Fess Parker’s DoubleTree Resort

Valentine’s Weekend MISTAKE! Dirty bathroom, loud generator noise all night off and on randomly, old beat up furniture and doors in The Azalea Rooms. They Would not honor our Fess Parker Wine Club Promised discount. The food at the Café was less than average and the service at the brunch was rushed and rude. Also no sign of Valentines Day anywhere. no champagne at brunch, no flowers anywhere, no red anything! Also they nickel and dime you for everything, ex.:Internet 12.95 per day, parking 19.95 per day. The bell hops were kind and smiley. Everyone else was grumpy. I would never stay here again even with the beautiful views and ocean sounds. The over $ 600 a night room was an insult!

Came here for a planning meeting. I came here several years ago and remembered it being much nicer, but the rooms were just okay this time around. The location is beautiful! Adjacent to the hotel, within walking distance is a beautiful stretch of beach that was so nice and serene it actually opened up the creative beings that lived within. Not far from the location is the pier/​fisherman wharf which is equally beautiful. Can’t complain about Santa Barbara though, well even if you did nobody would give a s!&@!

I did a bit of research into hotels in the Santa Barbara area, and I kept coming back to the Fess Parker, largely because it is so close to the beach and the water, but also because the smaller motels were not that much cheaper (at least when we were there, in mid-​January). I was well aware of the highly mixed reviews, but I figured that the most overriding criticisms were that it felt a bit dated — and given we were only there for a long weekend and would be out of the room most of the time, that wouldn’t be an issue. Fast forward to checking in late at night (around 1 AM), and it was pretty straightforward to grab our keys (along with the free cookie — still offered at that time of night!) and make our way to the room. As one can tell from the lobby (which is a really gorgeous structure during the daytime, as light simply floods in all day long and livens it up with the ocean-​facing view), the grounds are big, and late at night, I ended up parking way too far away for our room in Fuscia (which is pretty much next to the main building).
Our building was one story, so an ‘Ocean View’ room was really a ground-​level room that is obstructed by nothing but Highway 1 and the palm trees lining it. If you want to step out onto the porch and simply relax and take it all in — the view, the ocean smell — it’s very easy to (and with a concrete barrier, you don’t need to worry about anyone simply walking right up to you). The room was also very spacious — a couple of couches and some chairs made for plenty of space for all our stuff. The room itself is pretty no-​frills, and you can tell that parts of it (particularly the bathroom) haven’t been updated in a while. But everything functions pretty decently, the Wi-​Fi (free for HHonors members) is relatively reliable (it did go out once in the early evening for a few minutes), and the bed was pretty comfortable. I will say the one thing I found puzzling was being charged $ 19/​day for parking, even though, outside of arriving at the hotel, the gates were open the entire time I was there, and I never had to swipe to get in.
I definitely enjoyed my time here, and I would have zero issue at all staying here again. Built in the similar old-​Spanish style of much of the local architecture, the Fess Parker does fit right in with Santa Barbara. A room overhaul is probably in order at some point, but to be frank — you aren’t traveling to this part of California to be sitting inside all day anyways. I’d love to try the restaurant next time, as it is outside and has a killer view when the sun goes down over the ocean.

Thank goodness we only stayed here for one night. We booked a room that the website calls a «mountain view» room, but it actually had a view of the 101fwy and parking lot, with a train track right outside, and the train blares its horn every time it passes by. I’m guessing the other side that faces the ocean is not as loud, but if you don’t shell out the extra money for an ocean view, I’d stay away from this hotel. I’m not sure how the ocean view rooms are decorated, but the mountain view room we stayed in was in desperate need of an upgrade. The beds looked like my grandma’s house, and the tile in the shower/​tub combo were just plain white square tiles. The only reason I gave it two stars is because we got a pretty good deal ($ 230/​night), and my son loves trains, so the passing trains kept him occupied.

