Sonder The BeaconvsThe Biltmore Los Angeles
Both hotels are praised by those who travel for a living. Overall, Millennium Biltmore Hotel Los Angeles is the choice of most professionals compared to Hotel Shangri-La Santa Monica. Millennium Biltmore Hotel Los Angeles comes in at #11 in Los Angeles with praise from 13 sources such as The Telegraph, Travel + Leisure and Rough Guide.
Sonder The Beacon Show All Reviews
1301 Ocean Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90401
From $301/night
- Bar/Lounge
- Hot Tub
- Free Internet
- Room Service
- Laundry Service
- Concierge
DK Eyewitness
"Its oceanfront Santa Monica location is great and the large rooms have ocean views."
Time Out
"Thankfully the streamline moderne exterior has been preserved; inside, the rooms have been upgraded with hardwood floors." Full review
Gayot
"Designed and constructed in the Art Deco style of the late 1930s, this Santa Monica landmark sits proudly on Ocean Avenue on a cliff just above the beach."
BlackBook
"Classic hotel on the beach, shines for its Art Deco vibe, inside and out. Rooms elegantly updated and luxuriously appointed."
Lonely Planet
Top Choice
"Stylish enough to be alluring but not too stuck up or intimidating." Full review
Travel + Leisure
"Once a private penthouse, this indoor/outdoor roof lounge retains a sense of glamour from the seaside hotel's heyday in the Golden Age of Hollywood." Full review
Afar Magazine
"An art deco icon, built in 1939 for the silver screen stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age, the Hotel Shangri-La is a beachfront beauty made for decadence." Full review
Star Service
"Provides business and leisure travelers with a colorful amalgam that blends the booty-centric, after-dark shenanigans of the Viceroy with the more conservative daylight trappings of the Doubletree. " Full review
Jetsetter
"Seaside Art Deco hideaway with a rooftop bar and farm-fresh Cali cuisine in Santa Monica." Full review
Zagat
"By day, it’s a boisterous, sunshine-drenched hangout, while after dark, it’s a secluded hideout for overnight guests and lucky locals basking in ocean breezes and pricey cocktails." Full review
The Biltmore Los Angeles Show All Reviews
506 South Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90071
From $95/night
- Pet Friendly
- Bar/Lounge
- Hot Tub
- Free Internet
- Room Service
- Laundry Service
Concierge
"If old-school grandeur is what moves you, you'll get a lot of bang for your buck here."
Fodor's
"One of downtown L.A.'s true treasures, the gilded 1923 Beaux Arts masterpiece exudes ambience and history." Full review
Lonely Planet
"The gorgeous art-deco health club takes the work out of workout." Full review
Rough Guide
"Neoclassical 1923 architecture combined with modern luxury, with a health club modelled on a Roman bathhouse, cherub-and-angel decor, and a view overlooking Pershing Square."
Time Out
"Built in 1923, the Biltmore retains the Italian-Spanish renaissance elegance that once enticed such dignitaries as Winston Churchill and JFK." Full review
Star Service
"Facing Pershing Square, next to the Los Angeles Library and across from the more intimate, contemporary Hilton Checkers, this is an architectural tour de force that is worth visiting." Full review
Gayot
"Designed in Italian Renaissance style, the Millennium Biltmore opened to national acclaim in 1923 and in 1969 was designated a Historical Cultural Landmark."
BlackBook
"Downtown heart, Grand façade and Mediterranean soul. Popular since '23 with the Hollywood crowd and tabloid murder buffs (look up Black Dahlia connection)."
Travel + Leisure
"This octogenarian grande dame has never looked more beautiful—although, like many L.A. ladies, she’s had some work done." Full review
Not For Tourists
"First lady of Downtown hotels, testament to LA's architectural heritage."