Discover one of the finest hotels in Santa Barbara, California when you stay at Mar Monte Hotel. Built in 1931, our historic hotel welcomes guests with its casual elegance and first-rate service. Detailed with a fusion of Spanish Colonial architecture blended with modern conveniences, Mar Monte Hotel is a shining gateway to the City of Santa Barbara, also known as the American Riviera. Discover 176 comfortably-appointed guestrooms, a perfect home base for both leisure and business travelers. Enjoy the warm California sunshine in our heated outdoor pool and enjoy a local beverage at our ocean view pool bar, Lido, work off stress in the spacious fitness center, or enjoy dinner at Costa Restaurant, serving coastal Italian cuisine with a local flare. A 100% smoke-free hotel, Mar Monte also offers amenities like in-room dining, valet and self-parking, valet laundry service, and a business center. With 14,000 square feet of flexible and unique meeting space, offering exquisite culinary selections and the latest in technology, Mar Monte Hotel is ideal for your next corporate event.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Ocean View
Great View
Languages Spoken
English, Spanish
Location
1111 East Cabrillo Boulevard, Santa Barbara, CA 93103-3701
Mar Monte - Unbound Collection By Hyatt
932 reviews
Getting there
Somewhat walkable
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
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Mar Monte Hotel, part of the Unbound Collection by Hyatt, garners mixed reviews regarding its ambiance and accommodations. While the Spanish-style decor contributes to a charming and inviting atmosphere, and many guests enjoy the proximity to the beach and local attractions, some have voiced concerns about noise levels, with disturbances prompting the need for earplugs.
Although the hotel offers amenities like complimentary bikes, a heated pool, and beach access, guests have called out high parking fees and room conditions as detracting from the overall value. The service here is often highlighted as friendly, but experiences can vary.
Location
Convenient
Atmosphere
Charming
Rooms
Dated
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Mixed
Noise level
Noisy
Service
Inconsistent
Amenities
Well-appointed
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Room Tip:Â Make sure to ask about upgrades if you are with Hyatt or Amex
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Treg Finney, General Manager at Mar Monte - Unbound Collection By Hyatt
Responded Aug 21, 2024
amandaromew, It was a pleasure to welcome you as our guest, and we’re elated that you thoroughly enjoyed your stay with us. We are very fortunate to have so many great reviews, and I greatly appreciate you adding your experience! Thank you again for the comments that you have shared, and we look forward to your return. Treg
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The staff was professional, friendly, and helpful. While traveling to the location we asked for cheese, crackers, grapes, and sparkling water, to be delivered to the room prior our arrival. When we arrived the items were in the room making for a great start to a weekend after a long drive to the location. Great job Mar Monte.
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Review collected in partnership with Hyatt Hotels
Date of stay: September 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Treg Finney, General Manager at Mar Monte - Unbound Collection By Hyatt
Responded Oct 7, 2024
Junus P, We’re delighted to hear that we went above and beyond in providing you with the best experience possible! It is a huge compliment when our guests enjoy their stay so much that they take the time to review our property and recommend it to others. Thank you for your review - we excitedly await your next visit! Treg
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We had a suite on the 2nd floor of the Santa Cruz building. It slept two adults and two kids comfortably. The kids shared the queen pull out in the living room and they said it was comfortable. We loved having our meals out on the large balcony overlooking the beach. We also enjoyed the FREE bike rentals and EV charging! The pool was warm and the hot tub was great with powerful jets. Costa kitchen served good meals - they were pricey but the large portions made up for the price. The hotel charged $10 for a microwave rental - it was worth it for us. The manager Danielle, was really accommodating, she sent us a plate of macarons after housekeeping was delayed getting the pullout bed set up for the kids. The room was quiet and we slept really well. The staff were all pleasant, particularly the valet kiddos. Overall, we enjoyed our three day/two night stay.
