New hotels in Santa Barbara

We track one hotel in Santa Barbara: the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort, a 360-room property at 633 East Cabrillo Boulevard that reopened on 24 April 2018 after a complete remodel of the former Fess Parker DoubleTree. It is a rebrand of an existing resort, not a new building, and it is the biggest hotel on the city's waterfront. A 73-room expansion has since been approved, and a handful of other projects are in the pipeline, which makes this an unusually active moment for a city that builds slowly.

Santa Barbara lies on a stretch of coast where the Santa Ynez Mountains meet the Pacific, about 90 miles north-west of Los Angeles. The coastline here runs east to west, unlike most of California's, so the beaches face south. The city has about 90,000 residents, a Spanish colonial revival center rebuilt after the 1925 earthquake, and a long habit of regulating what can be built. That is why large new hotels are few.

What to do

A weekend in Santa Barbara

Begin at the county courthouse, a Spanish colonial revival building from 1929. The observation deck of its clock tower is open daily until half an hour before the building closes, needs no reservation, and gives the best view of the red-tile roofs and the sea. On the floor below, the Clock Gallery shows the workings of a 1929 Seth Thomas tower clock and murals on the history of timekeeping; it opens with a docent on Wednesdays and Saturdays, in groups of up to 15.

From there State Street is the main commercial spine, running from the mountains toward the ocean and ending at Stearns Wharf, a wooden pier from 1872 with restaurants and a small science center. East Beach and West Beach flank the wharf. East Beach is the wider of the two and sits across Cabrillo Boulevard from the Hilton, while the path along the shore runs past both.

The Funk Zone is bordered by State Street, Stearns Wharf and East Beach. Former warehouses there now hold tasting rooms, small breweries and galleries, and the Urban Wine Trail links more than 20 tasting rooms, about half of them in this district. It is a good place for an afternoon of tasting on foot, since nobody has to drive afterwards.

On the second day, go up to the Old Mission, founded in 1786 and the most intact of the California missions, set on a hillside with a view over the city. Its grounds host the I Madonnari street painting festival every Memorial Day weekend; the 2026 edition, the 40th, was free and ran from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden is nearby in the foothills, and Alameda Park and the zoo are closer to the center.

A full week

A week allows the wine country. The Santa Ynez Valley, about an hour inland over the San Marcos Pass, is where Fess Parker's own winery is located, along with dozens of others, and the Sta. Rita Hills area is known for pinot noir. The coastline north of the city, toward Gaviota, has quiet beaches.

For Channel Islands National Park, note that the park service lists its concessionaire, Island Packers, as the only company authorized to carry paying visitors to the islands, and that its scheduled boats leave from Ventura and Oxnard harbors, not from Santa Barbara. The crossing to Santa Cruz Island takes about an hour from Ventura Harbor. Santa Barbara Island is a longer trip of roughly three hours, and landings there were reported suspended because of dock damage.

Montecito, the wealthy enclave south-east of Santa Barbara, has its own village shopping street and a long beach. Carpinteria, a few miles beyond, is a smaller beach town reached by the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner or the 101 freeway.

Several dates shape a stay. Old Spanish Days, the city's Fiesta, takes place in early August: in 2026 it ran from 5 to 9 August, with a mercado along two blocks of State Street and the parade, El Desfile, on Cabrillo Boulevard. The Santa Barbara International Film Festival returns for its 42nd edition from 3 to 13 February 2027. Rooms near the waterfront are scarce on both weekends.

Where to stay

Waterfront and East Beach

Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort is across from East Beach on Cabrillo Boulevard. The property was developed by the actor Fess Parker and operated for years as The Fess Parker, A DoubleTree by Hilton Resort. Hilton and the Parker family announced the rebrand in October 2017, and all 360 rooms were remodeled before the hotel reopened under the Hilton name in April 2018.

It is a resort in the full sense: a heated outdoor pool, six places to eat and drink, a wine tasting room that pours Central Coast wines, and more than 40,000 square feet of meeting space. A complimentary shuttle serves the airport and the Amtrak station. The scale is the point, and also the limit.

