Hotel has great potential but needs an overhaul and new management. 400$ on Sunday night will not even get you free water in the room. They offer bottled water for 10$ a piece instead. No coffee in the room also. Very basic. Services are very limited and the building is getting repainted so the view from any room is depressing at best. Rooftop pool and bar service shot down over just some clouds. I would not recommend this place right now. If they get a decent manager and fix all shortcomings then maybe it’s a 4 star hotel worth visiting but if you are paying more then 200$ a night then it’s just not worth it.

We picked this hotel based on location and pictures. As they say all is not what it appears to be. We had garbage all over our patio and it took 3 days for them to clean. We only got our bed made and towels when asked for housekeeping. The bar closed at 8/9 every night we were there. The coffee was always out. The service, bell guys was the best but that’s it. No personality in the front desk people. I would never stay again for the price. We were over charged as well. Disappointing at best. Stay at Hotel California for sure! Don’t stay here.

Pre-pandemic, this was a favorite spot. After the pandemic, their fabulous restaurant, like so many places, faded. That I get--covid. It will continue to improve. The unforgivable change is they've removed their rooftop hot tub. Sure, you can say your pool is 80 degrees, but that still ends up being too cold without the option to go back and forth with a hot tub. Frankly, we mostly love the hot tub and just use the pool to cool down. We initially stayed in this hotel because we liked the restaurant. We returned--despite the property being so far from the ocean--because the hot tub made it resort-like. The last time we stayed we enjoyed walking downtown, but agreed we won't stay again without a hot tub. There are so many options with hot tubs and we can always opt to pop in to enjoy the restaurant, should it get back into its groove. Bring back the hot tub! Please!

This place is nice. The beds are comfortable but slightly high. The rooms were clean which is obviously a major plus. The rooftop area was my favorite part. The pool is actually heated. Bobby the front desk gentleman and both valet guys working on Sunday/Monday were very attentive. I requested late checkout and they were very understanding of the situation and approved it. Definitely staying here again. Walking distance from pretty much anything you might need like restaurants.

Benny Hill could not have written a better script. My stay at this hotel was a comedy of errors. Firstly, the staff insisted I have my luggage brought up to my room. I immediately noticed that the door to my room would not latch shut nor lock. A handy man was sent up. Once that was fixed I noticed that an hour has passed and I still didn’t have my luggage, so I went down to the front desk to see my luggage still on a cart. I insisted to bring it up myself but was assured that I needed to wait on it another five minutes for a bellboy to bring it up. Once that was sorted I wanted to take a shower. There was only a single knob, and the water was boiling hot. Again I called to the front desk and a handy man was sent up. The markings for hot and cold had been worn off, so there was no way anyone would know that a slight turn on was for cold and full blast was for hot. This is something that could have been explained over the phone instead of waiting on the handyman. I wanted to charge my cell phone, but the outlets on the nightstand didn’t work; I found an outlet behind the bed. The building is OLD so there’s no cell phone service inside, which might’ve been okay if the WiFi had been better. I ended up taking phone calls on the sidewalk. The heat pump had limited functionality where I could only set the temperature but not whether it was set to cool or heat. I ended up opening the windows, which proved difficult to close again in the morning. This time I didn’t bother to call the front desk. I cashed in a great many points to stay at this hotel, which now I completely regret. This is most certainly be the last time I will ever stay at this hotel.

I remember this place when it was great. What a let down it has been. When they mean 4pm check in; it’s a buzzer beater. Secondly, realizing they were severely understaffed, I offered to take my luggage up. They said the valet needs to because I checked it in. 30 minutes later after 2 phone calls, I got it. The furniture is “beat up from the street up.” And here’s the punchline… Over a thousand a night!

The front desk and bell staff weren't engaged. Desk staff let the coffee run empty long before cut-off on both mornings and grumbled when I asked. Given that Kimpton doesn't provide equipment in the rooms and room service wasn't an option, this miss in customer service was even more telling of the location's management than of the staff's attitude. Bell staff often didn't open the doors for guests. Service on the roof deck was friendly and good, but the lobby restaurant had mysterious hours so it took some effort to get dialed in. Our room was over-styled, as is the Kimpton way, but the paint, paper, and furnishings were showing signs of wear and neglect. Kimpton works well enough if you really need a place in downtown Santa Barbara.

