Hyatt Place Santa Barbara — Hotel in Santa Barbara

My three kids and I LOVED our stay here! 5 stars in every way! The staff here is the best. I can't even say how grateful I am that we lucked out finding this gem. CHECK-IN: Super easy and smooth. I made reservations just hours before! Become a World of Hyatt member! You'll get Perks like free breakfast!

FREE BREAKFAST!!!!: The breakfast buffet is the BEST I've had ever at a Hotel of this level. They serve breakfast from 7-10am, which includes everything you could imagine! Full breakfast is laid out as a buffet, and there's a full bar open early and late!! We loved the outdoor seating next to the fireplace, there are big umbrellas to shade the sun. All of the brand-new patio furniture is luxurious, oversized, and very comfortable!

FITNESS CENTER: It is down a hallway in the rear of the property to the right on your way out to the jacuzzi. The fitness center has everything you need including a bathroom outside. Treadmills, weights, etc.

JACUZZI: There is a large jacuzzi (don't expect a pool) which is really cozy and must be super fun! We didn't go in this time, but we will next time we stay!

The ROOM: We selected a 2queen + sofa bed room. It was VERY spacious for a regular room! The sofa was a sectional, so there was enough space for two to lay on it. It is also a sofa bed but there's still room for about three to sleep/sit. A large ottoman sits in the middle, there is a mini-divider in the room slightly separating the sofa from the beds. Plenty of nice, easy-to-operate lighting, big closet with a safe, side space for your luggage, HUGE FLAT SCREEN TV, mini-fridge, coffee machine, dryer, big bathroom, chair side table, rolling chair. List goes on--we loved it!

PARKING: It is $9.99-- NOT bad for hotel parking!! It is a great underground garage! Super clean, trash cans and recycle receptacles. Elevators are quick and stairway is clean. Side Note:. I DID NOT like how narrow the entrance to the garage is, it felt like the bars were going to hit the side of my car and I was unable to fit. (Just a note to Management--it seemed so narrow that I might scrape the sides of my car on the wall.) If you have a larger car or truck, maybe there is outdoor parking for you.

DECOR AND LANDSCAPE: So adorable! I was very pleased with the aesthetics of this property. It feels luxurious and feels like a more expensive boutique hotel! Whoever planned the landscape design did an amazing job! I spotted at least one large and gorgeous Monstera Deliciosa, several species of Sansevieria, Philodendrons, and tons of palm trees and succulents!

CHECKOUT: (NOON!!) Since we took a while loading the car, we stayed a few minutes past noon! A manager came by making notes on his notepad but never hassled us to leave right away! I wanted to thank him for that because it isn't easy packing up three kids and myself on my own! Customer service here is just as nice as the property! My first impression is that each employee likes working here and that is a culture of respect that must trickle from management.

All of that said, keep in mind It is a 10-12 minute drive to the Wharf and/or Downtown Santa Barbara, and we did wish for the price that we had stayed closer, but it was not bad.

SUPER IMPORTANT NOTE!!!: The intersection to enter/exit this property is extremely difficult to figure out--please be careful and be aware!! When entering you should go a street down and make a u-turn, then right into the property. When exiting the hotel, be careful which green light you look at. There are two little streets adjacent to each other and the signal to the left is the one you should follow. Don't take my word for it, just look very closely when you're turning so that you don't go into oncoming traffic. Hopefully they can make it more clear because there are more than just 4 turning lanes at this...

Wish we could give this experience a -10. First, we were not notified that there was no cleaning of the room, including towels, during our 3 day stay until we checked in. If this is their policy it should be stated somewhere prior to making a non-refundable reservation. We were left with 1 tiny shampoo and 1 tiny bar of soap for a three day visit, as well as inadequate towels. When we requested extra towels and pillows, they brought the wrong things and then argued that it was what we requested.

When we used the spa, which supposedly had its own pool towels, there were just enough for our party to use, leaving none for the people who came while we were there.

