The Ambrose, Santa Monica

While staying at this hotel, I was checked out of my room mid-stay by a staff member even though my reservation was for a week. Apparently I was confused with another guest. My key stopped working at this time, money was withdrawn from my checking accout twice without my approval which caused over draft fees. After visiting the front desk to work thois all out, I was then mistakenly charged another fee to re-check myself back into the hotel even though I never left. The mangager was very rude over the phone and again charged my card without my approval minus one discounted night for all my trouble. After trying to reach the owner, get in touch with her, etc. my calls were never returned. On top of this, I was not impressed with the hotel at all. I don't reccomend staying here unless you are up for terrible customer service and an extremely pretentious staff....

The Ambrose is a nicely designed boutique hotel. The location is right in the middle of Santa Monica, which is a double-edged sword. It is close to a number of businesses and a short drive from the beach. However, it is right between Wilshire and Santa Monica Boulevard, so it can be a bit noisy. I was woken up a few times by sirens going down one or the other of those main arteries. The breakfast was a notch above standard, with fresh baked croissants and other good bakery items. The service was professional and unobtrusive. There are a number of decent restaurants within walking distance.

Boutique hotel? You bet. It looks good, smells good, and feels good. This hotel has good intentions, but totally misses on service, attitude and other basics. Understaffed: There are No bell-hops, anywhere. You'll be lugging your own luggage. No tech's or clean up staff on duty when we needed help. Internet: They indicate it's free, which is a lovely service. Alas, good luck getting a signal if you're on the 1st floor, and week signal if you're on any other floor—we tried. We were brought a 2 foot cord, not told where to plug it in; it was thrown on the bed—we were told, "oy, yeah, this won't reach very far." No Sh&$ Entertainment: With rented videos in hand—they don't have any to rent at the hotel—we tried in vain to get the dvd player to work. Even called the front desk twice. They sent a smug manager who could not fix it, nor could they replace it. Instead, we were offered another room, only to be told an hour later, there were no other rooms. They do have showtime— which is nice and free. But who knew—they don't tell you. Heck, if you've got some'n good, shout about it. We asked the night clerk if they would spot us a "movie," and remove it from our bill for the inconvenience. We were told, "I can ask, but I can't confirm that it's ok." At any other "boutique hotel," the manager would have called our room, apologized and offered it—pronto. Not here. Bed sheets: Sand Paper—bring your own. Bathroom amemities: Very nice. Aveda Car service: What a concept. They'll drop you off and pick you—but that presupposes you're within 3-5 miles, and, if the hotel is busy, it's an hour wait. So, if it's past 10pm, expect to call a cab. We did. Room Fridge: A Joke. Bring your own food. Lost and found: Impressive. We left a pillow behind. They called us and held it. Nice. Hotel Service: Here's the kicker. When we first checked in, we could not get into the room. We went downstairs three times to get the electronic key to work. When it did finally work, guess what? We were in someone eles's room. Yep, replete with their shoes, undies, computer, jewelry, the works. I've never seen this happen, in my life. We called the operator, and ten minutes later, someone arrived to take us to another room. We got a mild, "sorry." Does this happen all the time? Who's been in my room? Right... Honestly, I think this hotel is run by latch-key kids; I've yet to see anyone over the age of 22 in management. Where are the adults. What if something really bad happened—like an earthquake, which, amazingly, occured during our stay. God forbid, a fire. Evacuation. Scarey. Overall, this is a visually appealing hotel. The concept is there—but WHOAH—they need to rethink their CS at $230-$250 a night. Conclusion: Hire adults. Apologize. Make it right. Use local comp coupons. Throw in a movie. Go out of your way. None of that happening here. My opinions only!

A unique hotel with great decor. The beds were suuuuper comfortable with soft pillows and nice comforters. It's small and intimate. The continental breakfast was delicious. There were fresh cut strawberries from a local organic grower, starbuck's coffee and teas, pastries, croissants and healthy cereal. The staff was friendly and helpful. They always said "hello" when we passed by the front desk. It's an oasis in a busy little town. The location is a bit far from the beach (approx. 35mn. walk) but it was much quieter there then being close to the beach. I stayed at the Georgian Hotel last year and while the location was right on the beach it was nosier (street and street people screaming and yelling). Nothing but good things to say about this hotel. I will definitely stay there again.

Our visit to the Ambrose exceeded our expectations. Can't wait to go back!! The staff was very courteous and friendly. What a great place to stay and relax. The premiere studio was the room we booked and it was fantastic and most comfortable. Awesome fireplace out on the terrace. The breakfast was superb and always so fresh.. It was worth taking a picture of.. Wendy and Tony Boca Raton Fl. 07- 28-06

The staff is a bit standoffish at the front desk, the top notch house keeping make up for the front desk. The layuot, linens, furniture and bedding made me feel at home. I slept like a baby. You can not find a better value in this area, I have tried them all, this is my home on the west coast.

The Hotel was nicely done. But the rooms are small and the walls are paper thin. We asked to be moved 2 times as we could here everything that was said or done in the next rooms. No privacy.We would expect more for the price paid.Bathroom unfinished when sitting in tub all the raw wood is exposed under the sink. Supposed to be a non smoking hotel but someone had smoked in 1st room we got to. For $165 a night I will look some where else.

After really looking forward to staying at this socially progressive, beautiful, Asian inspired hotel my wife and I had the strangest encounter we have ever experienced... We were actually yelled at and cut-off from speaking by the night manager at the front desk when we arrived to check in. It began when we (very politely) pointed out that we had reserved a room with a King Size bed (rather than two Queens).Suddenly he got very upset and visibly angry... he immediately started yelling at us that he did not have any other rooms... even when we tried to calm the situation and tell him that we were fine with the room and that we didn't understand why he was yelling at us... he just cut us off and started becoming even more agressive!! It was so alarming and bizarre that we simply did not know how to react! Here we are - checking in to a beautiful zen-like hotel... to enjoy a nice weekend with our closest freinds - and suddenly we are being yelled at by the person who is supposed to be welcoming us!! And this is the manager!!! He could not have cared less about offending us so dramatically... and told us so!! He must have been having a really bad day... but we are certainly the ones that paid for it! We have never had an experience like this in our lives... we are a married, professional, 40+, buddhist, caring couple... but after this encounter we simply could not in good conscience give the hotel our money and in the end... with much regret, had to forego our stay. All I can say is be careful!!

The service at this hotel was the worst I have experienced, perhaps ever! I was extremely disappointed with this hotel. When we arrived at the Ambrose the man working at the front desk refused to honor the rate we had been quoted for our reservation. When we said that we wanted to cancel the reservation due to the fact that the rate was nearly $30/night more than we had planned on spending he said our credit card (which we gave when we made the reservation to hold the room) would be charged because it would be considered a "no show". When we repeatedly asked to speak to a manager he said there was no one available to help us and that he had no authority to over ride the computer to keep our card from being charged. This left us to dispute the charge with our credit card company. I thought this would be a great place to stay, and instead we walked! A terrible experience.

I really liked this hotel, but found the staff very cold. They acted like it was a bother to answer any of my questions and never offered to help me with my bags or with directions. On the upside, I found the housekeeping staff very friendly. I would give this place another chance because of the good central location, how clean it is, and the free parking.