Suites not as pictured on site, small and no balconies or patios. Water pressure is non existent and our windows overlook the parking structure. Misleading site. Small tiny suites. Update, the tv doesn’t work and the phone is unplugged and to connect to the front desk we have to call from our cell. Ridiculous. Because of our window overlooking the parking garage we were awaken at 6.30 with loud car noises and chatter. 6.30. Don’t come here to relax. Day two. Tomorrow is day three, let’s see if they move us as promised on day one. Update on day 3, grant at front desk totally made a 180 for the hotel and found us a beautiful suite to move into, very happy, only one night left but it’s coming together. Thank you Grant. Update again, our suite on our final night hadn’t been cleaned as promised so we had to clean it ourselves! Made the bed and cleaned the dishes and now we’re settled in. Wish us luck.

The front desk team an Angela especially were lovely. The entire hotel, the rooms and every furnishing inside looks like it was purchased from a garage sale 30 years ago. Other than clean sheets and towels, nothing about this hotel is in line with a four star and at the price they are charging. This is a 2 star hotel. Shame on Kimpton for advertising it as such, continuing to charge guests expecting a luxury property and not spending a dime to update their hotel when it should have been well over a decade ago. The wallpaper is peeling off, every piece of furniture scratched, dented and terribly outdated. You can take "Santa Barbara charm" only so far. This place is just a terribly run down property trying to advertise itself as a luxury property. Oh, and I hope you enjoy listening to everything on the street or happening in your neighboring rooms or in the hallway, the walls may as well not exist or windows for that matter.... How anyone is rating this place above 3 stars must have paid a $200 night rate. This is NOT an $800+ a night hotel. By far my most terribly disappointing hotel experiences ever.

Excellent happy hour (Sunday through Thursday from 4-6 pm). Excellent service with a smile. The drinks are $10 during happy hour. There is a good happy hour menu, I would suggest the Mac n' Cheese and the deviled eggs. Please try the Peaches and Burrata Cheese. Yum! We also had dinner reservations. The food is so good! The service was above and beyond.

Alright, but disappointing for a 4 star luxury hotel. Summary: dog friendly, comfy bed, but overpriced for the room quality & lacking in customer service. To start off, there was a system error so they assigned us the wrong room. We literally scanned the key card & opened the door into an occupied room, where a large dog ran towards us. Grant, the front desk employee, gave us a free upgrade, although he was noticeably more bubbly/friendly to other guests even though we expressed that we were understanding of the mistake. He continued to be cold towards us at happy hour as well, which was a stark contrast to the level of service that he provided to the people around us, & how the other employees treated us. It made us feel unwelcome & a little uncomfortable. Less Concerning Cons: - very thin walls, you can hear a lot of noise from the neighbors - window wouldn't close & was missing a handle - only hotel parking option was valet for $45 (or a public lot for $3/hr next door) - no pet relief areas despite being very pet friendly Pros: - no pet fee, room service provided dog bowls and a dog bed - manager-hosted happy hour was nice: @5-6pm you get a free glass of wine & a little snack - bed was very comfy: neither of us woke up with aches or pains - we liked the small details in the room: Nespresso machine, nicely scented soaps & lotions Overall we expected a little more (especially in customer service) for our stay. We'd love to give other Kimpton locations a try but we likely won't be returning to this one.

Our last stay.... was our last! The manager refused to turn off the blower in our room. It ran all night. He was rude and pompous. We celebrated our wedding night at the Canary in 2012! It was a hard decision but we won't be back!

Great central location in downtown Santa Barbara. The room was clean, spacious, and had a decent view of the happenings. The rooftop pool is small but there is a great view of the mountains. The sunrise and sunset are also beautiful from the roof. Close to a grocery store, CVS, and a dispensary. State street is around the corner. There are tons of restaurants and bars within a 5-10 minute walk. Paul is valet/bell, was great and provided fabulous recommendations. I gave 4 starts because the onsite menu was very limited. I didn’t try any food onsite. Some of the staff were okay not exemplary.

