Hotel Californian
The 2017 hotel at the foot of State Street – 121 Moorish-tiled rooms by Martyn Lawrence Bullard, a rooftop pool and a spa, a block from the beach and Stearns Wharf.
Downtown Santa Barbara & the Waterfront · Santa Barbara & Montecito
A sense of the place
Why it's in the collection
Because it is the one address in Santa Barbara proper – not Montecito, not Ojai – with four-star standing, and it puts the city on foot: State Street at the door, the sand and Stearns Wharf a block away, the Tan Tan Pool on the roof above it all – and we list it at exactly the tier it holds.
- 36 State Street, where the street meets Cabrillo Boulevard and the waterfront – opened in 2017 on the site of the 1925 Hotel Californian, a block from the beach and Stearns Wharf, with the Funk Zone at the door.
- 121 rooms and suites with interiors by Martyn Lawrence Bullard, Moorish in spirit and laid with more than a million tiles – categories from Almeria to Tangerinn, and the Magellan and Alcazar Suites at 1,280 and 1,705 square feet.
- The Tan Tan Pool on the rooftop and, below it, Majorelle Spa with four treatment rooms.
- Forbes Four-Star 2026 for the hotel – a step below the destination's one five-star, and listed here as exactly that – with its tables gathered under the banner of The Society: State & Mason, The Knock, Goat Tree and Djinn; independent, owned by Foley Entertainment Group and sold through Preferred Hotels & Resorts.
Suites and rates
Every rate is confirmed with you by the concierge before anything is booked — cancellation terms in plain language, no surprises.
The neighborhood
Downtown Santa Barbara & the Waterfront
Santa Barbara proper, where State Street runs down to the sea – Stearns Wharf and the beach at its foot, the Funk Zone's tasting rooms and galleries a few steps back from the sand, downtown's shops and cafés up the street and the Old Mission above – with one hotel, a block from the water.
- Stearns Wharf and the beach, a block down the street across Cabrillo Boulevard.
- The Funk Zone's tasting rooms and galleries, at the door.
- State Street's shops and downtown, straight up the street; the Old Mission, a short drive up the hill.
Reviews
From our editors
Verified guest reviews are coming — we only publish ratings from licensed sources and verified stays.
Plan your stay
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