De La Vina Inn — Hotel in Santa Barbara

I found this advertised as a quaint 8 bedroom house with exceptional stars about 8-10 blocks from the train station, and after looking at the pictures of the rooms, (BTW, pictures are always deceptive, and in this case for sure) I picked the Melrose Room. It was advertised with a fireplace and nice bathroom with "waterfall shower" Perfect, right? We got there around 2pm, and Initially it looked like a very historical Victorian sort of house. Nice little grassy (Astro turf) seating area in the front around the fountain, big porch, shading trees. We were supposed to have received instructions by 2 pm in how to check in but we didn't, (first clue).|We waited and checked around the place to see if there was anyone available to let me in to use the restroom. Shortly after, we rang the "Ring" doorbell, no answer. After waiting another 10-15 mins finally a lady came to the door and she was pissed! "Absolutely No check in until 4pm" she said, "fine but may I use the restroom?" She seemed confused and contemplated for a few minutes, as the pee was starting to cross that barrier, and said "okay but I'm not done cleaning yet!" She was angry she directed me to a small tiny bathroom in the kitchen, on the floor were dirty sheet next to the bathroom, and I thought, okay not very sanitary but she's still got 2 hours left to clean this area. She kicked me out as soon as I was done washing my hands. We sat outside afterwards texting the Inn's manager/owner who didn't respond for awhile in regards to the "check in registration" we never received. The management, I believe she identifies herself as Emma, responded via text, (not phone call), stating that the text is automated at exactly 2pm and to check my phone again. I text back saying it's after 2:20 and there is no text, she began to contradict me via text and within seconds after saying this, a registration link came to my phone, okay I'm a little annoyed about this type of hospitality. This person stated she "UPGRADED" our "Melrose Suite" to the "Somerset Suite".|A couple pulled up just then and began to bang on door. They were pissed! They said that their reservations were just cancelled and they were from out of state, and because the hotels in Santa Barbara were all booked for the weekend had no where to stay! They stated they had booked a room at the Inn weeks ago and just received a text, not call, that their room was unavailable, but they felt since it was no fault of theirs they wanted a refund and the management to rebook them somewhere else in town. They also said the management would not return their text, (you can only get ahold of the Inn by texting, the number provided as it doesn't except calls, Also you have to pay in advance and it's a non refundable booking)..|No one would come to the door, meaning the housekeeping lady who was left there to her own devices, to reconcile with this poor couple, they left very upset and abandoned.|So we waited, at about 3 pm, another young couple came up, (we had a front row seat to all this fiasco) and they too began knocking on the locked front door. They said they had an early book in and we explained that we were told absolutely no early check ins. They to were bewildered and began texting the number for management. Being young and beautiful as they were, they decided to walk it off and come back.|Finally at 4pm the housekeeper/Inn taker, the lady who let me go pee, opened the door and said "okay, you can come in now!" As we got our key from a lockbox, (via text instructions) we headed up to our room. As we ascend the staircase I noticed it had this old bluish-green dirty carpet that a vacuum cleaner was blocking several stairs, the carpet really needed to be replaced not vacuumed. I looked around as we headed for the "Somerset Suite" and you could see the wallpaper was peeling from the walls, and their were stains and cracks all over the walls and doors.The bed in the room was so high off the floor I literally had to climb on a chair to get on the bed, mind you I'm 5'6. My husband is 6 foot tall and even had an issue, it was like climbing a tree house! ( after reading reviews another person also complained about this bed), what an accident waiting to happen! The bathroom was small with a sliding door that was broken with chips, stains and cracks. The toilet had stains all around the floor and the "Jacuzzi" tub was disgusting, not to mention no "waterfall shower head." And this was suppose to be an "UPGRADE" from the Melrose Suite???? |So disappointing! And to top that off, the hand soap dispenser had the same soap as the hair shampoo dispenser as the body soap dispenser. Dang! Good thing I brought my own. |That night we tried disparately to sleep but this "Upgraded" Queen bed was so uncomfortable, as it sank in the middle, neither of us slept all night, not a wink! |We made a decision to pack our bag and left the next morning. Didn't get a full refund for the second night...