Dusty lamps, wine bottles & moldy placemat that had the hotel wine sitting on it! YUCK!!!
Two stars because of the view of the ocean and the cookies given at check-​in. Checked in today (12−30−15) for a two night stay but we want to leave already. So disappointed with the room. The room is incredibly outdated, shabby & dank. The bathroom is just gross! The tub/​shower has old mold & discolorations. The sink/​counter is tilting toward the ground, it looks like it is falling off. The dresser has knobs which are falling off & there was sticky stuff on the dresser, which housekeeping had to come clean off. The tv is so old & doesn’t work very well. The front desk does not pick up the phone, an «operator» will finally take the call and assist you. I had submitted an upgrade request prior to checking in but alas when we arrived and checked in, no upgrades were available. I am not sure even if we had gotten the upgrade, the room or suite would be any better.
All in all, even with the «ocean» view (there is a street & cars), the cost of our current room which is $ 450 + a night, is SO NOT WORTH THE MONEY!!! VERY DISAPPOINTED!!!

This is a lovely property facing the ocean with spectacular views. The pool is nice and clean and the rooms were quite spacious. The lobby is immaculate and the check in staff were very friendly and helpful. The cookies upon arrival were so yummy!
I saw some comments here about the facilities being old and tired but this wasn’t my experience.
The room was nicely appointed and large with generous sized double beds and plenty of space and storage even for the four of us. The breakfast buffet was really nice. A large buffet plus one could order freshly made omelettes from the kitchen.
For dinner we wanted to try Mexican and the checkin person gave us a wonderful recommendation of a small local place which was just fabulous!
Everything interesting is either in walking distance or a short drive from us. Location, location, location! I’m really glad we stayed here — only wish we would have stayed an additional day in Santa Barbara!

I was very disappointed with my time here at Fess Parker for several reasons. First off, we were told that no upgrades were available at check in, as Hilton Gold Members, because the hotel was «sold out.» Fast forward to one night into our horrendous stay, we were offered an upgrade (must’ve appeared magically)… Secondly, staff watched us drag our bags to our room on the other side of the resort. I was surprised no one offered to help at the $ 400+ nightly price point of our room.
PROs
–Delicious walnut chocolate chip cookie upon checkin– very nice touch. That cookie was really, really good. Don’t stop making those.
–The breakfast buffet was above average. Great omelet station, beautiful fruit and pastry selection. Lots of options: pancakes, french toast, oatmeal, etc.
CONs
–When you are trying to do right by your guests don’t try to accuse them of lying about the dirt of the walls or the foul smell in the halls.
–If you would like to live up to your price point, try and go above and beyond for your guests. Your competition does, so you have to step it up.
–Work on making your common areas and amenities more inviting. I am still wondering why not a single person went in your pool on a «sold out» weekend. Yes, it was a little cloudy, but the area doesn’t even look inviting enough to lounge and read a book. We specially came to get some R&R so needless to say we left feeling disappointed.

The property is lovely and the location is great, but the management and service at this hotel is HORRENDOUS. My husband and I got married at the Four Seasons, but regretfully arranged for our hotel room block to be at the Fess Parker. Pretty much everything that could have possible gone wrong went wrong: the hotel lost and confused the reservations of our guests, including double booking or cancelling rooms; they did not make accommodations for handicapped guests despite numerous phone calls requesting this; and there was terrible communication about everything. Each time we spoke with someone, they didn’t know what was going on with our room block. They couldn’t even tell us how many rooms had been reserved! It was a nightmare.
Additionally, we decided to host a breakfast at the Fess Parker on Sunday morning before our guests left town. The week of the wedding, the location of the breakfast got moved THREE times without reason. The last thing I wanted to be worried about the week of the wedding was where this darn breakfast would be held, and yet the FP management kept changing the plans. They finally decided to move us outside in the veranda, but the morning of our breakfast, they had workers removing a large construction right next to our breakfast making for a very noisy and unpleasant environment. They never apologized for the inconvenience or the stress this caused us or our guests.
Overall, this was an EXTREMELY disappointing experience with this hotel. I strongly warn against using this hotel for events or room blocks!

I don’t write bad reviews. But I am absolutely livid that I am paying $ 1,000 for two nights here… especially as a Hilton Gold member.
My girlfriend and I decided to get away for a girls trip before a wedding this weekend and thought Santa Barbara would be the perfect stop on the way up north. With this price point, we expected A LOT more.
The pool is worse than my old apartment out of college. It is run down with a terrible view. We let out an audible gasp when we walked past it to our room… which, by the way, took a good 5 minutes after check-​in due to the awkward layout of the hotel. We daydreamed about laying by the pool or on the beach for two days… but that pool will never see us.
When you have the word «resort» in your name, you conjure up images of waiters who will bring you drinks by the pool or beach… neither of those things will happen here, nor should you want them to given the run down state of the place. I wanted to be at a hotel where I would literally be throwing money at them to make me happy with drinks and food and relaxation… but instead I’ll be paying this place $ 1,000 and dreading coming back here to lay my head.
See the pictures attached. The mold in the bathroom is completely unacceptable as is the dire state of the room. If you charged me $ 199 a night for this room, fine. I would not be complaining one bit… even $ 250…but $ 450 after tax?! Absolutely not. And the smell of the carpets in the hall is inexcusable.

