Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort

The Hilton resort in Santa Barbara is not worthy of the Hilton name. The best word to describe this property is dilapidated. We requested a quiet room and chose a king suite on the third floor with an ocean view possibly the most pricey room the resort has to offer upon entering the room. The dimmer light switch next to the door was missingit’s toggle cover and we tripped on the step up that is right in front of the door. The ceiling and walls have extensive signs of water damage. The phone system for the hotel was not working and I was unable to reach the front desk. I contacted Security and they said they were aware of the problem and we’re walking to the front desk to sort out what was going on. I requested a call back and never received it. There was no ice bucket in the room and our “quiet“ room was located directly behind the elevator and the ice dispenser of which we could not take advantage because of the absent ice bucket, the rain shower in the bathroom has fewer than 1/2 of its jets functioning as the rest are clogged with calcium or other debris. It is truly unfortunate that Hilton is unwilling to make the investment in this facility to bring it up to the Hilton standard. If you find this description acceptable to your standard, then save your money and stay at any of the $90 a night hotels in Santa Barbara.

Based on the so-so reviews from others, we did not have high hopes, but had quite a few Hilton Honors points to use and they accept pets, so we decided to try it. Pleasantly surprised! The grounds are just lovely, especially if you are traveling with a pet or small kids. I would give the exterior of this property 5 out of 5 stars. As someone who worked in the hospitality design field for many years, I found the public areas and interior spaces of the food outlets lackluster and dull. The corridor carpeting really needs a redo. The rooms themselves were satisfactory for a 4 star property and very roomy. The on sight breakfast area was great…the food was very good as was the service. We initially had planned to eat Thanksgiving meal here, but went down to The Set prior to look at the menu and saw the food coming out and changed our minds. It looked pretty subpar and the choices were limited on Thanksgiving Day. Honestly, we didn’t have much luck elsewhere in Santa Barbara….it was either a $79-150++ pre fixe T-day menu for the few places that were open, or fast food. At least The Set pre fixe menu was only $48. I would definitely come back to stay here.

Karina was fun and made us laugh. Even though we were around the corner out of view she was attentive. Our food was good and we had a good night out.

I had a wonderful stay at the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort. The property is beautiful — a large, spacious resort right across from the beach with great walkability and views. The staff really made the experience memorable. Everyone at breakfast was friendly and attentive, and I especially want to recognize Evelyn at the front desk for going above and beyond to make sure our stay was comfortable. Overall, a great experience. I would happily stay here again!

Great experience staying here from beginning to end. Alexx at the front desk made check in smooth and was very accommodating and helpful to us with any questions we had; he definitely made this trip a great one with his kindness and hospitality. We loved his friendly positive energy!! We will definitely return and stay here in the near future.

Beautiful place on the Ocean. Had a challenge with our room as there was flood damage next to our room. The repair staff walked across our patio as my wife was changing. That was a horrible experience. They moved us to another room and the staff was accommodating.

This hotel has a fantastic location with a true resort feel. However it is rather dated and we had some maintenance problems in the room. On the flip side the management were EXTREMELY committed to making it right and that is very commendable. Santa Barbara is a very pretty city and this sprawling property is in the middle of it all. We are diamond members and were given a room right across the beachfront. The layout of the hotel is beautiful (great for large weddings), has a terrific ambiance by the ocean. Sadly it needs updating and upkeep.

This is the most disappointing stay at a Hilton I’ve ever had. Especially for classifying it as a “resort” our room had mold and dirty ceiling tiles. Bathroom wall had damage. There was no microwave in the room and when I asked about using one to warm up leftovers, I was told I would be billed $20!! Parking is a ridiculous fee especially when taxes are added onto it. It’s per friendly and we had a dog next to us that barked almost the entire stay. When I called the front desk, no one answered. I had to walk down and was told no one registered a dog next to me but security would check. Hear a knock next door and they shoved the dog on the balcony to hide it and the poor dog cried the entire time out there. Called two more times about the barking and nothing happened. If you want to allow pets, they shouldn’t disturb other guests. I have a dog. I love dogs. I don’t want to hear a dog barking all day and all night. Although the beds were comfortable, for $400 a night, I will stay elsewhere next time.

Great experience! The room was spacious and we had upgraded to ocean view room. Alex was incredible and ensured our experience was one of a kind. Highly recommended. 🤍

Location was stunning, had dinner at the lunch and dinner restaurant “The Set” nice young, personable gentleman named Luke was our sever who really created a fun and enjoyable dinner experience, this is 100% my favorite Hilton property for any occasion