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Date of stay: August 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Treg Finney, General Manager at Mar Monte - Unbound Collection By Hyatt
Responded Aug 12, 2024
333marlenec, We’re delighted to hear that we went above and beyond in providing you with the best experience possible! It is a huge compliment when our guests enjoy their stay so much that they take the time to review our property and recommend it to others. Thank you for your review - we excitedly await your next visit! Treg
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As other reviewers have mentioned, this hotel is very old so there is a bit of mustiness that is expected with that. BUT....They allow pets, and the rooms have carpet... and as with our room, pets have undoubtedly urinated on the carpets. Someone has come to spray our room and now, an hour later, our room smells of bubble gum mixed with urine. We asked to switch rooms twice but the hotel is fully booked. I want to head home early but my husband is tired. At over $400/ night why am I dealing with the stench of pet urine in my room? Why do they have carpet if they allow pets?! To top it off we got back at 3.45 pm and our room was not made. Called front desk and was told they were fully booked so there was likely a delay. It's almost 4pm. 😞 Ocean view faces a busy street and the swimming pool so consider the trade off. I don't mind noise and families having fun at the pool, but I am currently livid that we paid good money to be in a room that smells like a public park toilet. Staff is great. Proximity to ocean is great. Bed is comfortable. If you have allergies, if you're a light sleeper, or if you have an aversion to staying in a room where animals urinate on carpet that doesn't get washed, you might want to consider another location. We absolutely will not be returning.
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Date of stay: July 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Â Stay elsewhere
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Treg Finney, General Manager at Mar Monte - Unbound Collection By Hyatt
Responded Jul 22, 2024
mongk539, First and foremost, please accept my sincerest apologies for the unsatisfactory experience you had during your time with us. We are truly sorry and disappointed to hear about the perception you are left with about our staff and accommodations. We have high expectations for ourselves and are all sorry we missed the mark on your experience. We really hoped you'd love us - I'm so saddened to hear that we fell short. Please know that we do try to consistently deliver a superior guest experience. Should you ever find yourself back in town, please give us a chance to show you that our product and service can live up to your expectations. Treg
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My husband and I were celebrating our 20th anniversary and decided to go to Santa Barbara for the first time. I read A LOT of reviews on A LOT of hotels before booking anything. Ultimately we wanted to be beachfront, wanted a balcony, a nice pool and wanted to be close to everything and didn't want to spend $1k a night. Mar Monte checked all those boxes.
Reviews can be scary, so here is my honest review based off reviews from other people:
Noise - I read a review that it was super noisey- we didn't encounter that, we were on the 2nd floor corner room and we did hear the person above us, they started pacing early morning, but it wasn't an issue for us, we drowned out the sound with a noise machine.
Comfort - I read a review that said the beds weren't comfortable - I think this is personal preference, both my husband and I slept soundly and were super comfy.
Customer Service - I read a review complaining about customer service - 100% disagree with any of that - we had great service. There was a hiccup after we checked in and the gal at the front sent us a bottle of wine for our troubles. We asked for extra towels and pillows and within minutes we had them. My husband had an issue with work and needed things printed quickly and they were incredibly helpful helping him.
Reviews said the rooms were old - the property is old, so is pretty much everywhere downtown right on the water, but it is well kept, and clean.
Temp in the rooms - Someone said their AC didn't work - we were there during a 'heatwave' it went up to the 90's while we were there and our room was chilly, so no issues there.
Smell - someone said the rooms smell. If you book a hotel by the beach that is open air, you will always have a 'beach' smell, but it wasn't bad.
I think when you read reviews or book a place you should consider what do you want from the hotel and are you looking for something this hotel isn't? This is not a 5 start hotel, but they don't pretend to be. They hire people that make you feel at home, welcomed and take care of your needs when there. They are in a great location! They have bikes to use if you want them. The pool was great, the server there is super attentive and the chairs were plentiful. The room was great, we had a nice balcony, and the room was huge! The bathroom was nice and updated. Overall this was A GREAT stay for us that didn't break the bank and would stay there again!
