Banning House Lodge — Hotel in Santa Catalina Island

the views. The challenge now is that the place just gets more rundown every year. By rundown picture peeling paint, windows that either won't open at all or won't stay open, torn and/or stained seat cushions. Dust and spider webs are constant. Rooms are “moderately clean” and bare bones in terms of comforts (though I have to say the sheets very nice.). Breakfast has always been mediocre at best but OK and somewhat understandable given no real kitchen. All of this has been acceptable in exchange for the setting and reasonable prices, especially off season. So, what’s changed? The prices this year and especially next year are now exorbitant, even in the shoulder and off season. So, the “tacit deal” for decades between lodger and guests: that we accept rustic/beat-up in exchange for access to a lovely spot with reasonable rates (given the added cost of a ferry ride and equipment rentals) has come to an end. Shockingly, a few years ago, the owner had a seriously good expresso coffee machine installed and it was heaven. As good or better than any mainland coffee shop. IT MADE UP FOR A LOT, ESPECIALLY AS PRICES STARTED RISING PRECIPITOUSLY. I forget when it broke but maybe 2- 3 years ago. It has never been fixed so now we have barely mediocre food and BAD coffee (COFFEE NOW WORSE THAN IT WAS BEFORE THE MAGIC MACHINE). Again, the expressos were the one thing that was way above average and a treat on chilly mornings. So why finally offer one exceptional thing in the way of food and beverage and then let it, like so much else at the banning house, fall into disrepair? Especially now when the prices fit a level of lodging where exceptional coffee and other amenities would be a given. If you are going to charge Ritz Carlton prices, even with those views, how does management justify stained and torn furniture and coffee that tastes like instant when at least THAT can be fixed?|We expect rustic with somewhat limited comforts at TWO Harbors. Guests let this and the greater lapses in conditions slide because they were offset by the combination of setting and reasonable cost. But now with the process having gone sky-high it's harder to accept the decline in the lodge and the offerings. It's also sad to see this wonderful and historic structure rotting before our eyes. The staff does what they can, but the maintenance and amenity issues, like non-functioning windows and great vs. bad coffee, are above their pay grade. Like someone else who has recently posted a negative review, I can no longer recommend the Banning House Lodge to friends and indeed now actively warn them of the adverse changes that beset the place vs. cost. Rustic is one thing: blatant neglect and dirt is quite another. |Lastly management has consistently neglected to enforce reasonable sound levels, child behavior constraints and quiet hours which, although posted, are never enforced. Once again, people spend money on ferries and parking, expect and put up with extreme rustic-ness, in exchange for quite enjoyment of the setting. We’ve witnessed rowdy and/or drunken guests and unmonitored children frequently destroying the peace and quiet from Cocktail hour to increasingly late at night. The banning house lodge needs to take its quiet hours and the overall enjoyment of the grounds seriously and provide the staff with the means to regulate the noise.|It's true that the Banning House is “the only game in Town” unless you have a boat you can stay on. As someone who has trained countless national companies and their customer service reps in customer service, let me share that research shows people held hostage who get poor service feel greater displeasure, more taken advantage of and tell more people about their displeasure than people with choices (think Cable). It is a shame to see the Sant Catalina Company taking advantage of their monopoly. It would be one thing if the price hikes created better value and experience for guests but that is demonstrably not the case. |Lastly, I want to say our experience of the staff is that they do everything they can to create a good experience for guests and none of my comments apply to them. They do a great job with what they have to...

