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Drift Santa Barbara, a Member of Design Hotels

3.5 star property
3.5-star hotel near Santa Barbara Harbor

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Photo gallery for Drift Santa Barbara, a Member of Design Hotels

Mountain view
Premium bedding, in-room safe, individually decorated
Premium bedding, in-room safe, individually decorated
View from room
Premium bedding, in-room safe, individually decorated

Reviews

8.4 out of 10
Very good

Popular amenities

  • Free WiFi
  • Air conditioning
  • Breakfast available
  • Parking available
  • Bar

Explore the area

View in a map
524 State St, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101
  • Place, Paseo Nuevo Mall
    ‪3 min walk‬
  • Place, Santa Barbara County Courthouse
    ‪13 min walk‬
  • Place, Santa Barbara Harbor
    ‪15 min walk‬
  • Airport, Santa Barbara, CA (SBA-Santa Barbara Municipal)
    ‪17 min drive‬

Room options

View all photos for Room (Cozy)

Premium bedding, in-room safe, individually decorated

Room (Cozy)

  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Queen Bed

View all photos for State Street Premium View Room

Premium bedding, in-room safe, individually decorated

State Street Premium View Room

  • City view
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 King Bed

View all photos for Ground floor (Cozy)

City view

Ground floor (Cozy)

  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Queen Bed

View all photos for Premium Room, Mountain View

Mountain view

Premium Room, Mountain View

  • Mountain view
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Queen Bed

View all photos for Premium Penthouse (Drift)

Premium bedding, in-room safe, individually decorated

Premium Penthouse (Drift)

  • City view
  • Sleeps 4
  • 2 King Beds

View all photos for Penthouse (Drift)

Premium bedding, in-room safe, individually decorated

Penthouse (Drift)

  • City view
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 King Bed

View all photos for Room (Bunk Room)

Premium bedding, in-room safe, individually decorated

Room (Bunk Room)

  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 2
  • 2 Double Beds

View all photos for Premium Room, Balcony, City View

Premium bedding, in-room safe, individually decorated

Premium Room, Balcony, City View

  • Mountain view
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Queen Bed

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About the area

Santa Barbara

Downtown Santa Barbara stay.A stay at this Downtown Santa Barbara hotel places you steps from Antioch University and within a 5-minute walk of Paseo Nuevo Mall. Casa de la Guerra and De la Guerra Plaza are also within half a mile (1 km).

What's nearby

  • Paseo Nuevo Mall - 3 min walk - 0.3 km
  • Moreton Bay Fig Tree - 7 min walk - 0.6 km
  • Santa Barbara County Courthouse - 13 min walk - 1.1 km
  • Santa Barbara City College - 13 min walk - 1.2 km
  • Santa Barbara Harbor - 15 min walk - 1.3 km

Getting around

  • Santa Barbara Station - 8 min walk
  • Santa Barbara Municipal Airport (SBA) - 12 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪M. Special Brewing Company - ‬3 min walk
  • ‪Dune Coffee Roasters - ‬4 min walk
  • ‪Santa Barbara Craft Ramen - ‬2 min walk
  • ‪Casa Agria Specialty Ales - Santa Barbara Taproom - ‬3 min walk
  • ‪Shaker Mill - ‬3 min walk

About this property

Drift Santa Barbara, a Member of Design Hotels

3.5-star hotel near Santa Barbara Harbor
There's a coffee shop/cafe on site. You can enjoy a drink at the bar/lounge. WiFi is free in public spaces. Drift Santa Barbara, a Member of Design Hotels also features concierge services, express check-in, and express check-out. Parking is available for a fee.

This 3.5-star Santa Barbara hotel is smoke free.

  • 46 guestrooms or units
  • Breakfast available (surcharge)
  • Express check-in
  • Express check-out
  • Storage area for luggage
  • Concierge
  • Elevator
  • No smoking on site
  • Bar or lounge
  • Coffee shop
Drift Santa Barbara, a Member of Design Hotels offers 46 air-conditioned accommodations with safes and complimentary bottled water. Each accommodation is individually furnished and decorated. Beds feature premium bedding. 43-inch Smart televisions come with digital channels and Netflix.