STAY AWAY (at least for now)... This place was recommended by local friends, partly because of it's outdoor rooftop pool/lounge area. We arrived to find a sad little piece of paper telling us the entire rooftop is closed, as well as the restaurant/bar. In addition, the renovation construction starts promptly at 8am in the morning and the smell of paint lies heavy in the air. 4-star hotels would close for a reno like this. In the very least, we should have been told at the time of booking that the majority of the amenities we were coming to enjoy were unavailable. Felt a lot like a bait-and-switch. Definitely a fail this time around. Hopefully it will be better in the future for other guests, but we won't risk it. PS: LOVE Santa Barbara - can't wait to come back to the area.

Our recent stay at this hotel was absolutely amazing. The beds were incredibly comfortable, with soft mattresses and sheets. The highlight of our stay was the heated rooftop pool, which offered a relaxing and enjoyable experience. Additionally, the hotel had a wide range of room amenities that enhanced our comfort and convenience. Overall, I highly recommend this hotel for an exceptional and unforgettable experience.

Average room, but small. No proper bathroom door (louvered double door, light permeable, not ideal in the night.) Good location, but overall very low value for the price, which was quite high the weekend we visited. No wastebasket in the room or bathroom. A broken glass in the elevator area (collateral damage from a wedding party the night before?) stayed there, glass shards strewn across the floor, all morning and into the afternoon. As others have noted, basic stuff (coffee) seemed hard to come by, bar closes early, etc. Would be ok for half the price. Not going back.

I recently travelled from Australia to Santa Barbara for a few nights, but unfortunately, my stay was marred by the fact that the entire hotel was under construction. The constant noise from the builders was unbearable, and despite my requests, the staff was unaccommodating when it came to changing rooms to get some rest. Even though I am an IHG Platinum Elite member, the staff did not make an effort to provide any alternative options. I do not recommend staying here until constructions are completed.

This hotel is not worth the money. After seeing the Californian and experiencing the Kimpton Canary it is no contest. The service is spotty, the breakfast staff were great but elsewhere not great. We couldn’t get room service one of our nights and were given a 100 dollar credit towards our food and drink the rest of the stay. Not really ideal when you are hungry and tired and paying 750 dollars for the night. The walls are VERY thin which can make sleeping difficult if you have a barking dog or loud neighbour. The beds are comfortable. I wouldn’t go back, it’s a rip off and honestly barely a 4 star experience.

The farm to table food at the restaurant in the hotel was marvelous. I would also recommend the wine hour which is at 5pm. I'm health oriented so I really appreciated the yoga mats they have in each room. Really makes me feel at home. And when you're ready to relax, try the Float Spa. I would compare this place in a lot of regards to Hotel Californian. You simply can't go wrong.

Our second time staying and we loved it! Kimpton is my preferred brand when we can afford it! Other than the style, it's pretty friendly and we bring our dog! The style resonates with me and is just right. Modern, chic, comfortable. It feels like a place I could live lol! We loved the pool, lounge area, lobby for wine hour, the coffee set up in mornings, and enjoyed our rich Thanksgiving Day special buffet. Looks like the restaurant offers daily economic drink and food specials. A hack is there is a city owned parking structure right next door to save some dough you can spend at the bar! Convenient to walk to State Street offerings and vicinity. Staff is friendly and professional. Can't wait to return!

The best part about this hotel is the location. It’s 1 block away from State Street, which is the main drag of shops and restaurants in the heart of Santa Barbara. Everything is walking distance, which is amazing!!! The rooms were spacious and comfortable. We reserved a King Studio Suite and had a wonderful stay. It’s updated but still has a historic vibe, good amount of character. The bed was super comfortable. My only small complaint is, due to this being an older building, the walls seem thin and we could hear conversations outside and in the hallway pretty loudly in the morning. Staff from valet to front desk made it all a great experience. Would definitely stay here again!

We wanted to take this opportunity to put on record my sincere appreciation to the Hotel and its entire staff, especially Paul McWilliams & Tristan Garfis for the excellent customer service, hospitality, and attention to our needs on our wedding day, on a continuous basis. We are very happy and delighted to be a repeat customer in this hotel for our special occasions.

We had an amazing stay at this property, the staff is super attentive, the location was great close to everything, they have bikes for guests. Forrest was incredibly attentive and detail oriented!

