Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort

My most recent stay at the Hilton Santa Barbara was by far the worst HIlton stay I have ever encountered -- for any Hilton property at any class, including two and three star lodgings. Here is an overview: 1) After checking in, which went fairly smoothly, upon arrival in the room, it was clear the room was in poor shape. The bathroom was unclean, the tub surface was pitted and uneven, preventing a full cleaning, and there had been some kind of leak above the bathroom whereas the paint had bubbled, then burst, and had sagging paint on the ceiling and walls 2) The carpet was badly stained 3) The vending machines and ice machines were broken on all floors of the building, requiring walking to another building, whose services were also broken, needing to go to a third. None of the vending machines took electronic payment. 4) When trying to leave the first day, to go to dinner, the key card did not allow the gate to open to drive away from the parking lot. Nobody was in the guard gate, and nobody answered the intercom three times. Finally someone answered the intercom on the fourth try, and curtly said OK, then hung up and a further minute had to transpire before the gate opened. Importantly, the gate was a solid 5 minute walk from the lobby, so there was no option to get out of the car and go to the lobby while waiting (this whole ordeal caused at least four cars to backup waiting to leave, one of which was an employee, who came up to the gate and said, "typical". 5) Upon returning to the hotel the key card didn't open the gate, requiring me to take a ticket to get in. After parking I went to the lobby first and explained the situation. They scanned the key card and said that parking wasn't coded, and re-coded the key cards. 6) When checking out and driving away the key card worked. However after receiving my bill via email, I noticed that parking had been charged TWICE. I had to call Hilton again, and spend 20 minutes on the phone to get a refund of the double charge processed (which is still in process). Needless to say, this is not what I expect from a Hilton property, much less a 4-star Hilton property which does not have a room that costs less than in the $200-dollar range per night, with many costing 2x or 3x that rate.

The resort is beautiful with a great location on the waterfront. We walked to the Stearn's Wharf and up State St. The funk zone is nearby as well.

A minor detail, but there was a small spot of wallpaper peeling in the room. I expect these little details to be taken care of at a resort that costs this much.

Location

Food was expensive and mediocre. Order fish and chips from room service, no ketchup included. There were a couple of bugs in the room. Pool was dirty. Pool towels were taken to room and picked up by housekeeper but we were charged for not returning them. Had to go to reception to remove the charge.

We only spent one night at the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront property, but wish we would’ve had more time here. The location is great for beach access and walkable areas. And the property, while older, has been renovated and our room was beautiful. But the best part of this property is the incredibly friendly and accommodating staff! From the moment we pulled up the valet staff were welcoming, Alexx at the front desk made check-in a breeze, Ty at The Set is a skilled and knowledgeable bartender who has a passion for the craft, Gaby at The Roundhouse was so friendly and offered delightful breakfast service, and Krystin (?) at the front desk helped with some extra requests. Lastly Sophia in Guest Services went above and beyond when there was a hot water issue in our building. Despite that issue, the friendliness of the staff by far made up for it with their impressive hospitality.

Quite OUTDATED

Need to renovate frefresh the building

It was absolutely beautiful!!!!!

Nothing!!!

TripAdvisor needs to improve their reviews and recommendation. First, the good news. The location is great: (1) beachfront hotel close to downtown Santa Barbara, (2) the rooms are spacious and comfortable, and (3) the pool is nice. Given the location, this could be a fabulous resort. However, it looks like the owners are more interested in squeezing guests for every dime. The breakfast buffet is horrible. At $33/person for the buffet, they should provide a first class meal. Instead, the French toast was soggy, the oatmeal cold, little fresh fruit, tasteless eggs (powdered?). It was similar to a breakfast one would get at a Hilton Garden Inn. We rented bikes for an hour. The good news was the first two hours were free. But the bike tires were not inflated and the bikes were in horrible condition. The entire staff needs to be trained. There was one person at check-in, even though there were 7 people in line. We had to go the front desk for bottled water - why couldn’t they couldn’t place water in the room. Better yet, why not have filtered water stations throughout the hotel so we could refill our water bottles. Oh yeah, there was one water station at the gym and a water fountain at the pool—-how quaint. The cleaning staff forgot to give us TP and did not refill the shampoo and cream rinse containers. None of the ice machines worked on any floor or any building. We asked for ice from the front desk three times…we didn’t receive the ice promised. It’s clear that the staff do not care about the guests. And to top it off, the hotel charges $45/day for self parking. Given the exorbitant cost of the room, why not include parking in the room rate. We recommend you pass on staying here; there are better options in Santa Barbara and Montecito.

