Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort

The Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort reopened on 24 April 2018 after a complete remodel of what had been The Fess Parker, A DoubleTree by Hilton Resort. It has 360 rooms and sits across Cabrillo Boulevard from East Beach. Hilton still manages the property, which is owned by Park Hotels & Resorts and the Fess Parker family.

The place

The resort is at 633 East Cabrillo Boulevard, the road that runs along Santa Barbara's waterfront. East Beach is on the other side of the street, and downtown's State Street is within walking distance. Stearns Wharf and the Funk Zone, the converted warehouse district of tasting rooms, are closer to the west end of the same shoreline.

The hotel runs a complimentary shuttle to Santa Barbara Airport and to the Amtrak station, which suits visitors arriving by the Pacific Surfliner from Los Angeles.

The concept

The property is not new. It was developed as a resort by the actor Fess Parker, who played Davy Crockett on television and later became a Santa Barbara County winemaker, and it operated for decades as The Fess Parker, A DoubleTree by Hilton Resort. Hilton and the Parker family announced on 2 October 2017 that they would remodel it and rebrand it. The Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort name went on the building when it reopened on 24 April 2018.

The work was phased. The first phase covered the guest rooms, the lobby, the Roundhouse restaurant and Java Del Mar, the grab-and-go coffee bar. The second phase covered the meeting space, including two ballrooms, their foyers and the nearby restrooms. Guest rooms were renovated one building at a time while the rest of the resort stayed open. All 360 rooms were remodeled, with ocean and sky-blue tones, driftwood-inspired interiors, and private balconies or patios. The designer was not named in the announcements.

The resort is managed by Hilton and owned jointly by Park Hotels & Resorts and the Fess Parker family, which has a long partnership with the brand. The resort lists more than 40,000 square feet of meeting and event space, which it describes as the largest in the region, including the semi-enclosed Plaza Del Sol and a ballroom that holds up to 600 guests.

This is a rebrand and renovation, not a new building, and the site lists it as an opening because the name, the product and the brand all changed.

Dining & wellness

The Roundhouse is the all-day restaurant, with a menu that changes daily. Rodney's Grill serves seafood and meats with seasonal ingredients, and The Set is a bistro with outdoor fire pits. Terraza Del Mar handles poolside lunch and blended drinks, and Java Del Mar covers coffee and grab-and-go food.

The Fess Parker Wine Tasting Room pours Central Coast wines through a self-service dispensing system, the family also runs a winery in the Santa Ynez Valley.