The Ritz-Carlton Bacara, Santa Barbara

We love the location! Rooms are clean and roomy. Maricella restaurant food was fantastic. Only complaint was we had to wait hours (4) for our room to be cleaned in order to check in. We planned on arriving at 11 and asked for an early checkin. We did not get into our room until 3:04 in the afternoon. Not a great way to start a special birthday getaway.

After reading not so good reviews, decided to book Ritz Carlton Bacara anyways. And BIG regret. While the "property" location, vista etc. is very beautiful it is by far NOT the quality of many other Ritz Carltons. The property has visible undergone "some" renovations in particular to common areas, restaurant and spa, these are nicely done and appreciated. We were upgraded to a suite which was very expansive, but upon entering there was a VERY DISTINCTIVE FOUL ODOUR that emanated in the room. Opening doors/ windows - only temporarily solved the property and the noise and odour from large kitchen exhaust system was overwhelming. Having travelled for 12+ hours it was late had no energy to switch rooms. While our room was "renovated" much of the lighting, doors / hardware, etc. was still old and very very dated. Linens alone doesn't mean renovated. The grounds and buildings are expansive and can see that there was once a very beautiful property that is very worn down over the years. Truly to meet the "Ritz" standards, it needs significant additional capital, attention to details in service and for the price, didn't come close to the mark. Travellers - be aware.....

We recently stayed at the Bacara for our wedding weekend and had an amazing experience. The location and property are obviously beautiful, but the rooms are also noticeably nicer after their recent remodel. We had stayed at Bacara in 2020, and while it was a nice experience then, there’s been a massive upgrade in both the room quality, decor, and service level since then. Most importantly, the staff was incredible (especially Alana at the front desk). They helped accommodate all the unique needs for our wedding weekend (storing a cake, scheduled transportation, etc.) and made such an important weekend seamless. We can’t wait to come back and stay again!

Lousy service even before my stay. I was looking forward to staying here, but needed to cancel. I called 4 times. Each time, the rep said to dial zero to reach the hotel, and each time, I explained that I did so. Multiple times, they tried to connect me, but were never able to, and twice, disconnected when putting me on hold. Inexcusable that the hotel is unable to pick up the phone. And ridiculous that they can't waive a cancellation for a whopping 1-night reservation more than 10 days in advance. As they can't cancel, and can't waive the fee, I'll just dispute the charge and they can deal with American Express. Really poor service, guys. Nothing Ritz Carlton about it.

Stay was amazing and staff were very helpful and friendly. The manager Ben at the front desk greeted us at check in and made us feel very welcome and helped me organize a birthday surprise for my Dad. Ben was very cool and made our arrival process so easy and exciting. Hope to be back soon. Thank you