Residence Inn by Marriott Santa Barbara Goleta

Newish hotel with nice property and amenities. Standard residence inn breakfast which is fine. Lots of space in the rooms and good shower. Hot tub could be hotter. Good location near the airport. Parking on property is $15 and it would be really nice if they provided a shuttle since the airport is a 5 minute drive away.

I stayed at the Residence Inn Santa Barbara Goleta while on a college trip with my daughter, June 2024. This is a beautiful hotel that I would highly recommend. The location is directly across the street from the Santa Barbara Airport. Our room was a studio suite with a kitchen and living room area. The room was quiet and comfortable. The gentleman that checked us in was very professional and even offered advice about the safety of the college campuses we had visited. There is a free breakfast which we slept through and a green courtyard area in the middle of the hotel. Also, I noticed a gym, laundry room and a business center on site. Overall, this is the most luxurious Residence Inn that I have ever seen. Highly recommend if you can find an affordable rate although all of the hotels in the area are priced in a similar range and this one is very nice. Parking was safe and secure, there is a fee, and there is really nothing within walking distance.

I gave this place another chance, and I'm glad I did. It appears that the horrific, unprofessional, rude, racist clerk named Francine is gone, THANKFULLY, as she ruined this hotel. This time, our experience couldn't have been better. The front-desk staff were the complete opposite of Francine this time around--they were polite, helpful, and engaging. The room was clean and well-appointed, although the dishes were dirty with crusted food (the maids should ALWAYS double-check this!). Still, the experience was so good that I don't want to deduct any stars. Besides the cleanliness of the room, the beds were comfortable and provided the best night's sleep in years. There was also a quaint little snack bar in the lobby with ice cream, snacks, and all sorts of goodies for a late-night craving. This place truly felt like a home-away-from home while I was visiting my sons up in Santa Barbara, and I would stay here again. I'm just so thankful that Residence Inn got rid of that nasty front-desk clerk Francine who was ruining their business! Kudos. Keep up the great work. -Chen

Goleta is not Santa Barbara but the location is still terrific at somewhat reduced rates from similar properties in Santa Barbara. Very welcoming staff, clean rooms, good room working area, Internet works, ample breakfast, and best of all - a very adequate small gym. Nearby restaurants and markets make long term stays sustainable. Wish there was no parking fee but that's the nature of corporate America.

We had stayed at this Residence Inn for a family event a couple of years ago. Sadly, the property has really gone downhill. As a lifetime Platinum elite, I figured it wasn't too much to ask for a room upgrade during our week-long stay, particularly since the hotel was not nearly full. But they just wouldn't do it. As a thank you for my Platinum loyalty, I was given a small paper bag with a 12-ounce bottle of water and an apple inside. I cherished that gift all through the week. When we checked in, our small studio had dirty underwear in the drawers near the bed, with stained carpet, black mold in the shower, and scuffed up walls. Even more relaxing, our room faced the courtyard and was in close proximity to an oversize chess set on the lawn. We were awoken before 8AM on our Sunday morning by a bunch of unsupervised kids bopping the huge plastic pieces all around. Checkmate indeed. When I asked to move rooms the next morning, my only option was to pay another $75 a night or so for a larger room on the 3rd floor. Over a course of 6 nights, we were given exactly one Keurig pod for the in-room machine. Not one pod per night. Just one pod total. I mentioned this to the operations manager, even to the maid down the hall with pods in her cart, but they just couldn't spare a 2nd pod. Good grief. Breakfast ends promptly at 9AM downstairs, with the doors slamming shut like a bank vault. They left the coffee pot out for a bit but couldn't leave out the half-and-half. That was also taken away like it was some rare 20-year-old Scotch. The hotel charges $15 a night for parking in a non-secure mostly empty parking lot. On our previous stay, parking was free. Snacks from the little market area next to the front desk are silly expensive - $6 bag of chips, $5 candy bar and so on. The elevator broke on our last night, so we had to lug everything downstairs for check out. We weren't staying expecting some Ritz Carlton experience. But for $350 to $400 a night - and yes - I know it's Santa Barbara - this was a poor value. We need to find a better option for our next family visit.