Georgian Hotel

Georgian Hotel

On Wednesday evenings, Adam Chester takes the stage in the Georgian Room, the same bar that opened in 1933 when this Ocean Avenue address was where Hollywood took its nights off, and guests drift out toward the cliff-edge terrace at Sirena, the hotel's coastal Italian restaurant, to watch the sun go into the Pacific. The Georgian has stood on this stretch of Santa Monica since 1933, eight floors and 84 rooms, and it carries the label of a design hotel rather than a generic high-rise. That history is its edge over the newer towers along the coast: nowhere else nearby can claim to have been the city's original glamour address, restored bar and all. Standard doubles start around 248 square feet and the entry Deluxe King runs closer to 215; the fourteen ocean-facing suites, by contrast, stretch up to 1,000 square feet with sea views worth the upgrade. Families wanting the most room should look to the Deluxe Quadruple or the Standard Double Suite, both closer to 550 to 614 square feet. Business travellers get a conference hall and a business center on site, and small teams can meet without leaving the building. Dog owners can bring a pet under five kilos for a $125 surcharge. Santa Monica Pier is two minutes away, Venice Beach Boardwalk about seven, and The Getty twelve minutes inland for a day away from the water. Check-in is from 3pm, checkout by noon, and the front desk runs around the clock. It suits people who want the address more than the amenities checklist, and it asks a little patience from anyone expecting every room to feel the same. The Georgian has held its cliff-edge spot on Ocean Avenue since 1933, when Hollywood used it as an after-hours address, and it still runs a Wednesday night residency in the same restored bar. Rooms range from a snug 215 square feet to 1,000-square-foot ocean suites, so choose carefully.