The Best New Hotel Bars & Restaurants in the World: 2020 Hot List

Why did this hotel catch your attention? The effortlessly chic lobby lounge sets the stage for a warm welcome, (or, TBH, an impromptu Instagram shoot), with its laid back beachy aesthetic (indoor palm trees included) and a sandy, neutral color palette courtesy of famed Angeleno interior designer Kelly Wearstler.

What's the backstory? Former Viceroy Hotel Group founders Brad Korzen, Brian De Lowe, and Alex Samek have been on a tear recently, expanding the lifestyle-driven boutique hotel brand Proper to San Francisco, Austin, and Santa Monica, with an outpost in Downtown Los Angeles expected to open across from the Hoxton this summer, and a property in Portland coming down the pike in 2021. Their Santa Monica hotel is just blocks from the beach, and couldn’t possibly be any more California cool.

Tell us all about the accommodations. Any tips on what to book? Wearstler's signature flair for mixing and matching wallpapers, textures, and eclectic pieces from around the globe is apparent in both wings of the hotel—old and new—which each have their own distinct but equally beautiful style. Beds are a dream to sleep on, and the oversize tubs make the space totally staycation-worthy.

Is there a charge for Wi-Fi? No charge, the perfect place to work

Drinking and dining—what are we looking at? After you’ve had your sundowners on the rooftop, there’s thankfully no need to cross the 405 for serious dining. The hotel’s restaurant Onda, a collaboration between Jessica Koslow (of L.A.’s iconic breakfast spot Sqirl) and Gabriela Camara (of Mexico City’s Contramar and San Francisco’s Cala) embodies LA’s Cali-meets-Mexico ethos. The menu is expansive and quite creative, but you don’t want to miss their signature dish, an “inside out” turkey quesadilla, done with al pastor flavors and the burnt herb hoja santa. Don't skip on their breakfast offerings either, where Koslow's cooking really shines.

And the service? Service is smooth and efficient without feeling overwrought.

What type of travelers will you find here? The bohemian jetset of Ibiza goes West.

Does the hotel fit into the neighborhood? The property couldn't possibly be more SoCal, with locals taking meetings in the lobby and first dates up on the rooftop to prove it.

Is there anything you'd change? Only wish is that I lived on the Westside. #goals

Any other hotel features worth noting? Though the 3,000-square-foot on-site Surya Ayurvedic spa isn’t set to open til later in 2020, you can still get a treatment from Martha Soffer—a doctor, chef, and herbalist frequented by the likes of Matt Damon and Gwyneth Paltrow — at her home. Think four-handed therapeutic massages, steam and oil treatments, cooking, yoga, and meditation, all centered around the ancient Indian form of healing.

Bottom line: Worth it? Why? Absolutely.