Delicioso

Todo estubo muy bien

The room was outdated. It looked like mold was painted over the bathroom ceiling. The food sucked. The bartender didnt know how to make simple drinks. For the price, this place was really disappointing. The “resort fee” was a joke. Look at the website when you book. It tries to back up the resort fee by saying they provide you free wifi and 2 complimentary bottles of water. (6$ value) yes it literally says that. Im pretty sure motel 6 even offers that. They’re not even good water. They have evian water in the rooms for sale and the free ones they give out are from costco. What a joke. Dont even bother coming. Go find a different hotel. The staff was friendly though and very professional.

I am not certain I can stomach staying at another Hilton ever again after this stay. If you are looking for a quiet place to stay with almost no staff (a ghost town) to run a very large resort. This may be the place for you. Check-in: The credit card machine was down for the last TWENTY FOUR HOURS. The app to circumvent using the front desk was malfunctioning, and online customer service was unable to help further. The check-in agent, David, was unapologetic and irritated at ME for my frustration with the lack of a solution. No, they could not fill out an auth form. No, they would not call the credit card for a manual authorization. Having been a hotel manager for a 5,000-room resort, I’m aware of multiple solutions. Finally, 2 hours later, they offered to let me fill out a credit card with a form. Absurd. Upon arriving, we drove to valet. While I attempted to check in, my husband sat out for 20 min with not a single valet attendant or bell person asking if we needed assistance. I am assuming this is because the only attendant I saw must have been watching something riveting on his phone. Throughout the 2-hour, yes-2-hour check-in process, I would often see this man bent over a desk or a railing, eyes glued to his phone. During the check-in time, we saw the same bell cart of luggage filled and just sitting out with no one to watch it. With the scarce staff, it would be all too easy to steal from it. Given we had over $2000 in wine, we were hesitant to let the bellman help us with our luggage. (I will say when we found a bellman who was kind, attentive, and not on his phone, he was wonderful, and we made sure our tip expressed our appreciation.) Valet damaged my newly wrapped vehicle. We paid for valet, but ended up self-parking after seeing that. They clearly opened the trunk and hit a pole or the charging station. Our room: mold in the shower, oil with dead insects running down the door, toilet seat rattling and coming off, the shower handle actually came off when you turned the handle to increase water temperature. The outdoor patio with the fire pit was very unkempt, tiny pebbles everywhere, making it impossible to walk out on the patio barefoot. Large cigarette burns all over the chaise lounge, and a nonworking fire pit. Wi-Fi never worked and cell reception in our room was minimal. TV shows options for using streaming services, but when you try, a message comes up about their contract ending with a service provider. Oh god!!! The sheets and towels were the far worst, stiff and scratchy to the point it affected my sleep quality throughout the night. My face was red after drying it with a towel. The outdoor fire pit didn’t work. Called front desk. Engineering never came. No pool service. No room service. There are menus outside at the pool, but they were never open. The pool was warm and we enjoyed that very much. The first evening, the Jacuzzi was green-tinged and smelled of algae. Someone else must’ve complained because the next day, that matter was resolved. Lastly, we got zero information at check-in, but I later found in my key packet coupons to use for water and bike cruisers. Hilton must be really hard up for cash right now. I’ve never been to a resort where they ration out hotel amenities that you apparently paid for as a part of your $40 reserve fee. The pros: - across from the beach - Close to State Street and the wharf - Pool is heated - Grounds are manicured and serene - Female front desk agent with cute glasses and pieces had wonderful customer service - Valet was kind (despite not owning up to scratching our car) - Bellman who assisted us was kind and attentive (not the gentleman on the hoodie who was on his phone every time I saw him)