Upham Hotel

Pros
Friendly staff and easy booking process
Breakfast, afternoon tea, night time snack
Walking distance to state street
Parking on site but also easy and plentiful street parking
Cons
Thin walls
Some rooms are small but cozy

We stayed for a weekend with another couple but had booked separately so we got a king size bed fireplace room in one of the outer cottages while they got one in the country house.
The breakfast was continental but there were no hot cooked dishes as their brochure states. We didn’t make it to any of the wine/​cheese receptions but the Oreo cookies and milk were nice. They do have hot tea/​coffee/​hot chocolate all the time.
The gardens have pretty areas to sit in all around.

Inviting, quaint and relaxing grounds. Clean and charming rooms. Great coffee! Did not have a chance for the afternoon wine. Very accommodating staff (Daniel)!

I love this hotel! We had a couple of hotel disasters this morning and then found the Upham House. Daniel is so nice and very helpful! We have a beautiful room and will definitely be back! They have a wonderful garden area to sit and relax in. I highly recommend staying here.

A cute cottage hotel located really close to State Street. It was great to get up and walk to State Street to enjoy meals and just walk around SB.
I will say that while the property was nice, I feel like the pictures on the website are very different than what you get. Our room smelled old, like mildew or like a window has never been opened. The bathroom was nothing great and seemed outdated. I think this place was overpriced.

Really 4.5 stars. Nice job making us feel like valued guests
Main house and grounds very welcoming for just hanging around, chatting with other guests, or enjoying the newspaper/​book.
Wine/​cheese nice and not skimpy. Good assortment of continental breakfast items… especially for me with diet allergies
Average age of guest likely over 65. Quiet rooms. Housekeeping did a good job
Awesome to stay here and go to Santa Barbara bowl for concerts.

Don’t Go There. The room and bathroom were dirty. The hotel is really really old and I believe they haven’t upgraded it for a long time. The beds were very uncomfortable. The walls are thin and you can hear noises until morning. They charge you as much as a five-​star hotel. The breakfast wasn’t hot. There were only just two tables for breakfast. The service staff were unfriendly.

This place is so cute! Closely located to State Street with a very relaxed feel. Quaint courtyards for a mellow afternoon. The continental breakfast was great and although I didn’t try it the wine and cheese afternoons seems to be a big hit as well. I will be coming back again!

Stayed at the Upham Hotel this past weekend. First off, the hotel was quite lovely. The garden area was great, my friend and I enjoyed our afternoon wine and cheese out there and the front desk people were very friendly.
The reason I am giving 3 stars was because of our room location. Perhaps we just got unlucky in our placement, but we were on the bottom floor of the Lincoln building right by the entry way to the building, as well as, the stairs to upstairs. The room itself was fine and our king bed was really comfortable. However, the walls to the room were incredibly thin and every time someone came in or out of the building, we heard it. We also heard the couple upstairs, let’s just say, we would have rather not heard what what we did at 1:45am. In the am, we were woken up at 6am to people leaving and suitcases being dragged down the stairs.
I would have definitely come back to the hotel had I actually been able to sleep comfortably, however due to the noise, I will likely pass.

Absolutely lovely stay over Valentine’s Day weekend. The grounds are relaxing and beautiful. The little extras like complimentary breakfast, happy hour, and fresh coffee 24 hours a day were much appreciated.
We stayed in the Lincoln Building and had a lovely, clean, bright, and updated room. I loved the little antique touches but the fact that everything was clean and renovated. I would definitely recommend this hotel.
I’m taking one star off for the limited parking available at the hotel.

I stayed at the Upham for a work conference. The service was perfect! I loved interacting with the staff. The garden was lovely, and the Adirondack chairs were a nice touch. My room (#11) was comfortable, but definitely not fancy. This hotel is definitely in the quaint & charming category. I was quite satisfied. The only downside was my room was located directly over the kitchen, so I’d hear some dishes clattering and loud talking. But that wasn’t awful, just a tiny nuisance in the bigger picture. I enjoyed sitting by the fireplace, and chatting with other hotel guests. It’s a great hotel!

Wine happy hour, oreos and milk for dessert, cute outdoor sitting area with adirondack chairs, comfortable rooms, continental breakfast upon waking, and 12:00pm check out — so worth the price!

So when in Santa Barbara for business last week and realizing there was no Marriott in Downtown SB, this was the next hotel on my company preferred list that was available. Well, an interesting choice of stay for someone who prefers more corporate accommodations. I’ve enjoyed staying at quaint garden cottage properties in the past so I was open to coming here for work travel. First of all, the hotel staff was really terrific. Friendly service at the front desk when I arrived, lots of help recommending great nearby restaurants (as well as attentive service at their own restaurant in the hotel — Louie’s California Bistro) and excellent service when checking out and feeling appreciated for my business and stay. They also offer free wine and cheese from 4:30−7pm and a complimentary continental breakfast each morning.
So why 3 stars? First of all … location. When walking in a dress and heels (from work attire), it’s quite a trek to State Street. In the evening, a good deal of homeless folks are out which makes the walk back alone and coming down a rather dark Solla Street, a little sketchy. My room was on the 2^nd floor. Although nothing seriously bad, the room smelled musty when first entering but got a little better into the 2^nd day (perhaps I got used to it?). The first night while in my room, I heard mosquitos buzzing near my head and noticed I got bitten on both shoulders when I awoke the next morning. Also, for $ 245+ a night, I feel the carpets should be replaced and bathrooms updated and repaired where necessary (i.e. shower head broken off wall and coming out of cracked wall tile). Lastly and most frustrating, I experienced a very weak wifi signal throughout the hotel as well as when in my room. When traveling for work and needing to frequently be online, this was rather bothersome.
The grounds are quite delightful and cheery but I think the next time around, just based on my needs, I’ll probably check out other options for accommodations.

