Highly anticipated Regent Santa Monica Beach will open Oct. 1

One of the most anticipated hotels in the U.S. will open its doors at the beginning of October.

Regent Santa Monica Beach officially opens for business Oct. 1, the hotel's general manager, Younes Atallah, confirmed Wednesday during a press conference at the International Luxury Travel Market North America conference in the Bahamas. The hotel marks a return of the Regent brand to the U.S., and it's the first time it will operate a hotel stateside following IHG's takeover of the brand in 2018. The ultraluxury brand has wowed Regent fans and newcomers alike under IHG's tutelage with openings of hotels in Vietnam, the French Riviera and Hong Kong.

Travelers planning a trip to Regent Santa Monica Beach can book their future stay at the hotel's booking page. Guests can also book a stay via the IHG One Rewards app. Rates start at $1,184 or 166,000 IHG One Rewards points for opening night next week, according to the Regent Santa Monica Beach website.

Regent Santa Monica Beach is offering future guests a 24% discount on reservations booked through the end of this year. Guests will also receive a $240 credit to use at any of the resort's restaurants and bars, at Guerlain Spa or toward resort fees and parking.

The package requires a nonrefundable deposit of one night's stay. While the reservation must be made by the end of this year, the booking can be for stays through May 31, 2025.

Regent Santa Monica Beach will wow

The Santa Monica, California, property is slated to feature a restaurant from celebrity chef Michael Mina, a 10,000-square-foot Guerlain Spa, an oceanfront pool deck and beach butler service. Following a more than $150 million gut renovation to what was formerly a Loews hotel, Regent Santa Monica Beach is expected to be Regent's flagship in the Americas region.

The vibe is California chic: A palm-lined lobby with white furnishings and marble floors practically begs to be the backdrop of a Nancy Meyers movie (should the director ever decide to come out of retirement and get back into the business of filming fabulous aspirational architectural backdrops).

Spacious is an understatement regarding Regent Santa Monica Beach's 143 guest rooms and 24 suites. The entry-level room category, dubbed 720 for its spacious starter square footage, comes in seven different configurations and can range from 720 to 895 square feet. Options include pool, city and ocean views, as well as rooms with balconies or private patios with fire pits.

Regent Santa Monica Beach's one-bedroom suites come in five different configurations and range from 950 to 1,400 square feet. Options include pool, city or ocean views, plus corner suite options like the Malibu Oceanfront Corner One-Bedroom Suite King.

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The ultimate splurge will be Regent's Signature Suites, which come in six configurations ranging from 1,200 to 3,200 square feet. These include the Poolside Townhouse, the Oceanfront Corner Terrace Suite, the Pacifica Oceanfront Suite, the Oceanfront Two-Story Atrium Suite, the Malibu Sunset Suite and the Santa Monica Presidential Suite — which includes four Juliet balconies and a game room.

IHG's hidden ultraluxury gem

The upcoming opening of Regent Santa Monica Beach is a major milestone for IHG — and there's a lot riding on the brand getting it right.

IHG acquired Six Senses and Regent to fill a void in the ultraluxury space above InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, which had been IHG's most luxurious brand prior to the dual acquisitions.

Six Senses still doesn't have a hotel open in the U.S., so Regent Santa Monica Beach will be the debut of one of the new ultraluxury tools in IHG's toolkit to woo American travelers. Regent Phu Quoc, Regent Hong Kong and Carlton Cannes, a Regent Hotel have wowed guests with their respective openings in the past couple of years.

Regent's standards — like "personal havens" (luxurious rooms and suites that are as much attractions as the hotel's surroundings) and "with compliments" (giveaways like complimentary minibar offerings or free laundry and pressing services) — have made the brand IHG's viable competitor to bigger ultraluxury hotel offerings like Four Seasons and St. Regis.

Regent's interactive Taste Studio has a following of travelers booking stays just to enjoy the one-of-a-kind dining experience at Regent hotels worldwide. Think of it like the Regent culinary version of Aman's legion of followers, known in the travel orbit as "Aman junkies."

Regent will face a hefty mix of ultraluxury competition in Southern California, but it arrives on the shores of Santa Monica with unique offerings and a prime location overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

That combination should elevate the brand's U.S. homecoming and the hospitality game in Greater Los Angeles.

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