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Review collected in partnership with Hyatt Hotels
Date of stay: September 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Treg Finney, General Manager at Mar Monte - Unbound Collection By Hyatt
Responded Sep 9, 2024
kristenhc, Thank you for your terrific review on your recent stay! We’re delighted to hear that we went above and beyond in providing you with the best experience possible. It is a huge compliment when our guests enjoy their stay so much that they take the time to review our property and recommend it to others. We look forward to welcoming you back to our hotel in the not-too-distant future! Treg
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I went to Santa Barbara for a little get away by myself. I was prepared to splurge and booked an ocean front room with a balcony. The location of the hotel is great, breakfast at the hotel restaurant was excellent, and the pool area looked very inviting - although I did not use it. The hotel restaurant was not open for lunch or dinner during my two night stay.
I was shocked to see that my bath mat was badly tattered. The other towels were mixed - some were lush and others looked as if they came from a seedy motel. It appears no one cares about quality control to ensure guests feel they are having a luxurious experience. Really, for $500/night, I expect nice towels that aren't falling apart. The young man at the front desk seemed unconcerned when I showed him the tattered bath mat; he only asked if I wanted a new towel. When I got back to my room after breakfast, housekeeping had cleaned the room and left me a new, tattered bath mat!
There was a timer in the bathroom for the light over the shower. There was no indication of the length of time the light would be on, and it went off both days during my shower. Very low rent - again, it felt like being in a cheap motel.
The woman who checked me in and out was very professional and apologized for the bath mat, etc.
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Date of stay: February 2023
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from George Unseld, General Manager at Mar Monte - Unbound Collection By Hyatt
Responded Mar 16, 2023
Thank you for taking the time to review our hotel. While we are delighted to have welcomed you as our guest, we are disappointed to hear that you were not fully satisfied with your overall stay with us. Please note that your feedback was shared with the respective departments as this was clearly not up to our standards. Should you ever find yourself back in town, we look forward to welcoming you back.
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It’s tough to beat the location of this hotel but overall experience is not worthy of a 4 star hotel. We paid for an ocean view room which is 80% blocked by trees so more of a partial view. The pool is small and dated. At Costa, the service was extremely slow and the food was falsely advertised ($14 for taco sized quesadillas). Unfortunately we also had a very noisy neighbor and even though staff was helpful in trying to find us a new room they did drop the ball and gave our new rooms away on accident.
With that said, the hotel is close to everything. They do provide umbrellas, towels and toys for the beach which my kid loved. It does have that old SB charm. For the price we paid however, we left disappointed.
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Review collected in partnership with Hyatt Hotels
Date of stay: August 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Treg Finney, General Manager at Mar Monte - Unbound Collection By Hyatt
Responded Aug 15, 2024
Krisonvacation, Thank you for your review. We are sorry to hear that we failed to meet your expectations during your recent stay. We truly appreciate your feedback as we are always looking for opportunities to improve. We hope to have the chance to welcome you back in the future for a more enjoyable stay. Treg
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I will not be staying here again. The front desk charged me 4 times what they said they were going to for the incidentals, and were unwilling to work with me. When I asked about it, they told me there was nothing they could do about it, even though it was their employee that made the mistake. They also didn't charge my card when I reserved the room, which is uncommon for me, so the financial hit when I checked in was unexpected and greatly hindered my ability to have a pleasant experience during my stay.
Additionally, the conference rooms did not have AC. We tried to open the doors and windows, but the busy street next to it was so loud it made it impossible to hear the person sitting next to me. The sleeping rooms did have AC, but everything was really dated and the power outlets were like half hidden by the built-in wardrobes. Also, they upped the prices of the food in their bistro the day before our conference started, but didn't update their menus. Which made us feel like they were only increasing the prices for the days our conference was being held there. This led to most of us not dining on site during our stay.
I would not recommend this location for personal OR professional uses. Even at the discounted price, this was not worth the money.
