With the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games on the horizon, Santa Monica is a major player in the Southern California tourism renaissance. Part of it includes the opening or reinventing of hotels designed to be as much of a destination as the places where they are located. Fortunately, there are many travelers seeking an immersive but approachable hotel with a local vibe. This is where FOUND Santa Monica, opened in November 2025, comes in.

While FOUND Santa Monica is an inaugural property of new brand Series by Marriott, it shares several attributes with the more established boutique hotels of the area. The vibrant color scheme in the public areas is reminiscent of murals found in Santa Monica and nearby Venice Boardwalk.

© FOUND Hotel Santa Monica

There is also inviting mid-century furniture; beachy artwork and photography; and special touches such a full-sized pool table, artfully placed surfboards and a 24/7 front desk. Its 88 rooms are rendered in different configurations. Simple interior design here emphasizes ease and practicality for those planning to spend a good portion of their stay exploring beyond the hotel.

© FOUND Hotel Santa Monica

The hotel’s architects and designers successfully created the perfect balance of nostalgia and modernity through clever transformation of a former 1970s senior living facility. The building’s new entry point is emblazoned with fresh marquee signage and exteriors thoroughly updated with metal panels at upper stories, new windows, a ground-level façade utilizing glazed bricks, a new storefront, and seismic upgrades providing an extra dimension of safety. Parking is available for an extra fee.

© FOUND Hotel Santa Monica

Cliffdiver, with locations around Los Angeles, has the street cred that makes it ideal as both the hotel’s anchor restaurant and a neighborhood hangout. The menu is built around fresh ingredients and authentic presentation of coastal-inspired Mexican food devised by Executive Chef Tim Cardenas and his team. Like the rooms and hotel’s public spaces, it features a separate dining room, bar area and breezy patio seating allowing guests to enjoy full meals, cocktails, zero-proof drinks and snacks on their terms and schedules.

Signature dishes include lobster tacos, surf and turf burrito, poke tostadas, shrimp ceviche, and chicken Al Pastor tacos. The former is a win for people who don’t eat pork but want to sample a Mexican coastal resort classic, and vegetarians will find similar surprises on the menu. Cocktails incorporate a variety of tequilas and other Mexican spirits, and there is a curated selection of local beers that pair beautifully with the seafood options.

Offshore, meanwhile, is as chill a space as Cliffdiver is festive. Its layout and décor bring a touch of calm to the hotel’s overall equation. It is intentionally designed as a space welcoming locals and hotel guests, and shines when one factors in the staff’s easygoing hospitality and a menu of dishes and drinks reflecting a philosophy incorporating seasonal, locally sourced ingredients and playful flavor profiles that keep comfort food classics like burgers, lobster rolls and lighter fare interesting. The bartenders take pride in stirring up classics, such as the Buffalo Trace old fashioned, spicy margarita, paloma, prickly pear mojito and espresso martini, that are bold.

© FOUND Hotel Santa Monica

Along with sister hotel FOUND Miami Beach, FOUND Santa Monica is setting a standard for hotels catering to the “live like a local” mindset through the repurposing and transformation of older residential structures to achieve unfussy lodging that’s highly specific to the location. Its early success is setting the tone for soon-to-open locations in Santa Barbara, Chicago, San Francisco and San Diego. The brand is also part of the Marriott Hotel Family.

FOUND Hotel Santa Monica

12311 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90025
tel 213 952 7869