They charged $9.99 a day for parking which was not stated when we made our reservation. The room phone was not charged in so we were unable to even call the desk for help. We had to find the local number and call on our mobile phone. There were not instructions on how to use the phone. Print on phone was a 2 size font.

Two of three lights in the room had bulbs that were burned out. When we talked to the manager, his response was, "Did you plug it in?" In all of our extensive travels, it has never been our responsibility to go into a hotel room and plug in all of the lights, including the bedside lamps. In fact, they were plugged in; they simply had burned out bulbs indicative of the level of maintenance and attention to detail throughout the hotel.

Refrigerator made an excessive high pitched whining noise every 15 minutes when it turned on until it turned off each time. The manager's answer was, "Just unplug it." (Why would we need a refrigerator when there is also no microwave anyway, right?) This conversation occurred within 1/2 of checking in when we went down to the lobby to speak with them. At that time, we expressed that we would like to spend the one night and leave since this was unacceptable. The manager informed us that, unless we stayed the entire three nights, we would be charged for a night that we did not occupy as a penalty, regardless of whether we were happy with the room.

They also held $50 per night for incidentals and yet there was no place to spend that money. It equaled $150 for a 3 night stay, and took quite a while to come off our credit card.

The manager was absolutely the most rude, condescending person we've ever encountered in his position ("general manager"). His attitude permeated the staff as well, with the exception of a very nice young man who checked us out when we left. It was clear that our complaint was not the first the front desk staff had heard about their manager.

We paid approximately $1200 for the privilege of being trapped for three nights in a substandard hotel with the worst service we have experienced in probably 30 years and many, many hotel stays in all levels of hotels. This manager apparently doesn't know that he is in the "hospitality" business. He's a disgrace.

Please think about these remarks before making your reservation at this location. They don't deserve your business. And Santa Barbara is too beautiful to be spoiled by a terrible...

My daughter booked me (with tens of thousands of credit card points) at the last minute on Friday, October 17th for a king room. It was expensive. Had I paid cash it would have been around $350. This was in no way a $350 room for a mediocre hotel/motel. I will accept part of the responsibility as my 29 year old daughter did a quick Google search while she had me on the phone as I was enroute from San Diego to Santa Barbara. This property came up. I was greatly disappointed as I have stayed at Hyatt Hotels and they are generally a good brand. This was more like an upscale Motel 6. I will provide the negatives and some positives. The positives: while the small room was dated with its furnishings, the bath area was very modern and very nice. The bed was comfortable and the room, at the rear of the property was very quiet. The negatives: it was the most confusing hotel/motel I have ever been in. The layout was awful and the explanation on the layout was also confusing. Hyatt would have been better off leveling the place and built it properly. It looked jerry-rigged. The parking area was wide open and insecure--and aged--with water dripping from pipes onto the parking lot floor in various places. A lack of building upkeep to say the least. Interior hallway floors were not level. For some people, that could be a tripping issue. Several other reviews said it was in a good location...just off the highway. It is in a congested area squeezed into a small property. But it was 15 minutes to the downtown and the beautiful beaches. There is no ambiance. I was offered a room facing the "mountains". Unfortunately, the mountains were in the distance but the most immediate view was of the unattractive parking lot. This may be a minor thing but it made Hyatt look cheap. There really is no front desk in the traditional sense. It is crammed with the snack case and the breakfast room. Not very "Hyatt." When I checked in, the young man who did so, did try to explain how to get to my room. He tried. The young lady who closed me out today never asked about my experience. She just charged me $10 for parking and that was all. If you are looking for a hotel or motel with some sense of an attractive layout and ambiance, near the beach or the downtown, with parking security--steer clear of this place. I have no idea how they could charge what they did with my one-night reservation. In my view, Hyatt Place is only a "place" and not a Hyatt. I hope this helps in some way. Normally, I am optimistic and positive about my experiences. I expected more from a...