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Review collected in partnership with Hyatt Hotels
Date of stay: September 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled on business
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Treg Finney, General Manager at Mar Monte - Unbound Collection By Hyatt
Responded Sep 12, 2024
Desiree M, First and foremost, please accept my sincerest apologies for the unsatisfactory experience you had during your time with us. We are truly sorry and disappointed to hear about the perception you are left with about our staff and accommodations. We have high expectations for ourselves and are all sorry we missed the mark on your experience. We really hoped you'd love us - I'm so saddened to hear that we fell short. Please know that we do try to consistently deliver a superior guest experience. Should you ever find yourself back in town, please give us a chance to show you that our product and service can live up to your expectations. Treg
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My brief visit to Mar Monte left me thoroughly impressed. Nestled by the beach, this hotel offers stunning views and a surprisingly delightful culinary experience. As a solo traveler passing through, I found it to be a perfect blend of luxury resort ambiance and beachside relaxation.
The onsite restaurant surpassed my expectations with its impressive selection of drinks and a delicious breakfast. Moreover, the hotel's location offers easy access to other great dining options within walking distance.
The room itself was of excellent quality, and the views were simply unparalleled, adding to the overall charm of the experience. The staff, from reception to valet, were friendly and accommodating, enhancing my stay.
I wouldn't hesitate to stay at Mar Monte again and would highly recommend it!
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Date of stay: April 2024Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Treg Finney, General Manager at Mar Monte - Unbound Collection By Hyatt
Responded Jul 22, 2024
oliviafgarwood, So happy that you enjoyed your stay with us! Thank you for taking the time to share your experience here on TripAdvisor. Hope you come to stay with us here in Santa Barbara again soon. Treg
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We would like to pass along a few things for your attention… 1. Upon initially entering our room (2-104), we noticed the smell of urine coming from the bathroom. We hastily contacted the front desk to have this problem remedied 2. We departed our room on the morning of 12.31.22 @ approx. 9:40am and returned at approx. 3:30pm to notice no housekeeping duties had been performed. We again had to contact the front desk to request the room be cleaned. After the cleaning, we then noticed the trash had not been emptied and no clean washcloths had been provided. We again had to contact the front desk for washcloths 3. The coasters provided were not new or clean. On the contrary, they were previously used by other guests and soiled with stains. See attached pictures. The glasses that were placed upside on the coasters, we washed the glasses by hand to ensure they were cleaned. 4. The AC/Heating system in our room made a consistent high-pitched sound making it difficult to fall asleep 5. The Insulation needs improvement. Compared to other high end hotels in which we were guests, there was a lot of noise from the hallway and the room above 6. When using the bathrobes provided, one of them had no belt. 7. Pool towels were tattered and worn.
Again, these things are very surprising considering the level of luxury sold in the presentation connected to Hotel Mar Monte. Needless to say, the above list of items far from enhanced our romantic New Year’s Eve get away and left us feeling quite disappointed with our stay at your hotel.
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Date of stay: December 2022
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Â There are other hotels that are cheaper and cleaner than Mar Monte Hotel. Location great but not...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Ceara L, Marketing at Mar Monte - Unbound Collection By Hyatt
Responded Feb 5, 2023
Hello melissatZ7534FM, Thank you for taking the time to share your honest feedback with us. This level of detail is important so we know exactly how we can improve for future experiences. While we are delighted to have welcomed you as our guest, we are saddened to hear that we fell short in delivering the amazing experience our guests have come to expect. Our goal is to always provide great service that will make you want to return again and again. We hope that you will give us another try and let us prove this to you during your next visit to Santa Barbara.
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We were there over Labor Day weekend and the hotel is fine. Not the most updated property but clean. Honestly we were rarely in the room so it was no big deal. We had an oceanfront room on ground level and it was excellent location-wise. There was a wall around the patio area so private from the sidewalk.
The hotel has a compact layout so everything was steps away. It’s far enough from State St so stays pretty quiet if that’s important.
There are more places to choose from in the Santa Barbara area.
PRICE RANGE
C$364 - C$578 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
hyatt santa barbara hotel santa barbara, mar monte santa barbara, mar monte hotel
FORMERLY KNOWN AS
Hyatt Centric Santa Barbara
LOCATION
United StatesCaliforniaSanta Barbara
NUMBER OF ROOMS
176
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect nightly room rates, including any mandatory fees. Taxes not included. Please see our partners for more details.
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