The Ballard Inn & Restaurant

I rarely write negative reviews, but I felt compelled to share this experience given the current state of the Ballard Inn, especially at $800+ per night. I work in hospitality and travel often, partnering with some of the best hotel brands in the world. I understand the pressures and complexities of running a property, and I approach every stay with empathy and realistic expectations. That said, what we experienced here was not a matter of things going wrong. It was a pattern of neglect and disregard. Here’s what guests should be aware of: • Lost Booking We booked through Booking.com two months in advance, with prepayment and confirmation. Upon arrival, the front desk had no record and immediately blamed the third-party platform with no apology, no ownership. They eventually found a room, but it was a downgrade from what we reserved. No refund or gesture was offered. • Non-Existent Staff Staffing appeared to be minimal at best. It was nearly impossible to find someone when anything was needed. • Unprofessional, Dismissive Service The front desk experience was jarringly poor. Requests were met with eye-rolls, blame-shifting, or flat-out inaction. Even a basic ask, like a set of cutlery, was treated as an inconvenience. • Poor Housekeeping in Public Spaces While the shared spaces have potential, they’re consistently neglected. Breakfast plates sat out well into the evening. Glassware from the previous night’s happy hour was still on tables at breakfast. It gave the entire property a sense of being unmonitored. • Room Condition & Cleanliness The rooms are in need of a serious update: stained rugs, broken furniture, dusty drapes, and a pervasive musty odor. We found ants in the room and rust on the bathroom fixtures. A requested air purifier was unusable due to an overstuffed, filthy filter. In most cases, poor conditions can be softened by attentive, empathetic service. Unfortunately, that was entirely missing here. What could have been addressed with grace was instead met with indifference or even hostility. After speaking with friends in the local industry, I learned the property has changed ownership twice in recent years and is now operated by the Kirkwood Collection, based in Beverly Hills. Sadly, that disconnect is evident. What once had a reputation for warm hospitality now feels completely misaligned with the spirit of the valley. I truly hope the Ballard Inn can return to its former standard one day. But until meaningful changes are made - both operationally and culturally - I’d recommend looking elsewhere.

Last weekend we visited The Ballard inn which cost almost $600 per night. We have stayed in numerous hotels that charge a similar room rate and have always found them to be a luxury experience that surpassed our expectations. This couldn't have been further from the truth in this establishment. On arrival the front desk staff member couldn't find our booking and had a terrible attitude while staring at her computer and not communicating what she was actually searching for. This continued for over 5 minutes when miraculously she found our booking. However, as the decor on the ground floor was tasteful and appeared well maintained we felt hopeful that the stay would still be a memorable one. It was, but not for the right reasons. Upon entering our room we were shocked see furniture and furnishings were worn and in some cases broken. In fact, one lamp on the nightstand had a shade that was literally hanging on its base and could not be reattached. The bed was shabbily made (extremely creased sheets, not tucked in correctly) and the brown carpet was stained in various places. The bathroom was even worse. There were ANTS on the sink area and towels, the sink unit had a drawer that could barely be opened unless you wrestled it, the shower barely worked (the tap constantly ran on the shower setting) and the ceiling paint was cracked and flaking in various places. There was no TV, no safe, no fridge, no minibar, no phone and a tiny table top ironing board which was almost unusable. The balcony was a welcome addition but the paintwork was peeling and some of the wood in this area had been heavily damaged by termites. Basically the room was lacking in every aspect. As far as the (lack of) service was concerned, it appeared there was only ever 1 member of staff on duty and they were not present for the whole day. At these times it was impossible to reach anyone if you had an issue, question or concern. The so-called "breakfast" consisted of a little chopped fruit, an unsightly looking bowl of whipped yoghurt and muffins and on one occasion there were no plates available so guests couldn't even eat most of it. I wouldn't even advertise this as an actual "breakfast" as there was so little choice. On our second day during "wine hour" (free wine served between 3-4pm) we sat down outside and realized the table next to us still had dirty dishes from breakfast on it. By this point we realized that the hotel and service was not going to improve and had to laugh at the fact we had paid such a high dollar amount for this disastrous experience. My photos document a lot of the above. And I know it's a cliche, but I wouldn't usually bother writing a review....but this was so bad that I felt compelled to.

Beautifully decorated historic inn with a great 4:00 cocktail hour and lovely country setting. The breakfast was very good if different Turkish eggs) and fresh berries and scones. One drawback was the squeaky bed whenever you simply shifted over. The town, Los Olivos, had quite a few great stores to browse in.

We came here after a mix up for our second night booking at another local boutique luxury inn that was considerably less expensive. We had high hopes for The Ballard Inn ($725/night). It was BEYOND disappointing. The room lacked basic amenities, like a television, drawers for our clothes, a safe, a refrigerator, and working outlets (the bottom plug on every duplex were not powered). One of the two operable windows did not have adequate... tension? Whatever it is that keeps a window from losing its grip in the frame and slamming shut. I'm glad my hand wasn't in the way. It took more than 3 minutes for the water to get warm at the bathroom sink (we were in the Western Room). My companion turned on the hot faucet in the shower to try to get hot water to the room faster, and water sprayed from behind the tap. The towels? Not exactly as nubby as what you'd get at the pool at the YMCA, but not so different. A robe? Haha. Not even a place to hang one. There were four small pillows on the queen sized bed. The staff went home at 7:00pm, so there was no one to call to send up more. I am not sure what a "Kirkwood Property" is, but if this meets their "luxury" standard, buyer beware.

The hotel staff is incredibly friendly, and the common areas are charming and well-maintained. However, for the price, the rooms fall far short of expectations. We booked a Deluxe Room with a Balcony, but there was nothing deluxe about it. The room and bathroom were extremely monastic in style, spartan like a scene from the movie The Conclave. There was no fridge (so forget keeping drinks or snacks cold), no TV (which wasn’t an issue for us), and only a single outlet—located away from the bed—for charging electronics. No slippers or robes, which would be understandable if the price were in the $120–$150 range, but at their rates, these omissions feel glaring. The lack of blackout curtains was frustrating—just a small, ineffective curtain that barely covered the window. To make matters worse, Their WiFi is absolutely terrible. My husband had an important Zoom meeting, and it was beyond frustrating—the connection kept dropping constantly, making it nearly impossible to get through the call. For a hotel charging these rates, this is completely unacceptable. Also, the walls were thin, and we were woken up early by the noise from breakfast downstairs. Most rooms face the parking lot, which isn’t a dealbreaker, but again, at this price point, expectations are higher. Overall, it’s a cute bed & breakfast, but the lack of amenities makes it hard to justify the cost. If they adjusted their pricing to reflect the experience, it would be much more reasonable.