Hotel Virginia Santa Barbara, Tapestry Collection by Hilton — Hotel in Santa Barbara

Our recent stay at the Hotel Virginia Santa Barbara, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, was quite disappointing. While the hotel appeared clean, our room had clear signs of humidity, particularly in the ceiling above our beds. Although management insists that the hotel was recently renovated, it seems more like a superficial cleaning job rather than a proper renovation. The hotel used to be an inn, and it feels like it’s now a Hilton only after a simple repainting.

The bathroom was particularly problematic, with issues like inadequate hot water, some parts in need of repair, and little flies on the ceiling above the shower—dreadful.

What really made our stay uncomfortable was the location of our room. Access to the room was through a parking lot, and it was on the ground floor, facing the main road. Our windows were large, like big shopping windows, and couldn’t be opened. They were practically on the pavement by the main street, and we could hear every person walking by and every car that approached. It felt more like staying in a roadside motel than a hotel that bears the Hilton name. To make matters worse, the main door to our room was in poor shape, allowing light to stream in from underneath, which only added to the motel-like atmosphere.

When I expressed my disappointment to the receptionist, I was told that the hotel was fully booked, otherwise, they would have offered us a better room. The issue is that I booked our stay months in advance—I highly doubt they were fully booked at that time. Regardless, no one should be hosted in a room like ours. If Hilton finds this acceptable, perhaps they should consider opening a chain of motels.

Considering the premium price we paid, we expected a much higher standard. Unfortunately, this stay was far below what we've come to expect from Hilton properties. We left first thing in the morning, as staying any longer was simply not an option. This is not an experience I would...

Long story short - stay somewhere else. The old inns in SB are actually very nice. This place isn't nice and is poorly staffed and operated. We stayed here for one night on a weekend for about $300. We were given a room on the first floor with one kind bed. The room was fine for the most part - nothing fancy but not terrible. The bathroom, however, was pretty gross and smelled like urine. We told the front desk and we we're polite about it, only expecting them to move us to a different room or send someone to clean it. But the desk attendant simply told us she didn't know what to do about it and just kind of stared at us until someone else showed up from the back. They didn't identify themselves as a manager but came to our room to see if it really smelled (I guess). Once in the bathroom she said, "it's not that bad, just let it air out for a while." We asked if they can send someone to clean it but she said there wasn't any cleaning staff working then (Saturday afternoon). She also said she wasn't a manager and there wasn't a manager working right now either. Then she left. I called the front desk again and they said they were trying to call the manager but they weren't answering. They told me the manager would be there in the morning if I still wanted to talk to then then. We tried to just change hotels but decided it wasn't worth the hassle and extra money. We tried to freshen the air in the bathroom and just use it as little as possible. The next morning we talked to the manager who seemed to have not been informed about our situation. He offered us 10,000 Holiday Inn points but when we didn't seem thrilled about it he gave us $100 off the room. It still feels like we overpaid for the quality of the room and the service though. We won't be going back to the Holiday Inn Express Santa Barbara and would not recommend...

Newly renovated boutique feel hotel.

Received a call 2 days before arrival - message from Frank Romo confirming stay and informing us of busy graduation weekend. We asked to check in early. The team came through and got our room ready by 1pm on date of arrival.

The tall guy with the great attitude at reception is just a gem for the hotel. Welcoming, smiling, knowledgeable on the area. I did not get his name since we chatted about going ons in area. Felt like a long lost friend. Great service and kudos. Apologies for not asking for your name.

Central location - easy walk to the famous busy State Street restaurants, bars, music, shops, shopping. Just 1 block away and around corner.

2 excellent restaurants - one across street and other next door to enjoy good meals and awesome drinks.

Easy 15-20 minute stroll to beach and warf. When we stay in Santa Barbara we like to enjoy breakfast and coffee at Jeanine's Bakery and Restaurant near the beach. Worth the drive or walk.

We also like Convivo restaurant. Delicious and everything is homemade. Drinks are amazing.

Rooms are clean, smell brand new. Comfortable beds. Pillows are okay. I like fluffy soft pillows. New carpets.

Restroom newley renovated, clean and cool art deco feel.

The entrance is art deco beautiful. The hotel will have a boutique bar area at entrance by July 2022. We saw the structure being erected. Will be cool.

Noise level from famous State Street is like New Orleans. Vibrant, noisy. However, for most part we slept well. One of us is light sleeper so woke up a few times at 1am or so.

Views from top floors are pretty.

Parking is $25. I paid for parking to not worry about finding space on street. Car was secure. We walked 50% to time and drove the other 1/2. Convenient to have a choice.

Overall...