The resort is about to get bigger. The city's Planning Commission unanimously approved an expansion on 15 May 2025: a 50,195-square-foot addition to the Bougainvillea building, the demolition of the eight-room Azalea building and the tennis courts, a new pool and an outdoor lounge with a bar. The room count would rise from 360 to 433, and most of the new construction would sit on the western side of the site, toward South Calle Cesar Chavez. The project relies on a transfer of development rights from an adjacent property of the Parker family. The hotel workers' union Unite Here Local 11 appealed, arguing that the owners had not met low-cost lodging obligations from an earlier development agreement, and the City Council rejected the appeal 6 to 0 on 23 September 2025. No construction schedule has been published.

Nearby projects

Local press has reported several other hotel projects that we do not yet list. The Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore in Montecito, closed since 2020, is expected to reopen in early 2027 after missing earlier targets of late 2025 and late 2026, with 138 rooms and suites (nearly 30 percent fewer than before), more bungalow suites with heated plunge pools, a new family pool with a 150-foot lazy river, and a Nobu restaurant. A 105-room Marriott Tribute Portfolio hotel by the developer Stratus is planned at 926 Hutash Street, between Highway 101 and the railroad tracks near East Beach; construction was due to start in September 2025, with an opening about two years later. A 250-room hotel at 101 Garden Street received final design approval from the Historic Landmarks Commission in October 2026, with no opening date: 130 of the rooms would be for extended stays and 120 would be select-service rooms.

The Moxy, in the former Wayfarer Hostel, was a point of dispute in the Hilton appeal, since the city counted the hostel as the low-cost lodging the earlier agreement required. The appellants put its lowest rate at $313 a night in 2025.

Downtown and State Street

The center of town is where visitors without a car do best. State Street's restaurants, theaters and the Granada, a performing arts hall, are within a few blocks, and the Amtrak station is on the edge of the Funk Zone. The older hotels here are small inns, many in restored buildings, and they are outside our tracking.

Montecito and the Riviera

Montecito and the Riviera, the hillside neighborhood above the Old Mission, are quieter and more expensive. They suit travelers who want views and calm and do not mind a drive into town.

Which hotel for your trip

Families and beach stays

The Hilton resort is the one that combines a pool, a beach across the road and a range of food in one place. Families with children who want a pool and a short walk to the sand are the most obvious users.

Weddings and group events

With a ballroom that holds up to 600 guests and a semi-enclosed terrace called Plaza Del Sol, the resort is set up for groups and weddings. The city has few venues of this size, which explains its large events business.

Travelers who prefer a small inn

The Hilton is not the right choice for a guest who wants a quiet, historic setting. For those travelers, Santa Barbara's smaller hotels downtown and in Montecito are a better fit.

Practical notes

Santa Barbara's climate is mild: summers are warm and dry, winters cool with some rain, and the marine layer can leave mornings gray in May and June. The city sits next to a coastal fire zone, and in January 2018 a debris flow from the burned hills damaged Montecito. Highway 101 can be affected by mudslides and fires, so check the road before driving up from Los Angeles.

The Pacific Surfliner links Los Angeles Union Station to Santa Barbara in anywhere from about two hours 15 minutes to two hours 40 minutes depending on the train, with departures roughly every hour, and the railway runs close to the beach. Santa Barbara Airport is small, with direct flights to several West Coast cities, and the Hilton operates a complimentary shuttle. Parking downtown is mostly in public garages that are cheaper than street parking in the busy blocks.

Weekends from June through August, and holiday weekends, are the most expensive and crowded. September and October are often warm and calm, and spring brings wildflowers in the hills.

Frequently asked questions

What is the newest hotel in Santa Barbara?

The Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort, which reopened in April 2018 after a remodel of the former Fess Parker DoubleTree. It is the only hotel in the city that we track, and it is a rebrand rather than new construction.

Is the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort on the beach?

It is across Cabrillo Boulevard from East Beach, so guests cross the road to reach the sand. The resort has its own heated pool.

How do I get to Santa Barbara from Los Angeles?

By car it takes about two hours without traffic along the 101. The Amtrak Pacific Surfliner runs from Los Angeles Union Station and takes roughly two and a half hours.

Is the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort getting bigger?

Yes, on paper. The city approved an expansion that would take it from 360 to 433 rooms, with a new pool and an outdoor bar, but no construction schedule has been published.

Is the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort the former Fess Parker?

Yes. It operated as The Fess Parker, A DoubleTree by Hilton Resort until its remodel and rebranding in 2018. At the time of the reopening it was owned jointly by Park Hotels & Resorts and the Fess Parker family.