Not a Proper Five ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Stay
A design lover's experience at Kelly Wearstler's Santa Monica Proper Hotel
I had been yearning to stay at the Santa Monica Proper ever since it opened in June of 2019.. so when the opportunity arose to spend the weekend in LA with my best friend I convinced her to splurge (around $600 a night) for our two-night sojourn. I was thrilled to finally stay in the hotel! I had visited for the first time last year for drinks in the lobby and while I loved it, the service left a lot to be desired. I ignored that first impression which I later learned was a mistake.
I grew up going to a Comfort Inn in Tampa, Florida that had an indoor pool and tiny convenience store where my grandmother and I would get honeybuns to share every morning. At the ripe age of 9, I thought the Comfort Inn was the most luxurious hotel in the entire world. I swam indoors for the bulk of every day and I convinced my family to never leave the hotel, hehe. I wasn’t exposed to a “true” five-star hotel experience until I turned 21 and started working in the world of hospitality interior design, a path I thought would satisfy my craving for my love of hotels. Long story short: it didn’t! This was also around the time that I fell in love with Kelly’s work and visited the Proper Hotel in San Francisco as much as possible to absorb her eclectic design work.
My first five-star hotel stay was at the Montage Palmetto Bluff in 2022 when one of my best friends invited me to join her on a work retreat. I was absolutely ecstatic to visit the stunning property where Justin and Hailey Bieber got married a few years prior. I didn’t get to enjoy the resort as much as I wanted because I was working remotely at the time and had major deadlines that had my stress levels at 100. However, the experience felt luxurious from start to finish (especially because I didn’t pay for any of it, and for that I was extremely lucky!)
Over the past few years, I’ve had the privilege of experiencing more five-star stays including Rancho Valencia, Four Seasons Seattle, Wynn Las Vegas, The Ned London, La Fantaisie, Four Seasons Palm Beach, The Breakers, Casa Monti Roma, and most recently, the Ritz-Carlton Rancho Mirage! This list is a true mix of resort style properties and boutique hotels. While my resume may be limited compared to others, it is incredibly important to me to give an honest review when necessary, especially when you’re spending your hard-earned money on an experience that does NOT live up to the five-star expectations.
After this hotel stay, I asked myself what even makes a hotel five stars? This Five Star Alliance article outlines what guests should expect from a five star hotel, and how the rating varies around the world. In the United States, organizations like AAA, and Forbes Travel Guide conduct in-person inspections to evaluate properties to ultimately determine how many stars they should have.
The Forbes Travel Guide named the Santa Monica Proper a recommended hotel for 2026; one of their lowest ratings. After reading their review, I noticed they said nothing about the service of the hotel which is likely why it didn’t receive a four or five-star rating, and is the exact reason why I would not recommend it if you are looking for a true five-star stay.
As a former interior designer, I often get lost in the design of it all. In the past I prioritized design > service, but after this stay, I have to say service > design, especially with a $600+ a night price tag. I am a huge Kelly Wearstler fan, and still believe all of the Proper hotels are breathtaking with carefully curated vintage furniture, impeccable pattern mixing, and strong senses of place, but confusingly, they are severely lacking in the service category.
Check-In
The check-in process was anything but luxurious with a long line and employees who seemed annoyed to be there. Our room (which my best friend had so graciously upgraded to a balcony view) was not ready when we arrived at 3:00pm so we waited in the lobby for a text notifying us we could grab our room keys.
Deluxe Balcony King Room
We ended up staying in a deluxe balcony king room that had a “city view”. The view actually ended up being a front row seat to a parking lot. If we had known that would be the view, we wouldn’t have upgraded. The room itself was beautiful and everything I expected of a Kelly Wearstler designed space. One thing I immediately noticed was that there were no slippers in the closets or bathroom, so we figured they would bring those during turn down service. The slippers ended up being non-existent! The bathroom amenities included Aesop products and a $20 Conair hair dryer. The minibar was very cute and included everything under the sun. I typically don’t partake in the minibar unless the items are free or I’m desperate for a cold beverage. The automatic shades would have been lovely if they were not located directly next to a floor lamp that didn’t allow them to open and close properly, a design flaw that could have been easily avoided. The bed itself was extremely comfortable, and it was everything I could wish for in a hotel bed which is essentially the feeling of floating on a cloud.
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Calabra
I was excited to visit the rooftop restaurant, Calabra on our first night (Friday) so I made a reservation about a week in advance. Once we got up to the rooftop, we were seated and didn’t have anyone come to our table to take our order for at least 15 minutes. I had been warned by some friends that the service wasn’t the greatest, so this wasn’t really a surprise, but worth noting anyway. The rooftop itself was a vibe with space heaters and a buzzy atmosphere! I’d go back strictly for the bohemian ambiance, but be warned that the service can definitely be slow!
Palma
Before and after dinner on our second (Saturday) night, we went to Palma, the lobby bar and lounge for pre + post-dinner drinks. I am personally obsessed with their Santa Monica Cloud Cocktail and wanted to get it again before calling it a night. The space was extremely busy and had a DJ - both times it seemed as though the bar was pretty understaffed because it took a while to get our cocktails. Again, I’d go back to be in the gorgeous space and enjoy a cocktail but you must know that the service is not the best.
Overall Experience
My friend had been texting with the concierge to ensure we got turndown service on our last night. When we got back to our room after our nightcaps, we realized that the turn down service never happened... since we’d had a few drinks, she texted the concierge and let them know that we didn’t get it and we were pretty underwhelmed with our stay. They responded asking what they could do to make our stay better, but by that point we were getting ready to check out. We were both so disappointed and annoyed with the situation that we didn’t think it was worth prolonging the conversation. I am curious though, what would you have done?
A few notes:
When reviewing a hotel, I like to experience as many of the its offerings/amenities as possible including but not limited to: room service, the spa, rooftop pools, bars/restaurants, and so forth. I did not order food from either of the restaurants, nor did I order room service. I also did not visit the spa or gym facilities and did not use the valet. I cannot speak to any of those elements of the experience since I did not partake in them! The food did look amazing though!
The experience felt really strange overall. I was swooning over every space we discovered while I was simultaneously bewildered by the lack of what I felt to be five-star attentiveness as a hotel guest. The hotel itself is gorgeous and deserves all the accolades; not to mention, the location was lovely. Their Yelp rating sits at a 3.6/5 with over fifty 1-Star Reviews, while their Google reviews are about 4.4/5 with an undisclosed amount of 1-Star Reviews (red flag perhaps?). Due to this experience, I can’t in good faith recommend this hotel to anyone! I received much better service at the Sunset Tower Hotel last year as a 4 star hotel at half the price per night.
Melissa McAlister is the author of The Moderne Museletter - A newsletter highlighting a playful mix of interiors, fashion, travel, and all the fun things NYC has to offer from local favorites to must-see spots. Curated from Brooklyn, with love 💌
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This has been on my list as well as a fellow interior designer, bummed to hear this, but thank you for the honest review!
Ugh such a shame. Growing up before I started my job in hotel PR, this hotel was always one of those cool spaces I fantasized about. Reading your review though, your notes feel completely fair