Will try to keep this brief, but its a long list of warnings /​complaints… impressive for a single night stay.
1– A/​C in our room had a motion detector that switches off the air after a very short period of time. It was a hot weekend so neither of us slept well.
2– The room was not ready on time. Check in time is 4pm, and we had to be at a wedding at 5pm the day we arrived. Even though I called ahead that morning, they were not able to give us a room until 4:30pm, so we were almost late.
3– I had to call 3 times, and the «front desk» never picked up. The other operator finally «helped»… but see point 2 above.
4– Parking in their huge lot was $ 20 a night, adding insult to injury.
Maybe we would have had a better experience if we booked with Hilton honors or… something

Hubby and I stayed here recently for a night away to catch a show at the Santa Barbara Bowl. We thought the property was really pretty and in a great location, but the interior was a little tired. (Not the room, but the hallways).
The price was too steep, especially considering you have to pay $ 19 or $ 20 a night to park. There are other equally nice hotels (if not a little nicer) in town with very accessible street parking. Charging the guests to park in the enormous lot felt like a cheap ploy to gouge a little more.
That being said– those warm chocolate chip cookies… yummmmmm.
I’d be back if I couldn’t find a better alternative in town, but there are plenty of other more affordable options for future trips.

The location is great (right across the beach), nice fitness room (clean) and chill environment outside patio for your dining pleasure. So why the 3 Stars?
We arrived a little early for check in but I was extremely happy that the front desk staff was able to accommodate us with an early check in. Yay!
So excited, we wanted to drop our bags off in the room and make our way to the beach. We were located in the Bougainville Rooms which is on the opposite end of the lobby. We walked into the hallway and there was this nasty odor that stunk. :(
We were hoping that our room accommodations would not smell stink too. :(Boo it had a slight smell in the room. It’s like an old musty wood kind of a smell. Whatever I’ll turn the air on high and cool the room down.
We stayed for two nights since Tupac was attending a conference. I kicked it a little in the room watching TV (since it was a long drive) and ewww I found flies flying around that I had to kill. In the bathroom there were gnats flying that I closed the door to kill it before letting them out. They must’ve been hiding because after killing 5 flying bugs, the next day I killed 3 more. Not sure where they were coming from. Oh well…
The fitness room was definitely an A+ experience. Towels and ear phones were provided. Not the biggest fitness room but good enough to get your workout on.
Overall, the hotel itself was very nice and I was able to have a couple of drinks out on the patio seating at the bar. Really nice to watch the sunset.

This place is one of the worst hotels I have stayed out. When you pay for a 4 star hotel you should receive one. You are nickel and dimed the moment you walk in. Need parking? EXTRA! Refrigerator? Extra!
As soon as we bit the bullet on the $ 20 a day up charge we headed to our room. The moment we opened the doors the smell hit us like a ton of bricks. The carpet was moist and even the beds were damp. The hotel must have cleaned the carpets the day we checked in.
The room was mediocre and dated. The mattresses had a dip in the middle. The bathroom was atrocious and repulsive. When vacationing I expect the hotel room to be clean. Not this one. The dirt was caked in the bathrooms and it was MOLDY! Disgusting. Apparently the hotel doesn’t care to have repeat guest. NEVER NEVER NEVER again. I complained to the front desk and was told they would let the manager know. Wow!
I will be posting this review anywhere and everywhere. I will also contact corporate to ensure they know the condition of their property.

