After checking out other 5 star+ hotels in the area we opted for Shutters for the ambience and low key style. The service was fabulous, from the curbside personnel to the maid service, everyone seemed professional, courteous and generally happy to be a part of this hotel!
We had an issue with street noise in our beautiful first room (yes, we were forewarned but thought that we could ignore it... not the case!) but the front desk staff, and even the bellman, were earnest in the attempts to move us to a room that would meet our needs. And what a room... the beds are truly heavenly, the jacuzzi in the bathroom fit two, and there is even a candle provided by the jacuzzi to set the mood.
Although we didn't watch it, there is a 42 inch flat screen in the bedroom and a 10 inch one in the bathroom (maybe to watch while you're in the jacuzzi?)
In the evening the lobby is filled with people enjoying the sounds of the piano player while sitting in front of the fireplaces.
The location is right on the beach. While we were waiting for our room to be ready we watched a fashion shoot on the beach right in front of the hotel!
All in all we can highly recommend it, and we would definitely return (next time I would try the spa!!)

If you want to stay in Santa Monica, everything else is a compromise. The place is obviously expensive but the service, food and rooms are awesome. The pool and gym are really only just adequate but you're right on one of the nicest beaches you can imagine which itself has plenty facilities. We stayed for five days and loved it.

tonight at the Shutter's i learned, from the trained barkeeper, that a full bottle of wine equals 4 glasses of 0,125 l.

a bottle of wine, last i checked, is 0,750 l = 6 glasses. IF the glasses poured at the Shutters were to be 0.175 i would almost agree, but what you get, is a 0,130 max.

So i decided to buy a bottle of wine.

Half way through it, I asked for another glass from my bottle. as I already had 2 glasses + a refill. The waitress said, she did not know, which was my bottle, and anyway, it did not matter, if I got a glass from my own bottle, as a bottle equals 4 glasses!

Not thinking about the consequences, I was very foolhardy and started to argue with her, insisting she would either pour wine from my bottle, or tell me her name and get the manager. The manager came alright (no names though) and we left the bar and went outside to talk. In his opinion, not the matter of me being obviously cheated, but only my, at that time pretty upset, attitude was important, although my attitude was caused by a cheating /ignorant employe.

I was trying very hard to be friendly and after several attempts to get back to the point, that in fact I was being cheated by his employe, i lost my head and told him to go .... himself, which made him kick me out :-) very interesting way of handling complaints. I was not alone at the bar. A good friend of mine was with me and neither him nor I caused any noisy trouble or were being rude to other guests. None of us were drunk.

This review does not mean any harm to the hotel, which I, until this very day, have found a great spot to hang out on afternoons in Santa Monica. It points out, that no hotel is better than it's employes. I hope for the future, that this will not happen again :-)

Location was amazing, the views and the sunsets were amazing. Service was not consistent in the rooms. All other areas of the hotel, service was attentive and good. I would return.