Bathrooms include showers, bathrobes, complimentary toiletries, and hair dryers. This Santa Barbara hotel provides complimentary wireless Internet access. Housekeeping is provided on request.

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Property amenities

Internet

  • Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
  • Available in some public areas: Free WiFi

Parking and transportation

  • Uncovered self parking on site (USD 18 per day)

Food and drink

  • Daily on-the-go breakfast available 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM for a fee: USD 5 to 15 per person
  • A bar/lounge
  • A coffee shop/cafe

Things to do

  • Bicycle rentals

Accessibility

  • If you have requests for specific accessibility needs, please contact the property using the information on the reservation confirmation received after booking.
  • Elevator
  • Well-lit path to entrance
  • Wheelchair accessible (may have limitations)
  • Wheelchair-accessible path of travel
  • Wheelchair-accessible public washroom
  • Wheelchair-accessible restaurant

Room amenities

Entertainment

  • 43-inch smart TV with digital channels
  • Hulu
  • Netflix
  • Streaming services

Bedroom

  • Premium bedding

Bathroom

  • Bathrobes
  • Free toiletries
  • Hair dryer
  • Shampoo
  • Shower
  • Soap
  • Toilet paper
  • Towels provided

Food and drink

  • Free bottled water

More

  • Air conditioning
  • Heating
  • Individual decor
  • Individual furnishings
  • Safe

Policies

Check-in

Check-in start time: 4:00 PM; Check-in end time: anytime
Contactless check-in available
Express check-in available
Minimum check-in age: 21

Check-out

Check-out before 11:00 AM
Contactless check-out available
Express check-out available

Special check-in instructions

An adult age 18 or older must assume all liability for the booking
There is no front desk at this property
Guests will receive an email within 48 hours before arrival with check-in instructions and an access code; your host will greet you
Prior to arrival, you must complete online registration via a secure link
Information provided by the property may be translated using automated translation tools

Access methods

Access code, host will greet you

Pets

  • No pets allowed, but service animals are welcome

Children and extra beds

  • Children are welcome.
  • Rollaway/extra beds are not available.
  • Cribs (infant beds) are not available.

Property payment types

Important information

Optional extras

The fees and deposits listed below will be charged at the time of service, check-in, or check-out.

  • Fee for to-go breakfast: approximately USD 5 to 15 per person
  • Uncovered self parking fee: USD 18 per day

This may not be a comprehensive list. Fees and deposits are subject to change and might not include tax.

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
This property accepts credit cards; cash is not accepted
Cashless transactions are available
Safety features at this property include a carbon monoxide detector, a fire extinguisher, a smoke detector, a security system, a first aid kit, and window guards
This property has outdoor spaces, such as balconies, patios, terraces which may not be suitable for children; if you have concerns, we recommend contacting the property prior to your arrival to confirm they can accommodate you in a suitable room
Charges for extra guests may apply and vary according to property policy.
A cash deposit, credit card, or debit card for incidental charges and government-issued photo identification may be required upon check-in.
Special requests are subject to availability at the time of check-in. Special requests can't be guaranteed and may incur additional charges.
    This property is managed by a professional host. The provision of housing is linked to their trade, business, or profession. This property has outdoor spaces, such as balconies, patios, terraces which may not be suitable for children. If you have concerns, we recommend contacting the property prior to your arrival to confirm they can accommodate you in a suitable room. This property accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover. Cash is not accepted. For guests' safety, the property includes a carbon monoxide detector, a fire extinguisher, a smoke detector, a security system, a first aid kit, and window guards in each accommodation. Cashless payment methods are available for all transactions.

