The Santa Monica Proper Hotel at 700 Wilshire Boulevard is Kelly Wearstler's most fully realised hotel commission in California — 262 rooms in a building that she designed from the lobby to the penthouse with the integration of local craft, historical reference, and contemporary material that has defined her practice. The Proper Hotel Group's platform for design-led boutique properties gives Wearstler the creative latitude that more cautious brands cannot provide, and the Santa Monica result is a hotel that is genuinely singular: the furniture, the art, the tile work, and the textiles are not interchangeable with any other property.
The rooms occupy the building's residential floors with the considered materiality that Wearstler's reputation requires. California craftwork, locally sourced tiles, custom rugs, and vintage finds integrated with precision — the result is a room that reads as designed without feeling assembled. The penthouse suites, with rooftop terrace access and the ocean view that Santa Monica's elevation provides, represent the hotel's best-in-class accommodation.
Cara restaurant operates in collaboration with Wexler's Deli and serves as both a hotel dining destination and a neighbourhood lunch anchor. The rooftop restaurant and bar — the view reaching to the Pacific on clear evenings — functions as the hotel's evening social hub. The spa programme emphasises recovery and natural ingredients; the fitness centre is genuinely well-equipped rather than token.
The hotel's Design Hotels membership places it within the global curation network that design-literate travellers use to orient their accommodation choices. Service follows the Proper Group's standard: hospitality that is warm and competent without the stiffness of traditional luxury brands. For guests whose primary criterion is the quality of the designed environment rather than the legacy brand affiliation, the Santa Monica Proper is the correct choice in the market.
Kelly Wearstler's rooms are environments that reward sustained occupation — the details reveal themselves over days rather than hours. For a creative retreat in Santa Monica with a designed environment, rooftop pool access, and proximity to both the beach path and the Third Street Promenade, the Proper provides the conditions. The spa supports the physical dimension; Cara handles the meals without requiring decisions.
The Santa Monica Proper's wellness programme extends across the spa, the rooftop pool, the fitness facilities, and a neighbourhood with some of the better outdoor exercise infrastructure in Southern California — the beach path, Palisades Park, and the Mountain running trails are all accessible within a short distance. The hotel's food programme at Cara emphasises clean, seasonal California ingredients. For a wellness stay that combines designed indoor environments with outdoor Santa Monica access, this is the most complete option in the Santa Monica market.
From $460/night; suites from $900/night. Check availability at properhotel.com/santa-monica.
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