The hotel needs updating very badly especially the rooms. Our room had a weird smell. There was also a big dog in the room across from us barking in the middle of the night, so being woken up by that was not nice. I just think for the money you can get a much nicer hotel that has been updated. The pictures on the website obviously are going to be the best so just be aware if you book that it may not be what you get.
The service at the front desk was not good. They did not notify me when the room was available even though they said they would.. Despite being my 20th wedding anniversary, there was not even a congratulations let alone any kind of "extra." The room was very clean and had a spectacular view of the ocean and the food at the bar restaurant was good and reasonably priced. For the amount of money spent on the room ($1000 for ONE night), I was very unimpressed.
My comment reflects the disparity between the hotel room price (basic room >$800 a night, including "resort" fee for this non-resort, and the basic room that was dated, small, and lacking luxury features one might expect at this price point (minibar, Nespresso, two chairs, functional desk, etc.). In fairness, the going rate in SB for hotel rooms is insane, and perhaps this is what the market will bear. Positives: Superb staff, good water pressure, hot hot hot water, towels and linens, cleanliness, and location is the best.
Although the rooms were clean and I loved the history here, I felt like the property was overpriced for the experience. It is across from a beautiful beach so that was a plus! Didn't have that "luxe" feel that most Hyatt's have. They should renovate the hallways and lighting.
The hotel was sorely in need of an update. The staff were not trained (other than a small group of the food servers) and there was no management. No one was working off of a checklist for room cleaning etc. so some things got done and some did not. We had issues at checkin where they tried to give us a non view regular room instead of the ocean view suite that we paid for, we had electrical issues with no lights in the bathroom that they tried 4x to fix, food was brought out over cooked or incorrect etc. I am a Hyatt Globalist that stays more than 150 nights a year in their hotels and this one was an absolute miss
Very over priced hotel for a very average experience. The hotel is fine but old, the closet for the room was in the bathroom and my wife thought the room smelled. It was not in any way a "luxury" hotel, stayed once in an "Unbound Collection" hotel in Dusseldorf and it was spectacular, this hotel definitely was not, frankly we felt robbed.
Awful. Rooms were unclean. Had stains on sheet, stains on the floor, leftover food from someone else’s stay. Dated decorations, mold in the bathroom. More like a terrible motel than a supposed four star hotel.
We booked this hotel because we come to Santa Barbara every year and we usually stay at the Santa Barbara Inn, which is right next-door and is exceptional however they do not allow dogs. Recently we got two new puppies and we couldn’t go our whole vacation without them so we booked the hotel next-door because they allow dogs. They charge a $150 pet fee for both dogs no matter how long you stay. I also wanted outdoor seating so I can enjoy the ocean with the all the conveniences of my room and that’s another reason we chose this particular hotel, as well as the location can’t be beat. I’ve read a lot of negative reviews(2.5 stars on Yelp)before we came so I was a little worried but I thought that a lot of the things that the people were complaining about were rather nitpicky so I was optimistic that we would be satisfied however I was wrong. My two star rating in no way reflects the treatment we received from the staff. I hope this resort treats them better than it takes care of its hotel rooms because everybody that works here is exceptional, from the front desk team, to the valets, to housekeeping everybody went above and beyond. I will give an example my husband and I were leaving the hotel on our bike and my husbands chain fell off his bike. My husband was saying out loud that his hands were going to get dirty and I said just go back to the room and wash your hands. Upon hearing this a member of housekeeping ran out to us a damp washcloth so my husband could wash his hands right there. This is an example of how the staff goes above and beyond to make sure our stay was wonderful. I also want to recognize Matthew for he went above and beyond to get our room moved when we were not satisfied with the first room we were provided. It was our anniversary so I called a week ahead as I was told to do so and requested a downstairs oceanfront room which we paid for. Upon check-in we received a room with double beds that was in fact their handicap room with evidence all over the room that it was meant for handicapped people. I was very disappointed in this and went back to the front desk as I was informed I was given the last downstairs room available, however a different room would be available the next day. We stayed the night in double beds on our anniversary and did not receive a king was booked. The next day we were able move rooms with the help of Matthew. I received a different room. What I will say is the outdoor space at this hotel is exceptional the view in the large downstairs patio are absolutely breathtaking and totally wonderful. I have no complaints there. My big complaint however is with the room itself . The rooms themselves are no better than what one with expect from a motel 6 hotel room. There are many things in need of care that you should not be in a room that cost $850 a night even if it is an oceanfront room in Santa Barbara. I know that the money is in the details and that if you want those details you need to pay extra. When paying $850 a night I do not expect to have many items in our room broken, our bathroom was absolutely horrible. I will enclose photos to show hole in the shower tile, the discolored mirror as well as a broken toilet paper holder. Also they give you absolutely no amenities except for one bar of soap and one bottle of shampoo and conditioner that is combined. I’ve been to many hotels that are less a night and give me way more amenities. Many of the things that are wrong with the hotel room are very easy fixes. The bathrooms themselves are not great there’s only one single sink and the shower has a shower curtain and it’s not even glass. I expect more from a hotel bathroom when I’m paying this kind of money. I will enclose photos. My other major complaint is that there’s nowhere to put her things away in the room we had to live out of our suitcases for a week because there is no dresser to put your clothes away. I did not like that as I’m a person who likes to keep things tidy and likes to put their clothes away upon entering the hotel room, there is no place to do that so I was not ab
I had generally been looking forward to Mar Monte, seeing as how it’s listed as a 4 star hotel on the beach. But the truth is, the lack of service, disgusting conditions of the room, and dated appearance made it quite disappointing. Of the two rooms I booked, Room A had stained sheets and stains all over the carpets. It was also immediately against the parking lot, dark and dated. Felt like a cheap motel. Room B was the same, ignoring my Hyatt profile preferences for a high floor. As I’m a light sleeper cars were literally parked up close to the window, I requested to be moved. The second room was at least not on top of the parked cars but was not cleaned. There was someone’s leftover catering in the room and blood stains in the carpet by the door. I brought this to the front desk that evening and the response I received was appalling “that’s super random, I can go pick up the tray with you now.” It was only when I went back with someone else at the front desk, that I finally had an appropriate response where they moved me to my now third room for a three night stay. That room had a lovely ocean view, but still felt dated for what’s being marketed as a 4 star resort. Along the way, the every day service was terrible - following up multiple times with the front desk or the cleaning folks for things. For some reason they don’t clean the rooms every day. The valets were eager to drive the car but never seemed to listen - eg “don’t park the car yet, I’m just checking in and my luggage is still there” but then the car already is being moved or “please have the car ready at 11am, ” but then having to wait because it’s not out front at that time and there’s a queue of people waiting for the valet. Quite disappointing. Won’t be staying there again.
More like a 3- than a 4-star hotel. The extra star and higher price comes from its location. The room was smaller than expected, no view, and in separate building from the main hotel/check-in area, which we were surprised about.