Welcome to the Ambrose

The New Generation of Boutique Hoteliers

SANTA MONICA, Calif. - With youth comes a new vision. Barely thirty-something, the daughter of a hotelier, Deirdre Wallace is poised to make her mark on the boutique hotel world. Having grown up in a hotel industry family, Wallace has paid more than the cursory attention to details in the many hotels and resorts she has frequented on her travels.

In fact when Wallace first accompanied her father, Chairman of MOA Hospitality, Inc., on site inspections of his motel properties across the nation, she caught the bug. She had an innate sense of what could be improved and how to do it within budget. She recognized the personality of each hotel, its location and clientele, and made substantive improvements. Daughter Wallace feels "hotel people are a special breed of humans who commit their lives to the service of others whether at a Super 8 or a 4 Seasons." From this recognition came her inspiration for her life's work as a boutique hotelier.

She joined her father's company, MOA Hospitality Inc., in (1997) and became a troubleshooter and problem solver, working with builders, architects, and management. Throughout her tenure with MOA, she adopted a philosophy and made it her own. "I learned it is possible to provide great service at affordable prices - to create a warm and well-designed environment, accessible to both the mother of three from a small town with a modest budget or the corporate traveler on a hefty expense account. And I could do it without those ever-present maroon carpets, floral bedspreads and mismatched drapes! I knew there had to be a better way." Wallace has traveled Vietnam, Japan, Ecuador, Turkey and beyond in search of the motifs and guest amenities that will find their way into her properties.

With this impetus and grounding, Wallace has just opened her first property in Santa Monica, California. The Ambrose, the name itself evoking warmth and welcoming, opened on May 3, 2003. The 77-room boutique hotel is billed as a "uniquely crafted Santa Monica hotel" and will offer guests turn-of-the-century design with a prescient consciousness of comfort and well-being. Located near the world-renowned St. John's Heath Center, it is also adjacent to a hip business district of film production companies and computer graphics firms. The hotel will cater to an eclectic clientele with varying tastes. From the placement of Pilates mats and a ballet bar in The Rec Room (the hotel's fitness facility), to the inclusion of healthful elixirs in minibars, Wallace has put her touch on every aspect of the creation of The Ambrose, all in anticipation of responding to her guests' needs.

Currently Wallace is considering new projects in as far-reaching corners of the world as Vancouver, British Columbia; Wyoming and in the Mediterranean. Each property in the group will differentiate itself from other existing hotels in the market, with a personality defined by Wallace herself.

Upscale tranquility and refreshing affordability characterize The Ambrose, a uniquely crafted boutique hotel in residential Santa Monica, California. Fusing 20th century Craftsman style with a timeless Asian influence, this "non-hotel" hotel opens the door to harmonious comfort and guest well-being.

The Ambrose Hotel Group, was formed in 2000 as the umbrella company for multiple new hospitality concepts under development.