Property is also known as

Drift Santa Barbara
Drift Santa Barbara a Member of Design Hotels
Drift Santa Barbara, a Member of Design Hotels Hotel
Drift Santa Barbara, a Member of Design Hotels Santa Barbara

Drift Santa Barbara, a Member of Design Hotels Reviews

Reviews

8.4

Very good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 244 out of 413 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 62 out of 413 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 50 out of 413 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 32 out of 413 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 25 out of 413 reviews

9.4/10

Cleanliness

8.6/10

Staff & service

8.2/10

Amenities

9.0/10

Property conditions & facilities

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Carter

Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2025

10/10 Excellent

Tiffany

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
The staff was nice and the hotel was comfy
Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2025

10/10 Excellent

Alina

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
It was very nice and clean! It was close to everything!
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2025

10/10 Excellent

Jennice

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
Wonderful place. The hotels of the future. Easy in and out. No formal lobby structure and GREAT lobby welcome. Jo was fabulous. Thoughtful, Helpful and super nice. I can only hope all check-in folks are like her!
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2025

10/10 Excellent

Jordan

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Quick weekend getaway at Drift and in Santa Barbara and we had a blast. Fantastic hotel in the heart of downtown that exceeded expectations in every way!
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2025

8/10 Good

santo, wheaton

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities
Clean But too small
Stayed 5 nights in Oct 2025

4/10 Poor

Amy

Location was fantastic. Room was nice. Staff was completely unresponsive. Asked 5 times to fix broken shade (said they would come and never did), asked 4 times for towels (ended up just asking from cleaning staff), asked for iron (never sent). Never had an experience like that before.
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2025

10/10 Excellent

nicholas

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Amazing hotel with even better staff! Would stay here every time I’m in Santa Barbara.
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2025

4/10 Poor

Chris

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Shows great online but looks were deceiving… overall, great location & aesthetic but small rooms felt like a hostel right off the State Street bar. Paying nearly $500 / night for a closet-sized room, which hotel doesn’t have photos online, felt misrepresented. PROS: great location, clean & modern vibe, friendly staff. CONS: absolutely tiniest rooms on first floor, felt like a closet (bathroom / shower / sitting “area” / sink / bed all within 10ft room). First floor room right off public State Street bar, can hear loud party noise throughout the night. limited to no staff, single person (very friendly and accommodating) manning a concierge booth outside the coffee shop attached to first floor.
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2025

4/10 Poor

Alexis

Stayed 1 night in Oct 2025

10/10 Excellent

Nicholas

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
My wife and I got married here in September and couldn’t have been happier with the Drift! Cristina, Michael, Alecia and the whole team were so incredibly accommodating and wonderful to work with. The hotel is super stylish, with a modern, earthy, Mediterranean vibe, the rooms are cozy and the bar downstairs, Dusk, is dynamite. We’re looking forward to coming back again and again and can’t recommend it enough to others!
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2025

10/10 Excellent

Ahmed

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Very nice and clean hotel, excellent staff they go for and beyond helping you in addressing any question or concerns, very thoughtful and considerate. I like to mention Joe, who she addressed every request that I had. Amazing location, plenty of dining options couple of blocks from the beach. I’m glad that I chose this hotel, a different recommended difference and Family
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2025

10/10 Excellent

Macey

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2025

10/10 Excellent

Akash

Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2025

10/10 Excellent

Jeremy

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Everything was great but we got a room that faced State st hoping to open the nice windows they have but they were blocked off. I totally understand the safety issues that come with windows that open like that but the pictures made it seem like we could and it would have been nice to be able to open them (even a little) and be able to hear the street noise and stuff outside. Other then that it was great and I would definitely stay again
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2025

10/10 Excellent

Weiqi

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2025

10/10 Excellent

Nayiri

Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2025

6/10 Okay

Jacky

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness
Quirky hotel with digital check in with reception desk on the street & use PIN code instead of a key to get in room. Made the most of a small room by including a fridge & glass surround shower in middle of room, however the bed only had one way of getting in & out so not easy for couples who may have to climb over their sleeping partner. Lighting very bad for doing makeup as me & my two friends found out who were in other rooms. Friendly staff and ideal location for walking to the beach, going out for dinner and shopping.
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2025

10/10 Excellent

Javier

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2025

4/10 Poor

ANGELA

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Staff & service, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2025

10/10 Excellent

Norita

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Excellent Choice of Hotel

Perfect location right on State Street near restaurants, shops and other places.
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2025

10/10 Excellent

Mary

Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2025

10/10 Excellent

Jeremiah

Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2025

8/10 Good

RICKY

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Be wary, some rooms have very small or no windows
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2025

10/10 Excellent

Elyse

Stayed 1 night in Aug 2025