Kimpton Canary Hotel

I’ll start by saying this is the first review I have ever written about anything… This hotel is beautiful. The valet and the front staff were lovely. The rooftop pool was perfect and the location was just right. However- the walls of the hotel rooms are PAPER THIN. You can hear absolutely everything. When we first checked in at 430pm, there was housekeeping working on the room next door and it sounded like a construction site (we actually to confirm it there was)- vacuums hitting the walls, furniture being moved, stuff being dropped onto the floors- but the worst was very loud conversations about things that should not be discussed in a work environment at a $500/night hotel. In order to mask the noise, we put on some music in our room (at 5pm mind you) and 10 minutes later we got a knock on the door reporting the music was too loud! The next morning we woke up to our neighbors laughing hysterically and blasting Taylor swift (and hey, I’m a swiftie myself), but the loud cackling is not something I want to be woken up to on vacation. I am really sad to say I will not stay here again. It was definitely not worth spending almost $500 for one night.

Kimpton Hotels can be maddeningly inconsistent. For example, I just stayed at one in Edinburgh that was resolutely lovely. Yet, this property in Santa Barbara is just plain long overdue for a remodel. The good: -One thing Kimpton knows how to do is to train employees. They are happy, professional, and customer oriented. -This location is terrific. -Comfortable bed. The not-so-good: -The combination of hard wood floors and very thin walls means that you can hear *everything* in this property. -Bathroom and furniture in my suite were not *remotely* befitting the $800/night rate. Not even close. The Edinburgh location is much cheaper, and wildly better kitted out. The... very bad: -The bathroom is consistent with a mid-level chain hotel. Seriously? -Very nearly nonexistent water pressure in the shower at multiple different times of day. -In an $800 suite, you have no free bottled water(!), and no in-room snacks of any kind? Yikes.

Absolutely incredible. The location, the staff, the rooms... service was impeccable. Lane, Jeremy, Timmy, Dylan & Lukas treat event like royalty. The front desk staff is the most friendly and professional! This hotel is a must stay every time we're in town!

The decor is nice, really sweet lobby as you enter. The valet parking was really efficient. Our room was nice, everything worked. We had a room described as - with outdoor living space, ie a balcony but what we didn’t know is that it looks out to a petrol station, busy crossroads and empty bit of waste land… so we didn’t use it. The walls are pretty thin so you can hear your hotel neighbours talking… Breakfast was alright, nothing beyond that and we felt really sorry on our 2nd morning as a server was on his own, trying to escort people to tables, take and bring orders… There were no robes or coffee in the room but if you ask they’ll bring them to you. They didn’t replenish the coffee the next day and also took the cups away…… I noticed glasses in the lobby in the late morning one day which someone had left and they were still there when we came back from dinner. It felt like they were trying to do efficiency savings whilst still charging a high price… The pool area is nice and I appreciated the complimentary glass of wine.. hardly complimentary with those resort fees, but any how…. It was nice being able to walk to down town restaurants and the room itself was comfortable. It could be a really nice hotel if it wasn’t penny pinching so much!

We stayed here for our wedding and it was so perfect. We walked to the courthouse and so many stores and restaurants nearby we didn’t have to drive anywhere. The hotel was great. Staff is so friendly (Chole was amazing) the room was beautiful, the complimentary wine and coffee was great. The bar was great. All the food and drinks were so delicious. We will be coming back for our anniversary.