We only stayed for one night as a break for a drive further up north, but my family and I had a great experience here. I did not interact too much with the front desk for check in or check out so I can’t comment on how helpful and accommodating they are. However, all the other employees I met (restaurant, housekeeping, doormen) were all very pleasant and welcoming. The hotel is resort style, so apart from the main building, there are smaller buildings around that you can be placed into. We stayed in one of the smaller buildings closer to the water and had an amazing view. If you have a group of people needing more than one room, I would recommend requesting that you be placed in the same building because walking back and forth between some buildings can be a bit much since the property is so large.
The rooms and appliances are a little bit on the older side, but everything was still very clean and functional. No complaints really there.
The resort has plenty of amenities like tennis, basketball, swimming etc. We didn’t stay long so we didn’t have the chance to use them, but I imagine it’d be nice to have access to all these if you are planning to stay a few days.
The location is amazing, right by the waterfront, which makes for a great view in many rooms, but there are not many restaurants and shops within walking distance, so you would most likely need to drive or cab for dinner unless you plan on staying at the hotel. One thing that I did not like very much, but I guess is becoming more common in hotels universally anyways even if they aren’t very urban, is that we had to pay for parking. I don’t remember the exact amount per night, but I recall it being relatively expensive, so consider that as well when booking.

What can I say except for the fact that this is probably one of the worst experiences I have had. I have stayed here in the past but this hotel is becoming extremely run down. The few bright spots I had were the bell man who always remember us, along with the extremely nice pool staff.
I am currently still staying here for 4^th of July weekend; however, my family can’t wait to leave. It all comes down to the cleanliness or lack thereof regarding our room. We booked a 2 room suite with an ocean view at $ 650/​night. Upon arrival the room smelled of stale carpet and had a foul odor. Meanwhile as we were unpacking we realized that the carpet was quite sticky in several places. Since we have a 2 year old we decided to start scrubbing the carpet so our son could run around freely. We also decided to open up the door to our balcony to air out the room and that was a disaster considering the door lock was broken and it is very difficult to open the door once you get past the broken door lock.
Next we turned on the air in the room and realized the vents were completely dusty and filthy. Then upon turning on the tv we realized the batteries to the remote were dead and the remote was sticky. Upon using the bathroom the toilet seat was chipped and the lid was cracked. The caulking and grout in the shower were filthy and the hard water stains are deplorable.
If it weren’t bad enough these things take the cake. The room has plantation shutters. My son climbed up to open the shutters and the stick flew off and hit him in the head. We quickly realized that it was duct taped back on instead of being fixed.
Speaking with the front desk it took 3 rounds to get a maintenance guy to the room. So we leave the room to come back to him changing out our toilet seat. At that point I realized the blinds had not been fixed I asked him to fix the blinds and he says «I don’t do that» and abruptly leaves. Meanwhile the only thing aside from the other stuff that he did fix was our sliding glass door lock which is now broken again.
Needless to say I hope I survive another 24 hours here but am utterly disappointed this situation nearly ruined my holiday weekend. This is several horrible trips at Hilton properties and my wife and I have decided no more Hilton owned properties for us.
Beware of staying in this horribly outdated and unsanitary hotel.

Outdated rooms in desperate need of refurbishment.
The hotel’s check-​in staff, housekeeping & restaurant staff are all professional and helpful. The hotel location is amazing & only steps from the beach, minutes from the pier (North), and minutes from the zoo (South). So it’s just sad to see everything let go & wasted bc there’s so much potential for this to be an oceanfront gem. It’s really on the brink of being a motel-​class property.
Our room was in the Bougainvillea building & the entire Bougainvillea building smelled musty & of stale carpet. Even walking down the dark grey hallways was depressing and the doors to each room are sadly outdated. Retrofitting the lighting to LED is inexpensive, energy efficient & would completely brighten up the property.
The room itself is an excellent size & a sliding glass door opens to a private balcony. Another great amenity is that every king-​bed guest room includes a pullout sofa. To allow for a large-​size room, the bathroom is small with a shower/​tub combo, but there are split double sinks with one sink inside the bathroom and another just outside. If the hotel does refurbish, it might consider opening up the entire space so that the closet/​bathroom/​sinks are one large tiled space with a sliding door to separate from the room. Even just the impression of scale would make the entire room feel luxurious. The carpet & room was in desperate need of a refresh/​refurbish. The room smelled so stale that we had to keep the sliding glass door open to allow for fresh air.
Buffet breakfast is an excellent value. In fact, I don’t recall ever having a bad meal at any Hilton property. Our waiter was especially helpful bc he assisted us in getting a complimentary breakfast voucher for one of our children.
But one other disappointment was the gift shop off the main building lobby. Although all the other hotel staff were excellent, the gift shop clerk was not helpful. We traveled as a family with two toddler-​aged children. The kids each purchased a $ 5 knick-​knack — one chose a plastic shark grabber toy & the other chose a plastic dolphin grabber toy. Right after the kids paid, I realized that the toys were stamped «San Diego» instead of «Santa Barbara». It was a minor annoyance, but a disappointment nevertheless.

