Four-star One MICHELIN Key Santa Monica, Los Angeles
Shutters on the Beach
A Craftsman-style hotel on the sand at the foot of Pico Boulevard, open since 1993, with Hockney in the lobby and a shelf of books in every room.
Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.
- MICHELIN
- One Key, 2026
- Rooms
- 186 rooms and 12 suites
- Opened
- June 1993
- From the airport
- LAX 18 to 28 minutes
The hotel
A beach club site, a beach house hotel.
From 1925 this stretch of Santa Monica sand was home to private beach clubs, the Edgewater, the Jonathan, the Waverly and the Ambassador among them. Shutters opened here on 8 June 1993. Hill Architects gave it a Craftsman exterior modelled on the resorts and cottages of 1920s Southern California, and split the 198 rooms between two buildings, Ocean House and Beach House. Its signature restaurant, 1 Pico, opened with the hotel.
The decorator Michael S. Smith redid the rooms and the spa in 2005 and the restaurant 1 Pico in 2008, in a style closer to New England than to Los Angeles: mahogany floors, crown mouldings and shelves of books. Coast, a casual café and bar, opened on the beach path in 2007. Casa del Mar, next door, has the same owners, and both hold a MICHELIN Key.
- On the sand The hotel stands on the beach itself, a short walk from the Santa Monica Pier along the path for cycling and running.
- Art in the lobby Works by David Hockney and Claes Oldenburg hang in the public rooms.
- The Living Room The lobby lounge, with live music most nights and a heated porch over the sand.
Rooms & suites
Rooms like a guest bedroom by the sea.
Most rooms and every suite face the ocean, many with a narrow balcony. Each has built-in shelves of books and shutters between bath and bedroom.
- Rooms 186 guest rooms Mahogany floors, pale blue and warm brown fabrics and very high beds. Ask for a room facing the beach.
- Suites 12 suites All with ocean views, across the Ocean House and Beach House buildings.
Dining
Two restaurants and a lounge on the beach.
Venues as listed by the hotel and the MICHELIN Guide. Shown for information.
- 1 Pico Seasonal A fireplace, ocean views and a Saturday jazz brunch
- Coast Casual, all day Opened 2007 on the beach path
- The Living Room Cocktails and light plates Live music most nights
Recognition
Awards and listings.
- One MICHELIN Key 2026
- Forbes Travel Guide Four stars, 2026
Good to know
Before you go.
- Arrival Check-in from 4 pm, check-out by noon.
- Children Welcome at any age; under-18s stay free in existing beds. Cots and extra beds on request.
- Pets Accepted on request; a charge may apply.
Getting there
Flying to Los Angeles.
LAX is 18 to 28 minutes away by car, according to Forbes Travel Guide. Private jets mostly use Van Nuys in the San Fernando Valley, about 40 minutes to an hour away by our estimate; Santa Monica Airport's short runway keeps out larger jets.
- Las Vegas 50 min
- Aspen 1 h 55
- Los Cabos 2 h 20
- New York 5 h 30
- London 11 h 50 long-range jet
Questions
What guests ask first.
- Does Shutters on the Beach have a MICHELIN Key?
- Yes, one Key in the 2026 selection. Its sister hotel next door, Casa del Mar, also holds one.
- Is Shutters right on the beach?
- Yes. The hotel sits on the sand in Santa Monica, a short walk south of the pier.
- How far is Shutters from LAX?
- About 18 to 28 minutes by car, depending on traffic.
- Can SkyCourtage arrange the flight to Los Angeles?
- Yes. We arrange Business and First Class seats on scheduled airlines and private jet charter to Los Angeles, with one final price, our margin included. The hotel is booked with the hotel or through our booking partner.
Also in Los Angeles
Other hotels worth the trip.
- The Beverly Hills Hotel, Dorchester Collection A piece of old Hollywood, with three MICHELIN Keys and a Forbes Five-Star rating.
- Hotel Bel-Air, Dorchester Collection A secluded garden hideaway in Bel Air, the other Three-Key hotel in Los Angeles.
- The Maybourne Beverly Hills Spanish Colonial lines in Beverly Hills, and the only Two-Key hotel in the city rated Five-Star by Forbes.
- The Peninsula Beverly Hills Central Beverly Hills, with Two MICHELIN Keys and The Peninsula Spa.
- L'Ermitage Beverly Hills A Beverly Hills hotel with A-list amenities, Two Keys and a Forbes Four-Star rating.
- Beverly Wilshire, Beverly Hills (A Four Seasons Hotel) At the foot of Rodeo Drive since 1928, with Wolfgang Puck's CUT downstairs.
- Chateau Marmont The only hotel in West Hollywood with Two MICHELIN Keys.
- Casa del Mar On the sand in Santa Monica, a Forbes Four-Star with one MICHELIN Key.
- Regent Santa Monica Beach Modern rooms by the ocean and a Guerlain Wellness Spa.
- Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills On South Doheny Drive, with a fourth floor given over to wellness rooms and lobby flowers by Jeff Leatham.
- Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills Every room has a balcony, and the pool and the Gemma restaurant are up on the roof above Wilshire Boulevard.
- The Ritz-Carlton, Los Angeles Its rooms fill the upper floors of a Downtown tower at L.A. Live, and a seasonal bar opens on the 26th-floor sun deck.
- SLS Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Beverly Hills Philippe Starck designed it as his first luxury hotel in North America, where Beverly Hills meets West Hollywood.
Staying at Shutters on the Beach?
Book the room, then the flight.
Rates and availability come from the hotel itself. For the journey to Los Angeles, a Business or First Class seat or an aircraft of your own: tell us the date and we come back with one final price, our margin included.
Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.