The Upham Hotel

My daughter got married in Santa Barbara and we had part of the wedding party stay at The Upham Hotel. I can not say enough wonderful things about this beautiful hotel. The location was perfect, the rooms were very clean and well appointed, and every employee we ran into was so friendly and kind. We will definitely be looking to stay at The Upham Hotel for our future travels to Santa Barbara.

The Upham is a quaint, historical hotel with lots of character. I have stayed there many times before living in Santa Barbara, coming up from LA. This visit I was coming from Europe where I moved some 6 years ago. I found the hotel had the same charm as the old days but missing the charm it used to possess. It was lacking some nice details that I had loved, things felt more generic. As a designer, I look forward to unique and comfortable experiences. Anna, Veronica, Irving and Mario were excellent with their customer service and was so appreciated. There were other staff members who maybe were less experienced in customer service. I think it will be wonderful when Louie’s restaurant reopens, it will give the place more energy. I miss milk being served with the evening cookies, and also more of a continental breakfast. I did appreciate the selection of wines offered during happy hour, it used to be basic Chablis and cheese. It would be amazing if the wines were all Santa Barbara local vineyards offered. The rooms were comfortable and super clean but missing antique charm touches. All in all, I was happy to revisit one of my favorite places with never forgotten memories.

Location is great and after that I have little positive feedback. The staff was few and far between, not helpful or simply uninterested in the guests. In reading other reviews I’m surprised to hear about breakfast and happy hour as neither was offered to us or made available (stayed last October if that has anything to do with it). Rooms are sparse and outdated. We paid close to $600 a night and this place is absolutely not worth that rate.