I found this advertised as a quaint 8 bedroom house with exceptional stars about 8-10 blocks from the train station, and after looking at the pictures of the rooms, (BTW, pictures are always deceptive, and in this case for sure) I picked the Melrose Room. It was advertised with a fireplace and nice bathroom with "waterfall shower" Perfect, right? We got there around 2pm, and Initially it looked like a very historical Victorian sort of house. Nice little grassy (Astro turf) seating area in the front around the fountain, big porch, shading trees. We were supposed to have received instructions by 2 pm in how to check in but we didn't, (first clue).|We waited and checked around the place to see if there was anyone available to let me in to use the restroom. Shortly after, we rang the "Ring" doorbell, no answer. After waiting another 10-15 mins finally a lady came to the door and she was pissed! "Absolutely No check in until 4pm" she said, "fine but may I use the restroom?" She seemed confused and contemplated for a few minutes, as the pee was starting to cross that barrier, and said "okay but I'm not done cleaning yet!" She was angry she directed me to a small tiny bathroom in the kitchen, on the floor were dirty sheet next to the bathroom, and I thought, okay not very sanitary but she's still got 2 hours left to clean this area. She kicked me out as soon as I was done washing my hands. We sat outside afterwards texting the Inn's manager/owner who didn't respond for awhile in regards to the "check in registration" we never received. The management, I believe she identifies herself as Emma, responded via text, (not phone call), stating that the text is automated at exactly 2pm and to check my phone again. I text back saying it's after 2:20 and there is no text, she began to contradict me via text and within seconds after saying this, a registration link came to my phone, okay I'm a little annoyed about this type of hospitality. This person stated she "UPGRADED" our "Melrose Suite" to the "Somerset Suite".|A couple pulled up just then and began to bang on door. They were pissed! They said that their reservations were just cancelled and they were from out of state, and because the hotels in Santa Barbara were all booked for the weekend had no where to stay! They stated they had booked a room at the Inn weeks ago and just received a text, not call, that their room was unavailable, but they felt since it was no fault of theirs they wanted a refund and the management to rebook them somewhere else in town. They also said the management would not return their text, (you can only get ahold of the Inn by texting, the number provided as it doesn't except calls, Also you have to pay in advance and it's a non refundable booking)..|No one would come to the door, meaning the housekeeping lady who was left there to her own devices, to reconcile with this poor couple, they left very upset and abandoned.|So we waited, at about 3 pm, another young couple came up, (we had a front row seat to all this fiasco) and they too began knocking on the locked front door. They said they had an early book in and we explained that we were told absolutely no early check ins. They to were bewildered and began texting the number for management. Being young and beautiful as they were, they decided to walk it off and come back.|Finally at 4pm the housekeeper/Inn taker, the lady who let me go pee, opened the door and said "okay, you can come in now!" As we got our key from a lockbox, (via text instructions) we headed up to our room. As we ascend the staircase I noticed it had this old bluish-green dirty carpet that a vacuum cleaner was blocking several stairs, the carpet really needed to be replaced not vacuumed. I looked around as we headed for the "Somerset Suite" and you could see the wallpaper was peeling from the walls, and their were stains and cracks all over the walls and doors.The bed in the room was so high off the floor I literally had to climb on a chair to get on the bed, mind you I'm 5'6. My husband is 6 foot tall and even had an issue, it was like climbing a tree house! ( after reading reviews another person also complained about this bed), what an accident waiting to happen! The bathroom was small with a sliding door that was broken with chips, stains and cracks. The toilet had stains all around the floor and the "Jacuzzi" tub was disgusting, not to mention no "waterfall shower head." And this was suppose to be an "UPGRADE" from the Melrose Suite???? |So disappointing! And to top that off, the hand soap dispenser had the same soap as the hair shampoo dispenser as the body soap dispenser. Dang! Good thing I brought my own. |That night we tried disparately to sleep but this "Upgraded" Queen bed was so uncomfortable, as it sank in the middle, neither of us slept all night, not a wink! |We made a decision to pack our bag and left the next morning. Didn't get a full refund for the second night...

I was really disappointed with the De La Vina Inn. I'd like to say that it was just because I'm haven't stayed at a "limited service" property before, but that's not the case. We've stayed at AirB&Bs, etc. and I'm comfortable giving up on the service of a hotel if there is a meaninful savings, but this wasn't the case with the De La Vina Inn. There wasn't a significant savings, and there were more than a few instances when we would have appreciated the service and regular maintenance that comes with a hotel in this price range. ||I'm giving two stars because the bed was comfortable although small for two regular size people, and there was ample hot water for a shower. That's it. Our room needed a good cleaning, some new paint, and updated plumbing. The toliet wouldn't flush and the shower reminded me of what I've seen in a youth hostel from my backpacking days. ||All intereaction is via text. If you call with an issue, you'll recieve a text instead of a call back. We had to call because when we returned to the hotel following dinner out, our parking spot was taken. There are exactly eight spots to park in to accomindate the guest, and if someone takes more than one you are out of luck, or invited (via text) to find a spot on the street. We also called because at 10PM we heard another guest struggling to get into their room because they couldn't figure out the code/lock system, which is admittedly a bit tricky and made more so because of the poor lighting in the doorway. We had to get out of bed to help these folks get in their rooms or we worried we'd hear them out there all night. It's hard not to hear the other guest in normal circumstances. This is an old home and and unless everyone is whispering and not walking around you'll hear everyone and everything. When we got up in the morning, we were met with someone trying to get in the house to meet one of the other guest. We had to keep them out, because of course we had no idea who they were. But it was really awkward to be in that situation. All of these issues we faced would have been solved by having some staff available for the hotel. ||In one of my texts to the person managing the property I asked with total sincerity if they were a real person. I wasn't trying to be rude, but all of the responses and automated check-in information I recived via text all started to seem like they were AI generated. There was the constant refrain in the communication that, "customer service is our highest priority". It is important for the folks running the place to know that just saying it is a high priority is not actually making it true. We only stayed one night, and I'm grateful for that. We were visiting friends who live in Santa Barbara, and they recommended we stay closer to the beach, but I was really fooled by the reviews and the pictures of this place. Plus, I thought it would be quieter in town. We won't make that mistake again. ||When taking a second look at the five star reviews I noticed that many of those folks rented the entire house, and I can see how this place would be great for a wedding party or some large group taking the entire place. After my stay at De La Vina in I have a new apprecation for what comes with actual people and regular service at a hotel, or even a more...