Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows
Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows is a historic five‑star hotel near Santa Monica Beach, California, close to the Santa Monica Pier. The site began as the Miramar estate, built in 1889 by John P. Jones. It became a hotel in 1921 after Gilbert Stevenson bought and converted the property. A six‑story wing was added in 1924 for longer stays.
Celebrities helped make it famous: Greta Garbo lived there for more than four years, and Jean Harlow and Betty Grable were among the guests. In the 1930s, 32 poolside bungalows were built, separate from the main hotel. The original 1889 wing was demolished in 1939, and the Ocean Tower (10 floors) was added in 1959.
Ownership and management changed several times. Fujita bought the hotel in 1973, and Sheraton managed it from 1978, later renaming it Miramar‑Sheraton. In 1999, Maritz, Wolff & Co. sold it to MSD Capital, which brought in Fairmont to operate the hotel as the Fairmont Miramar. The historic bungalows were renovated in 2002–2003.
Today the property has 302 rooms (including 32 suites), 32 bungalows, 2 restaurants, and 10 floors.
Redevelopment plans are underway. A major rebuild was proposed in the early 2010s, with a 21‑story tower discussed in 2013. After years of negotiations, a smaller replacement plan designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects was unveiled in 2018, with a maximum height of 130 feet. The California Coastal Commission approved the redevelopment in March 2022, and the project still needs approvals from Santa Monica’s Landmarks Commission and Architectural Review Board; construction is expected to take about 33 months.
In August 2023, workers at the Fairmont Miramar and other LA‑area hotels went on strike, and Inter Miami CF canceled a planned MLS match against LAFC in solidarity.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 18:58 (CET).