a patient, and is a 15-minute walk from Santa Monica Beach. Coffeemakers and mini-fridges are nice room perks, though walls are thin. With freebies like garage parking, Wi-Fi, and a shuttle to Third Street Promenade, along with an IHOP restaurant inside the lobby that delivers room service for breakfast, this hotel is one of the best value mid-range options in the neighborhood.

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Amenities

  • Fitness Center
  • Internet

Oyster Hotel Review

Gateway Hotel Santa Monica

Scene

Fresh, beachy, and brighter than expected for a value hotel 

Although the beach is 20 blocks away, the Gateway’s warm colors, clean hardwood floors, and sand dollar accents might give guests the urge to drop everything and play beach volleyball on the spot. Fresh and modern after a 2014 renovation, the rooms and lobby feature a soft color palette of tan, orange, and white with wooden Venetian blinds and bamboo mats. The IHOP restaurant that serves as the hotel’s breakfast venue is nothing remarkable but has a cozy diner feel. The bright and open lobby is adorned with old photographs of Santa Monica. Four stories high, there is a lovely deck on the roof with amazing views of Los Angeles.

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Location

Beach and Promenade about 15 minutes' walk

Situated on a quieter section of busy Santa Monica Boulevard and surrounded by UCLA medical offices with St. John’s Hospital located in the same complex, the Gateway hotel is an ideal spot for visitors to the hospital. It's also 20 blocks -- or about 15-minutes walking -- from Santa Monica Beach. The hotel provides a free shuttle to and from Third Street Promenade, and the blue and red line buses that run up and down Santa Monica Boulevard stop in front of the hotel every 15-minutes. John Wayne Cancer Institute, Bergamot Station, and Water Garden are within a 15-minute walk of the hotel and Pacific Park Pier, Muscle Beach, and the UCLA Ocean Discovery Center are about a five-minute drive. Santa Monica Airport is about a 10-minute drive while Los Angeles International is just nine miles away but, depending on traffic, can be anywhere between 20-minutes and an hour.

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Rooms

Cheerful orange accents and creature comforts

The Gateway is home to 123 rooms, most of which look chain hotel-ish in their uniformity, but after a 2014 renovation feel new and fresh with bright orange and light blue accents. Small reading lights are attached to headboards and cheerful, colorful prints of beach scenes hang on the walls. Each room comes with free Wi-Fi access, a large flat-screen TV with basic cable, mini-fridge, safe, coffee machine, iron and ironing board, and air-conditioning unit. Bathrooms have ample counter space, and include a hairdryer. Shower/tub combinations have curtains rather than doors. Past guests have complained about thin walls. 

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Features

Free parking and Wi-Fi; IHOP next to lobby

In addition to free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel, Gateway Hotel Santa Monica has a small business center with two desktop computers, printers, and fax machines. There's a small fitness center with a Matrix treadmill, stationary bike, and weight machines. International House of Pancakes serves (not included in the room price) full breakfast daily, including morning delivery to rooms. There's a meeting area that can accommodate up to 45 guests with catering and audiovisual services, free shuttle service to and from Third Street Promenade daily, and free garage parking: a major perk for Los Angeles. While there isn't a pool, or much outdoor space, there's a small rooftop sun deck set with a table and chairs. 

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Things You Should Know About Gateway Hotel Santa Monica

Also Known As

  • BEST WESTERN PLUS Gateway Hotel Santa Monica

Address

1920 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica, California 90404-1909, United States

Website

Oyster Hotel Review

Gateway Hotel Santa Monica

Scene

Fresh, beachy, and brighter than expected for a value hotel 

Although the beach is 20 blocks away, the Gateway’s warm colors, clean hardwood floors, and sand dollar accents might give guests the urge to drop everything and play beach volleyball on the spot. Fresh and modern after a 2014 renovation, the rooms and lobby feature a soft color palette of tan, orange, and white with wooden Venetian blinds and bamboo mats. The IHOP restaurant that serves as the hotel’s breakfast venue is nothing remarkable but has a cozy diner feel. The bright and open lobby is adorned with old photographs of Santa Monica. Four stories high, there is a lovely deck on the roof with amazing views of Los Angeles.

See More Scene

Location

Beach and Promenade about 15 minutes' walk

Situated on a quieter section of busy Santa Monica Boulevard and surrounded by UCLA medical offices with St. John’s Hospital located in the same complex, the Gateway hotel is an ideal spot for visitors to the hospital. It's also 20 blocks -- or about 15-minutes walking -- from Santa Monica Beach. The hotel provides a free shuttle to and from Third Street Promenade, and the blue and red line buses that run up and down Santa Monica Boulevard stop in front of the hotel every 15-minutes. John Wayne Cancer Institute, Bergamot Station, and Water Garden are within a 15-minute walk of the hotel and Pacific Park Pier, Muscle Beach, and the UCLA Ocean Discovery Center are about a five-minute drive. Santa Monica Airport is about a 10-minute drive while Los Angeles International is just nine miles away but, depending on traffic, can be anywhere between 20-minutes and an hour.

See More Location

Rooms

Cheerful orange accents and creature comforts

The Gateway is home to 123 rooms, most of which look chain hotel-ish in their uniformity, but after a 2014 renovation feel new and fresh with bright orange and light blue accents. Small reading lights are attached to headboards and cheerful, colorful prints of beach scenes hang on the walls. Each room comes with free Wi-Fi access, a large flat-screen TV with basic cable, mini-fridge, safe, coffee machine, iron and ironing board, and air-conditioning unit. Bathrooms have ample counter space, and include a hairdryer. Shower/tub combinations have curtains rather than doors. Past guests have complained about thin walls. 

See More Rooms

Features

Free parking and Wi-Fi; IHOP next to lobby

In addition to free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel, Gateway Hotel Santa Monica has a small business center with two desktop computers, printers, and fax machines. There's a small fitness center with a Matrix treadmill, stationary bike, and weight machines. International House of Pancakes serves (not included in the room price) full breakfast daily, including morning delivery to rooms. There's a meeting area that can accommodate up to 45 guests with catering and audiovisual services, free shuttle service to and from Third Street Promenade daily, and free garage parking: a major perk for Los Angeles. While there isn't a pool, or much outdoor space, there's a small rooftop sun deck set with a table and chairs. 

See More Features

Best Rates

Amenities

  • Air Conditioner

  • Business Center

  • Cable

  • Dry Cleaning

  • Fitness Center

  • Internet

  • Kids Allowed

  • Laundry

  • Meeting / Conference Rooms

  • Poolside Drink Service

  • Rental Car Service Desk Onsite

  • Room Service

  • Swim-Up Bar

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.