This resort is right on the water in Santa Barbara and is close enough to State Street to keep it interesting and far enough away to keep it quiet. Like a little oasis. The place is a little rundown and expensive for what you get. I think it was $ 250 for a room per a night for double bed. We had asked for towels, but none ever came, and we asked for a sewing kit and none ever came, even though we were told they were on their way.
It’s still a nice place, although it could use some updating.

Great location, just across the street from the beach and a short walk to the pier and State Street. This is my go-​to place wheniver I need a stay-​cation from LA. About an hour’s drive, but world’s away.
The property is huge, and they’ve got a great rotunda for weddings. The pool area is nice as well, but can get pretty busy on holiday weekends.
The rooms are somewhat 80s-​dated, but comfortable and clean. Plus if you have a pet, they’re allowed (for a fee).
I took off one star for the parking fee, which is really quite ridiculous, especially in the off-​season.

The Fess Parker is located on the beach in beautiful Santa Barbara. My cousin had her wedding reception at this hotel and I, along with many of the family, stayed here. The rooms are comfortable and clean. The bridal suite was beautiful! It was very large with a dining room table, living room, patio balcony with furniture, whirlpool tub in the bathroom, separate shower, separate bedroom. Our only complaint was that the first night my aunt was given a room above the bar area and it was sooo noisy that she couldn’t sleep.
All of the hotel staff that we encountered were incredibly friendly. Dave, one of the valets, helped us out the morning of the wedding when the wedding coordinator grabbed my maid of honor bouquet by mistake. He brought it out to the car for me so that I could make it in time for the wedding pictures. I also have to give a shout out to Dominick in housekeeping. All of the ladies used the bridal suite to get ready the morning of the wedding, so it was kind of messy. After the ceremony I ran upstairs and started straightening it up before heading down to the reception. I called housekeeping and Dominick came and did a great job tidying up and was very friendly.
This hotel provides a shuttle service to and from the Santa Barbara airport, which was very convenient for us. You need to arrange a ride ahead of time.

This is a lovely people-​friendly dog hotel. Er, I mean.
Upon check-​in, we received a doggie bag full of goodies for the pups — a tennis ball, treats, lists of dog-​friendly beaches and restaurants, and even a doggie room service menu.
The staff is great. The valets are quick and eager to help, and the front-​desk person (Stan?) was really helpful in getting our rooms in order.
The location is great, easy to access great food and activities nearby.
For the price, it could really be more luxurious. The towels were very thin, small, and scratchy, and the beds left a lot to be desired. The rooms were spacious and had great views, though.
The site is an old train station, and, as a card in the room states, you can hear the Amtrak commuter train going by and rattling the glass sliding doors every couple of hours. Luckily, it seems as though the train doesn’t run at night.
My only major complaint is the entry/​exit system for parking cars. In theory, it is a good idea — you swipe your room key to get in and out of the parking lot — but it never, ever works. Everyone trying to exit gets frustrated swiping their room key over and over, and pressing the «call» button for assistance until someone manually opens the gate. This is an annoyance for most, but I could see it being a major problem if, say, an ambulance that comes to pick up a patient is unable to exit in a timely manner.

Sehr in die Jahre gekommenes Hotel. Sauber aber eben mit sehr vielen Gebrauchsspuren. Die Zimmer sind zum Teil sehr dunkel. Die Größe der Zimmer ist passabel. Das Personal ist überaus freundlich und hilfsbereit. Das Frühstück kann sich sehen lassen obgleich auch hier ein wenig das Buffet nicht so sehr ansprechend ist.
Der Pool ist sehr stark gechlort.
Für Firmenevents sicherlich die richtige Wahl, insbesondere weil es großzügige Konferenzräume bietet.
WLAN ist in den Räumen überall mit einer hervorragenden Verbindung verfügbar.