Will be back. Found this ‘hotel’ to be so comfortable and charming, you don’t want to leave. It has a cottage-​like setting with lots of gardens and privacy. Oreos and milk at night, breakfast in the lobby. Staff was helpful and courteous. Did I mention TWO bathrobes? Fireplace in the room and A/​C.

I must start with the positives. The building is impressive. The grounds are green and well manicured. There are Adirondack chairs and tables scattered about on which to eat, read etc.
It was our anniversary and I mentioned that upon booking. When we walked in I felt we really found some place special. Well that is where it ended. I was hopeful that our anniversary would be acknowledged in some way, but that didn’t happen.
We had a bungalow and the room was so small, about 11ft. X 16ft. With a double bed, 2 wicker chairs and a circular table, there was minimal space to walk around. The bathroom was also teeny-​tiny. My husband and I could only be in the bathroom together if we stood right next to each other. I went to the desk to request a bigger room, but for an additional $ 40.00 per night, we decided that we’d rather spend the addition $ 80.00 on dinner.
The carpet did not appear very clean and I didn’t feel comfortable walking barefoot. Lastly the outer gate to our bungalow was broken and wouldn’t close. In order to not feel we were in a box, we left the drapes open, however when the gate would blow open, our room was completely exposed to the parking lot. All in all I felt disappointed. For that amount of money we could have gone to a much nicer hotel.

Loved every moment here for my anniversary. The staff is fabulous, bed was amazing. Jacuzzi tub was the cherry on top. I can’t wait to return next year!

The price and reviews bear no resemblance to reality.
Their ‘cottages’ and the ‘carriage house’ might as well be trailers. The shower wasn’t cleaned well and the light switches felt dirty.
I’m confused about the reviews, the place was more fitting of $ 79/​night, not the $ 200+ we were charged!

The hotel is beautiful from the outside, and walking through the back yard it just has a very relaxed setting.
There is a restaurant right next to it, Louies, however we haven’t tried it (but have heard many good things about it).
The front desk was really nice to us and they upgraded us to a little bungalow for just a little more money. We were given a choice to pick that or a room in the main house area and after reading reviews about the noise, we were glad we did.
The bungalow had a musty, old person kind of smell to it, and the door knob fell off, my wife actually was trapped in the bathroom for a minute until I was able to jimmy it open. What was interesting is that the room seemed like it was partially remodeled, and they just left it at that. The heater make this loud sound so we ended up sleeping with frost on our noses. (maybe not that bad but you get it).
Walking distance to downtown? If you’re a guy wearing sneakers, yes. Woman wearing heals, don’t do it.
Would I come back? Unfortunately no, it wasn’t the right vibe for us. Maybe if I was 20 years older it would be fine.

The Upham is a great blend of a hotel and a B&B.
There are many rooms as well as 24-​hour concierge (helpful when my delayed flight got me in past 2 AM). At the same time, there are certain details which add some charm to the inn. For example, there are books on the shelves of the living room-​styled lobby, and outside there is a gazebo, white Adirondack chairs, and a fountain which provide a relaxing, scenic escape for guests.
The complimentary breakfast each morning is everything you can have while still technically being «continental.» Coffee, juices, tea, fruit, yogurt, cereal, hard-​boiled eggs, steel-​cut oats, bread/​bagels, pastries, and spreads were laid out and consistently refreshed throughout the morning. Everything I tried tasted fresh and well-​prepared.
In the afternoons between 4 and 7:30 PM, the lobby provides red and white wine for guests to enjoy. There’s also a platter with crackers and a cheese spread. My only suggestion is that they also put out some of the cheeses they have for breakfast since the spread tasted pretty artificial. There were 4 different types of sliced cheeses at breakfast to choose from which would go great with wine and crackers.
In the evenings, the lobby has a platter of Oreos and chilled milk for guests (as well as the constant coffee/​tea/​fruit). It’s a great feeling knowing that there are cookies and milk waiting for you after a long day of working or walking around SB.
My room with a queen-​sized bad on the second floor of the Carriage House was a good size with many windows and a little porch (overlooking the parking lot unfortunately). The inn’s location is great since it is on a quieter street just blocks from the bustling State Street. My company has a corporate rate with them, so the pricing is very reasonable. I will definitely recommend The Upham to colleagues travelling to Santa Barbara in the future! What better way to spend a business trip than with free wine and cookies?

We had the pleasure of staying at the Upham Hotel over the 4^th of July holiday. Although I hate to travel this time of the year due to the high hotel prices, we were able to get a decent price at the Upham — particularly when you factor in a great Continental breakfast, wine and cheese in the evening and a nice clean, «cozy» room in between.
The room we stayed in was the least expensive «Bungalow Queen Room» which is advertised as «Cozy.» Cozy is a nice name for small so if you book this room, plan on tight but quaint quarters. For us, we spent most of our time relaxing around the beautiful grounds around the hotel so it’s wasn’t an issue.
Parking is limited and during busy times, you’ll be relegated to the street. On weekends you can park in a school parking lot in back of the hotel.
You are only two blocks away from State street so getting to all the restaurants and shopping is a breeze. Location, location, location!
On the topic of food and beverage, the Upham is top notch. It serves probably the most comprehensive Continental Breakfast I’ve had at any hotel. Outside of eggs and bacon, they had a great selection to start your day off right. The wine and cheese in the evening was made even better by having beautiful grounds in which to enjoy your libations.