Branded Meeting Hotels

Santa Barbara’s group-friendly lodging properties range from luxurious oceanfront resorts to buzzy boutique hotels. Our attractive accommodations portfolio includes 11 properties managed by Hyatt, Marriott, Hilton and IHG, which all offer meeting planner incentives. When combined with Visit Santa Barbara’s destination meeting planner incentive offerings, bringing your event to The American Riviera® has never been so rewarding.

Marriott Bonvoy

Marriott Bonvoy loyalists have four properties to choose from here in Santa Barbara. At the highest end of the spectrum is The Ritz-Carlton Bacara, Santa Barbara. Perched on 78 oceanfront acres north of Santa Barbara on the Goleta coast, The Ritz-Carlton is one of the region’s largest resorts with 358 guest rooms and 70,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting and event space. Nearby, the three-star Courtyard by Marriott Santa Barbara Goleta offers 102 rooms, 11 suites and 1,470 square feet of meeting space—the largest of which can accommodate up to 90 people. Opened in December 2017, the tech-savvy Residence Inn by Marriott Santa Barbara Goleta features 118 suites with fully equipped kitchens. The property’s 1,098-square-foot Monarch Ballroom can accommodate up to 64 meeting attendees. Last but not least under the Bonvoy umbrella is The Waterman hotel in downtown Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone neighborhood. With 31 guest rooms, The Waterman is a boutique-style property that’s perfect for buy-outs. The three distinctive event spaces total 5,250 square feet combined and can accommodate a maximum of 100 attendees.

Bonvoy Incentive Program:  Provide your Bonvoy membership number throughout the booking process for your meeting and earn up to 60,000 points per event on eligible room, food, beverages and audiovisual charges (two points per $1 USD spent). If you have Titanium Elite status you can earn up to 105,000 points per event.  In lieu of points, planners can choose to earn up to 20,000 airline miles per event; or earn one Elite Night Credit for every 20 room nights you book (up to 20 Elite Night Credits per event).

Hilton Honors

Hilton is equally well-represented in Santa Barbara. Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort has long been a landmark of the Santa Barbara waterfront from its prime 24-acre perch along scenic Cabrillo Boulevard. With 337 guest rooms and 37 spacious suites, it’s the region’s largest hotel by room count and offers 60,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space. Opened in fall 2017, Hilton Garden Inn Santa Barbara/Goleta features 142 guest rooms, a rooftop bar and 6,042 square feet of event space including six meeting rooms. Located in Old Town Goleta, Hampton Inn Santa Barbara/Goleta has 98 guest rooms and one small 252-square-foot meeting room.

Hilton Incentive Program:  The Hilton Honors Event Planner Program allows you to earn one point per every $1 USD dollar spent on guest rooms, meeting rooms and more on qualifying events at participating hotels in the Hilton portfolio. No minimum spend is required and you can earn points on up to $100,000 USD of your bill. Event planner points can be used on future events and group room blocks as well as personal use; you can also redeem points for event credits available in $50 increments.

Hyatt

Part of the Unbound Collection by Hyatt, the newly renovated waterfront Mar Monte Hotel is currently offering its own property-specific incentive for meeting planners. Group bookings secured prior to May 30, 2022, for program dates in 2022 and 2023 will earn double World Of Hyatt Meeting Planner Points, plus receive a discount of 10% off contracted banquet food and beverage and a 50% discount on the daily resort fee per room. The 200-room property offers 14 unique meeting spaces, with the largest at 4,325 square feet. Located on upper State Street, Hyatt Place Santa Barbara opened in August 2019, making it one of the area’s newest lodging properties. Hyatt Place offers 88 guest rooms and a modern 300-square-foot board room that can accommodate meetings for small groups of up to 12.

Hyatt Incentive Program:  The Hyatt Together events incentive offer (code GATHR) is available for bookings of all sizes through Dec. 31. Point earnings range from $2,500 USD equivalency total spend for your event earning 15,000 World of Hyatt Bonus Points, to upwards of $40,000 USD spend for 150,000 World of Hyatt Bonus Points. Under the promotion, you also get a choice of 10% off your event spend credited towards upgrades like complimentary guest rooms and enhanced food and beverage offerings.

IHG Hotels & Resorts

Fans of IHG Hotels & Resorts have two appealing options. On the upscale side is the boutique-style Kimpton Canary Hotel located in the heart of downtown Santa Barbara and offering 97 guest rooms. Among its 7,300 square feet of meeting space, The Kimpton Canary is renowned for its sixth-floor rooftop terrace with sweeping American Riviera views. Also in a prime downtown location just off downtown State Street is the 61-room Holiday Inn Express Santa Barbara. The historic landmark property dates back to 1917 and is perfect for rooms-only events or room blocks for social occasions not requiring event space.

Kimpton Canary “Meet. Stay. Play” Incentive Program: When you book 10 to 50 guest rooms or up to a 50 attendee catering-only event by June 30 and meet or stay by December 31. you can take advantage of Kimpton Canary’s “Meet. Stay. Play.” Promotion. Receive 10% off the master bill or one complimentary guest room for every 25 rooms booked (up to two) when you actualize 85% of your contractual guarantee. 

Visit Santa Barbara’s Meeting Planner Incentives

On top of these hotel-specific offers, Visit Santa Barbara’s own Meeting Rewards program provides up to $12 per consumed room night for qualified event bookings. Additionally, if you have a qualified RFP with a minimum of 100 total room nights consumed Sunday through Thursday nights, you can take advantage of our “Relax and Restore” incentive, which offsets the cost of site inspections. We offer a $500 airfare credit for flights in and out of Santa Barbara Airport, plus our sales team will design an itinerary for you including two nights of hosted accommodations, transportation, meals and a dedicated Visit Santa Barbara host throughout your site visit. With at least a few weeks advanced notice, we will be ready to roll out the red carpet for you!