Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows

John Percival Jones was a Nevada-based mining magnate and U.S. senator who, along with Colonel Robert Baker, co-founded the city of Santa Monica in 1875. Jones acquired the four-acre parcel at what is now Wilshire and Ocean as his private estate and built a substantial mansion on the property. The estate was a notable Santa Monica landmark during the city's first decades — substantial enough to entertain national political figures and prominent enough to define the early character of Wilshire Boulevard's coastal end.

The Jones mansion was destroyed by fire in the early 20th century. The property's owners subsequently converted it to hotel use, opening the original Miramar Hotel in 1921 — the same year that would launch the property's century-long hotel history. The 1921 hotel was developed during Santa Monica's transition from coastal town to tourist destination, and the timing put the new hotel at the leading edge of the city's evolving identity.

The famous Moreton Bay fig tree at the entrance dates to the Jones estate era — planted in the 1880s and now well over 140 years old. The tree is enormous, with the characteristic massive buttress roots and spreading canopy of mature Moreton Bay figs, and has become the property's most distinctive visual feature. The tree has been designated a Santa Monica landmark and is the photographic focus of innumerable hotel arrivals.

The Miramar's guest book across a century reads like a who's-who of 20th-century Hollywood and politics. Greta Garbo lived at the hotel periodically during her Hollywood career. Humphrey Bogart was a regular. Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and other silent-era stars used the hotel as Santa Monica base. The hotel's mid-century era brought Marilyn Monroe (who occasionally stayed in the bungalows), Marlon Brando, James Dean, Audrey Hepburn, and others.

The political guests include Charles Lindbergh (who stayed at the Miramar during his Southern California visits), several U.S. presidents (including John F. Kennedy, who used the bungalows for private West Coast meetings), and innumerable diplomats and political figures whose Santa Monica visits required the combination of privacy, security, and prestige that the Miramar could provide. Some of these guest histories are documented through photographs and memorabilia displayed in the hotel; others are recorded only in staff memory and Hollywood biographies.

The bungalows specifically have been the celebrity-favored accommodation because of their privacy. The bungalows are detached structures with their own entrances, gardens, and complete separation from the main hotel traffic; celebrities and political figures who wanted to avoid being seen could stay in the bungalows essentially in private. The tradition of celebrity bungalow use continues in the contemporary era, though contemporary privacy expectations and paparazzi pressures have made the bungalow option even more valuable than in earlier decades.

The current Fairmont Miramar property has been operated by the Fairmont brand since 1998 (it was previously the Santa Monica Beach Hotel under various other operators). Fairmont has invested substantially in renovation and maintenance of the historic main building, the tower addition, and the bungalow collection while preserving the property's heritage character. The hotel has approximately 297 rooms total across the various accommodation types.

The bungalows are the property's distinctive accommodation. There are 32 individual bungalows scattered across the gardens, each a substantial individual structure with its own entrance, private patio or garden area, and substantial interior space. Bungalow categories range from one-bedroom to multi-bedroom suites with full living spaces. Pricing typically runs from $1,500 per night for the smaller bungalows to $5,000+ for the largest, premium-positioned bungalows. The privacy and the residential feel justify the premium for guests who value those attributes.

Standard hotel rooms in the main building and tower offer more conventional luxury accommodations with prices typically $500-1,200 per night depending on season and view. The hotel's amenities include a substantial pool area, the spa, fitness facilities, and several food-and-beverage outlets including the FIG restaurant (named for the Moreton Bay fig tree) and the bar program. The location — at Wilshire and Ocean, two blocks from the Third Street Promenade and a 10-minute walk from the pier — places the Fairmont at the center of Santa Monica's tourist district.