Best Western Plus Santa Barbara — Hotel in Santa Barbara

Best Western Plus Encina Inn & Suites in Santa Barbara, CA. Paid for 3 night stay through , due to a surgery at SanSum across the street. When arriving to hotel after surgery, had to park across the street and walk, because employees of the hotel and the restaurant take up 80% of the parking during business hours and do not consider the guests when there is parking on the street. Furthermore, it was made very clear to me during check in that I had to have the parking permit displayed on dash of vehicle or be towed. Hotel is not ADA compliant. When making the reservation, I called the hotel to have reservation noted that I must be on ground level and have ease of access incase I need the use of a wheelchair, which the room and hotel in general is not within ADA standards. To get ice for ice pack, I have to walk up stairs and go through gates. Pictures and hotel descriptions on Expedia are a total misrepresentation of what you actually get with the room. Full kitchen is not a full kitchen that is functional. Bed is not "premium" by a long shot. Sofa is frayed. Chair in main room has broken springs and makes one strain to exit chair since it rests a person in an extremely low position. Bearing going out on bedroom heater blower motor. The room is outdated, half clean, bathroom is hard to use with a very small and low sitting toilet and nothing to brace one's self with for lifting support, along with bathroom sink cabinet door doesn't even fully close, which has almost made me fall a few times when catching on my leg. I selected a King Suite, pool side room. I got a "standard room" at best with a un-functional kitchen and bathroom. Cleaning staff is rude, they leave their cleaning carts out in the middle of the walkway at night. No consideration for the guests and parking. I've watched their "family members" come and visit them in the laundry room and treat guests rudely and also park in guest parking. Watched the same dirty food trays and dishes from "room service" left in the hallways and on the trash bins outside for two days before they were picked up. Hotel doesn't comply with Civil Code Section 1863 on posting room rates.. There's no posting of rate(s) and terms required by code section in a conspicuous place within room. When bring the issue(s) up with hotel staff, was treated rudely and ended up getting more upset rather then staff even attempting to mitigate some or all of the issues I've brought...

I was checked in very late at night around 3 am by Frank who was very helpful and kind! When I forgot to pick up my parking pass he came out all the way to the parking lot to find my car and hand me the pass. Frank had great customer service skills and the room we were assigned to was very quiet and had the amenities we needed. Although it was a bit outdated, the room was clean and we had no complaints during our stay.

My only issue with my stay at Best Western happened actually before I even arrived. I was charged twice to the credit card I booked with before checking in. I called Best Western and they denied any charges from them so I cancelled the card for fraudulent charges. Then, the night I flew in from Boston to Santa Barbara I received calls from Teresa at 9:15 pm and 10:45 pm from Best Western telling me my reservation would be cancelled because they couldn't authenticate my card. I don't understand why they would charge my card before I even checked in and why would they need to authenticate the card that same night I was flying?? If this was so urgent for the reservation they should have authenticated the card a lot earlier, not when I was on a plane!! Anyway, I couldn't answer my phone since I was flying for 6.5 hours. Upon landing in California at 1 am I saw the voicemails and I learned that I had no hotel reservation and no place to sleep that night.

I called Best Western from the airport and Frank who had started his shift recently patiently heard my situation. He gave me a room and honored my reservation that was cancelled by the other staff. He was very helpful during this stressful situation and he made sure it all worked out! I just wish Teresa would not have cancelled my reservation on such short notice the same day I was flying across the country and checking in. I indicated in my reservation that I would be checking in very late around 2 am. If it wasn't for Frank my experience at Best Western Santa Barbara would have been very negative so I'm very thankful for his help...

When the clinic staff recommended the Best Western for post-surgery recovery, my wife and I were hesitant. Turns out we had no reason to be this hotel was exactly what we needed. It is all that and a bag of chips! ||The room was top notch: quiet, comfortable, and perfect for recovery. But what really stood out was the staff.| • Jesus was the first to help us, making sure we had a lower-level room since my wife couldn’t do stairs. The man is a silent assassin behind the keyboard, working magic with the focus and skill of a hacker. Be kind to him; his skills are unmatched.| • Helen was incredible. When my wife had some post-op complications, I called to extend our stay. She didn’t just brush me off, SHE LISTENED. After hearing me out, she asked if she could call back, and within 10 minutes she had secured us another night. Later, when I came down to rekey our card, she asked how my wife was doing and genuinely wished her well. Those words may seem small, but when you’re stressed and worried, they mean everything to your mental health. | • Catherine was just as sweet and welcoming. And though I’m kicking myself for forgetting another team member’s name, trust me when I say the front desk is full of all-stars. You’re not just a customer here, you’re a guest in their home.||We ended up needing yet another night, and once again Jesus worked his keyboard magic to make it happen. Truly, my wife wouldn’t be this far along in her recovery without this team’s care and the comfort of this hotel.||Added bonuses:| • The Live Oak Café is phenomenal. You can skip the DoorDash and eat here. Save room for dessert!| • The bird sanctuary is peaceful and fun to watch. Nature therapy right outside your door!||Overall? 10/10. The staff, the food, the room, the vibe! Everything was exactly what we needed. We are...