Drift Santa Barbara - Hotel in Santa Barbara - 524 State St, USA

Cute boutique hotel. There is no staff on the grounds other than the bartender and barista. They have virtual check in and send you a code to access the doors, different, but my wife and I liked it. Our room was the size of a shoebox! Some might call it intimate. Also, less than a ten minute walk to the beach/pier. There are lots of bars and restaurants right in the area as well. We really enjoyed our stay.

Location of this hotel is amazing. Right down town next to anything you need. We were able to walk to anything we wanted to do in regards to eating, drinking, and shopping. Their lobby cafe, Dawn has some amazing coffee and pastries, and their bar, dusk, has an amazing cocktail menu and some of the freshest oysters we’ve had. The room design is thoughtful, and efficient. For their limited size, they are beautiful, and functional. We loved our stay here and will be back.

First of all, this place smells AMAZING. Stylish and sleek rooms, very cozy. Not too much room for large bags, but efficient space with beautiful design. The bed is a literal cloud! Absolutely loved having a café right down the hall—the salted pistachio latte was heavenly. A great location, only about 10 minutes walk from downtown Santa Barbara and the Funk Zone. The street it’s located on has a ton of food and drink options as well! Our only downside was that we only stayed for one night, so we didn’t get to explore enough. Hoping to return sometime soon!

Basics:||-They're a new Marriott property. Booking a points reservation with them is impossible (you'll get an error on the last screen).||-A points reservation was available, and I transferred points to my account to book it. ||-I tried making a reservation for 8/24 night, continued to get an error. Bounced back and forth from Drift to Marriott. Finally, the Drift asked me to book a points stay on ANY night and they'd move the night for me. ||-Marriott, with the help of the "Assist" team, helped me book a reservation for 8/25 night. ||-I called the Drift and spoke with Misielle (the manager). She was SO NICE, apologized for the back and forth, and moved my stay to 8/24 and upgraded me to a State Street view. (See picture)||-I got a text message that night asking me to check in digitally. I did so, and said it was my anniversary, asked for recommendations, etc. Basic stuff.||-The next morning (the morning of my trip), I checked my Marriott app and it said the stay was still for Sunday, the 25th. I clicked in, got the red error box, then immediately got an email saying that the reservation was canceled. ||-I called Drift to confirm the reservation and spoke with Shelly. She said the reservation was canceled, there's nothing she could do, and that I needed to have Marriott re-instate it. I was obviously frustrated but never personally attacking (obviously). ||-I then called Marriott, had them agree to reinstate the reservation and got the agent on a 3-way call with the Drift hotel. ||-Shelly picks up, tells me how I was talking over her earlier and frustrated. She said she called Misielle and she said how rude I was to her as well. Then she said I was no longer allowed to stay at the hotel. ||||Their technical difficulties became my problem. Shelly was incredibly unpleasant and, considering how amazingly pleasant Misielle was the day before, I can assume that Shelly 1/ made up the story about calling Misielle 2/ called and lied her pants off about how "rude" I was. ||||I've never been told I'm not allowed to book a stay at hotel, make a reservation at a restaurant, or otherwise barred from anything involving hospitality.||||EVEN TODAY it's impossible to book a points stay at this property (see picture).

We had a very disappointing experience during our stay at Drift Santa Barbara. ||The hotel is attractive aesthetically, but the overall room design was impractical at best, especially if you have more than one traveler. The hotel uses an all-glass shower and bathroom space that lacks privacy. The room had a separate sink space on the opposite side of the room rather than in the bathroom. The room lacked basic amenities like mirrors (there was one small mirror above the sink) and lacked enough hooks in the bath and shower. Lighting was insufficient, so the room was very dark. The curtains were black-out only, with no option to let in filtered light. Our room had doors facing State Street, which brought in light, but these did not operate and couldn’t be opened.||The hotel doesn’t have dedicated parking, which means you may or may not be able to park nearby. Drift doesn’t have a front desk - check-in and communication is via text. The experience is very impersonal. The lack of dedicated staff makes it feel more like arriving at an Airbnb. ||In addition to the design issues with the room and the lack of staff, our room was incredibly noisy due to being off State Street. The music from the nearby bars continued until well past 1am.||Overall, this was the worst hotel experience I've had in well over a decade, and I am a frequent traveler. Drift has developed a superficially attractive hotel in Santa Barbara that delivers far less than you should expect at this price point. There are several much better options nearby in Santa Barbara.

I had the pleasure of staying here for 5 nights and it was truly a gem. The rooms are wonderfully quant and have everything you need in them. The bed was beyond comfortable! You are in the heart of state street, giving so much to do within walking distance. Dawn and Dusk, the coffee shop and bar located on property exceeded expectations. Matcha lattes are a must at Dawn and the Agave selection at Dusk is stellar! Everyone I had interacted with during my stay were caring, helpful and knowledgeable. A perfect solo trip!

My first-ever experience with Drift Hotel happened in Palm Springs this winter. And months later we decided to explore Santa Barbara and stay at Drift. We love the simple and ascetic design of the hotel and the guest room itself. The concept of Dawn (coffee shop) and Dusk (bar) is very cool! We had a great time staying with Drift and had a great time in Santa Barbara overall.

We visit Santa Barbara often and this was our first time trying Drift - we loved it! Location couldn’t be better and the rooms are clean and well maintained. Basic rooms are small so make sure you’re comfortable with who you’re staying with. There is no main front desk but we were able to do everything online and thru text, even check-in/check-out! Access to the building and room is done by keypad with a code they give you so it literally couldn’t be easier. This is our new go-to every time we stay in Santa Barbara!