My wife and I have stayed here close to a dozen times over our 35 year marriage and have always enjoyed our visit. Unfortunately, this year, we had some significant disappointments with this establishment we'd never experienced before. | | When we saw that the prices at Banning House had jumped up this year, we weren't that surprised given what we were paying at other hotels. However, we had no idea this would be accompanied by an equal downturn in guest services. ||The biggest surprise is they apparently have no regular housekeeping as it took three days of lobbying the staff to get a maid to our room to change out the towels and mop the dingy floor. A $79 a night Motel 6 offers this but this $600 a night establishment evidently doesn't. ||One of the staff members I spoke to on the second morning said a housekeeper would come by, but looked about as enthusiastic about my request as if I'd asked her to peel a bushel of potatoes. When no one came by later that day I escalated it to the van driver/manager and still nothing happened. ||The third day the manager was so cavalier about our request he couldn't even remember what room we wanted housekeeping for. FInally someone came by but didn't bother to leave any soap or toilet paper, causing a very unpleasant scramble around the building later that day. ||Banning House has a large, truly delightful outdoor patio with a fabulous view of the town and Catalina Harbor. They also still have a generous wine and cheese hour every day. The problem with this was the patio itself hadn't been swepted or de-pooped for a while. Also, the large patio tables were caked with dust that looked like it had settled in long ago, as well as intermittent bird poop. So we grabbed a cup of water and some napkins from the breakfast room to partially resolve the issue but, hey, $500 to $600 a night for this?|| Don't want to seem like a whiner but when we enjoy an expensive and long-planned trip, we do expect our morning coffee will taste at least 1/3 as good as what we get at home, especially when there are no other options on the island. This was never an issue before at Banning House. However they now seem to subscribe to the "brown water" school of coffee creation. It reminded me of instant Maxwell House except that at least with instant coffee you could make the coffee stronger.| |To be fair, the location is still beautiful, and the town is a unique getaway you won't find anywhere else in California. We had a great time renting bikes and a kayak which we took through a sea cave! The room was pleasant and very quiet with a great view, though my wife did have a few things to say about the condition of the floor. Still, until some of the above issues are addressed, I can no longer recommend Banning House to my friends, something I...

Stayed here day after July 4th for a few days with my gf. First time and it was relaxing to get away from cars, traffic, bldgs, smog, noise, and the hustle and bustle of the mainland. BHL is unique and is on the Two Harbors (TH) side which is much more relaxed, laid back, and calm then Avalon. This is the only lodging on this side (im pretty sure) but wen u arrive--we had to call the lodge to let them know we arrived off the Ferry from San Pedro and they send a white unmarked van down (sounds suspicious i kno) to pick up guests. Carol is the associate who helped us and she was amazing for our 2 nights there--she hands out discount vouchers for shops/food/etc. there on TH. We were ext hungry wen we got off the Ferry. TH has limited options to eat and it's ok (we were hungry tho so it tasted pretty good) although the pizza at the local grocery store there is surprisingly BOMB. Ask them to cook that crust extra crispy and you golden bro! FOOD wise--go to Avalon. Rooms itself are nice, cozy, comfortable--the shower can be a little slow or lack of hot water be aware. There were some flies flying around when we first came in but hopefully they don't have the Wuhan Bat bites. Nice to go for a walk or sit out on the patio. I love that they serve breakfast and they have you fill out a card the night before on what you want--you can have as much as you'd like to! oh check out the front office if they got fresh cookies--another BOMB deal @ BHL It's also ok to walk up and down from the hill if you dont wanna wait for their van shuttle since it's a 1 way road--that's the only vehicle taking guests to and fro (2-3 minute ride) Carol and her team kept the phone line open and would update on an ETA when they can pick/drop off folks. She was friendly and made us feel very welcome and like we were at home. Thts Wats nice about BHL--only 12 rooms! You can choose to get to know your other guests by just chillen on the patio or you'll see them around the island. its a small little rock i tell ya. we didn't get to do any kayaking or any boating events bt honestly--nice to be in the water, just relax, and visit Avalon where it's much more poppin in terms of night life, food, bars, and of course--more people so it gets a little crowded. if we go again--we wud prob try the avalon side to stay at but for our 1st time--BHL was a nice, smooth, calm, and relaxing start! Thanks Carol and the team for making our time memorable. Y'all are hard workers spending that time away from your family and loved ones to make all of us enjoy our time away from the mainland. Hope you're safe and...