When I walked into the new Olivia Hotel for their open house celebration on June 26th , I was welcomed by the fashionable décor, inviting dining area, and comfortable courtyard. This was no longer the modest Travel Lodge that clung to the corner of Overland and Santa Monica for so long. This hotel, according to its website, aspires to be a “sanctuary of curated simplicity”.
Jay Jacoby, a fellow WSSM board member, and Terri Tippit, chair of the Westside
Neighborhood Council, joined me as a small group was given a guided tour of one of the rooms on the ground floor.
The Olivia has 55 rooms to choose from, outfitted with King or Queen beds, complete with a
host of amenities including bathrobes, refrigerators, coffee makers, and free Wi-Fi; this room is
one of their smaller options. You can book a deluxe double room for you and your pet (max 2)
weighing no more than 40 pounds), and they also have a limited number of accessibility
guest rooms.
The room rates average $200-300/night, including a complimentary breakfast. The
hotel has a fitness facility (which we didn’t see), and will be hosting evening social hours for
guests.
The guest room we visited had an easel in the corner tacked up with small “Olivia” envelopes.
The guests were invited to pick an envelope. My envelope granted me a free beverage (to
redeem at their café), where I was told has really good coffee, among other delights. Terri was
gifted with a card offering 25% off the regular room rate, after which Jay proudly displayed his
50% off gift card.
After our room tour, we strolled over to a long table, hoping to snag some appetizers until we
realized what we were looking at was not food. The table was elegantly laid out with all one
needed to create a decorative planter. We scooped soil, arranged pebbles and moss around an
adorable succulent, complete with the hotel’s name on the container. If they can make dirt look
this attractive, it was clear that everything was going to have a sense of style.
Taking a seat in one of the courtyard’s plush sitting areas, Jay, Terri and I were offered upscale
complimentary appetizers along with drinks. We enjoyed the serenity of the courtyard, which
no longer held a pool but instead is outfitted with a fire pit.
There was also a nicely appointed cupcake table, which took great effort on my part not to
indulge.
I had walked past the hotel’s construction site for years, wondering if and when it would ever
be completed. The hotel was acquired in 2018, but delayed due to the covid pandemic and the
multiple regulatory inspections required of a hotel with a kitchen.
The new Olivia Hotel is place to consider for your out-of-town guests or perhaps a stay-cation.
If the quality of food and the ambience at the open house is any indication of the quality of the
café, it’s definitely worth checking out. It’s open to the public from 7am to 1pm Monday
through Friday; I’ll be there soon to sample their breakfast fare and use my free beverage gift
card.
Olivia Hotel
10740 Santa Monica Blvd
Los Angeles, CA