My stay was very irritating due to the fact the the air conditioning doesn’t work at all in my room. I called the front desk and they sent up the engineer who set the ac fan to high and told my husband that it was on now. There is no change in the room temperature. We had to open the windows around 3am because it was so stuffy. And of course it got loud from the street noise. Called the front desk, no one available to help until 7:15am. If you have stayed in a hotel in the last 4 years and are heat sensitive, you have probably noticed this new lock on your room’s air conditioning at hotels. I’m not interested in paying $450 a night to be smothered in a hot room and wake up with a headache.

The room and hotel were beautiful, the staff was gracious and helpful, and the location was perfect—so much to do in walking distance! The rooftop pool was also very cool. Highly recommend, we loved our stay!!

Being totally under construction with scaffold and workers right outside your door is the best part of this review it goes downhill from there My daughter had a wedding planned there for over four months and all of our rooms including the presidential suite were either changed or literally under construction on the patios We finally were given a room with a sleeper sofa ,when we unfolded the sofa there were rotten oranges, pills, dirty socks, and so many disgusting things in there our grandchildren left the room to sleep on the floor elsewhere. The entire place is understaffed under trained and management has not a clue what’s going on Do not stay at this motel, save your money!

As a wedding vendor, if you're a client looking for a venue - look no further! This place is SO beautiful and the staff is truly, amazing. Highly recommend!

Great place to come for some well deserved cocktails! Great location and the bartender was awesome! Highly recommend the restaurant and bar!

Very nice, hip hotel that's decorated to the Hilton for Christmas, so nice! Restraunt is great and the beds are super comfy. Would recommend again and again.

I just stopped in to see my sister and brother in law. It was a great visit. The place is beautiful. The rooms are lovely. The lobby is nice.

This is a review specifically of the help provided by Forrest at the hotel. After FOUR hours of attempting to purchase a welcome bottle of champagne, Forrest called and texted me to finally make it come to fruition. Previously, I called and spoke to the team and they asked me to call back later to speak to someone that knows how to do credit authorizations. I know that the summer is a tough time for the hotels and I called back. There was still no one able to help me. When someone was finally there, they said they would send it over, but it took another hour to receive it and then, what I ordered apparently isn't an option, even though it was on the menu that was sent to me. Forrest was a lifesaver and quickly helped me though. He helped get a handwritten note, bottle of champagne, and quickly got it to the room. He was so helpful. Thank you to him.

This boutique hotel is a must if you are staying in Santa Barbara. The manager of the hotel welcomed us at the valet. From that first contact we were pleased. Finch and Fork their restaurant is sensational & not to be missed if you are staying in the area or the hotel.

This is overpriced. The rooms are dated especially the shower. They will charge you 40.00 per night for valet plus a resort fee. Beautiful rooftop but not enough pool chairs. Giving an extra star because the staff is so nice.

Front desk staff friendly, location & building is great but a few points detracted from the stay: The rooftop is currently closed for maintenance & lobby restaurant supposedly closes next week too. Rooms are a little tired, towels are not great, in room fridge was noisy & toilet paper seems very one ply, a few maintenance details on the scratched furniture & easy upgrades would improve the experience massively - we also seemed to be locked out of our room by 10.30, had to have keys recut just to retrieve our bags….small details but would make for a more enjoyable stay.

Great rooms, friendly service and spacious layouts. That strip of state street is less luxurious as further down but good proximity to the nice part. Love the free coffee in the AM although it would also be nice to have an in room nespresso or something.

I booked two rooms here for a birthday getaway. Everyone in my party was pleased with the room product. The property is beautiful and centrally located to a lot such as shopping, dining, etc. There’s a lot of charm to the rooms with the Juliet balconies. This is definitely my favorite hotel in Sta. Barbara. Kaylyn, Bobby, and Grant at the desk were great.

I stayed here after getting married at the courthouse. It was beautiful! We rented the presidential suite which was amazing! We rented about 10 rooms and also the dining hall. The restaurant worked with me to hand pick my menus and they even labeled the menus with our names. We got a little loud playing music and dancing so the staff made sure to close the slider doors instead of making us stop. What a lovely hotel. And they’re pet friendly! At least they were when I stayed here. We will be back soon because it’s a great place walking distance to great shopping. Recommend