Hotel Review: Four Seasons Santa Barbara Biltmore
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
As I reported a few weeks back, as a special Thanksgiving treat, I took my grandmother to see my aunt, uncle and cousins in Santa Barbara for the holiday and I decided to spend a couple of my nights there checking out the local hotels. Of course, being a Hyatt Diamond, I wanted to see the new Hyatt in town (which I'll tell you about in another post), but I also spent a night at the Four Seasons The Biltmore Santa Barbara.
What, no points?
That might be a little confusing since, after all, I'm the Points Guy, and the Four Seasons doesn't have any sort of formal loyalty program. But I made my decision based on a few factors.
When you get down to it, the basic commodity I am looking to get out of any travel experience is value, and points are just one way—granted, a VERY important way—to reap the most value out of your hotel experience. Points and the elite status they confer translate into some of the high-end hospitality touches travelers covet such as staff knowing your name, your preferences, treating you as a VIP and throwing free perks (upgrades) your way.
While I place great significance on using points as a currency to pull value out of an experience, it's not always part of the equation, especially when it comes to luxury hotels, so every once in a while I like to test the waters. The Four Seasons didn't disappoint, either. Everyone immediately knew my name, anytime I needed something, it was there almost instantaneously. Basically, I felt pampered but not coddled. But don't get me wrong, I won't be giving up my Starwood or Hyatt anytime soon!
The perks
For this stay, however, I booked my room through a Four Seasons Specialist travel agent who got me a rate of $425 a night. Pretty steep price considering I'm not even getting any points out of it! However, while it's true that's a bit expensive for my tastes, it seems to be pretty standard for a Four Seasons room, and since I was staying over Thanksgiving weekend, that rate wasn't much more than the sky-high rates at other properties in town (including the Hyatt). Plus, because I booked through a specialist, I got a few great perks included with my stay, like free breakfast and $88 in credit to use at the restaurants. Who'd have thought I'd ever be touting the virtues of going through a travel agent?
So now on to the real question: was my stay worth the $425? The short answer is: yes. Especially since, factoring in the meal discounts, which I was sure to use, the price came out closer to $300, and I got a room category upgrade.
The facilities
The resort is actually a historic property that was built in the 1920's, and once attracted the Golden Age Hollywood set. The property is designed in a very typical Spanish colonial style—lots of stucco, red roofs, Spanish tiles in the bedrooms, and lots of low-rise, two-story buildings scattered around a sprawling piece of land near the beach.
Though I had booked their lowest-category room, a Superior Room, upon check-in I was upgraded to a Deluxe King Balcony View Room one category higher, so that was a nice surprise—and the sort of perk I would expect from being an elite member of a hotel points program, but which I got in this case because I had booked through the Four Seasons specialist. So it had a little extra room, and a good view down to the water, plus nice amenities like a deep soaking tub and a big plasma TV, lots of light, and a really plush bed.
My one quibble is that it's pretty difficult to find a decent internet connection anywhere on the property. There is no WiFi in the rooms, so you have to plug your computer in, and though there is supposed to be WiFi in the public areas, I found it nearly impossible to connect (for a $10 fee) and the system was having a hard time taking my credit card number. Not the best place to get work done, and more than slightly annoying.
However, I soon got swept up in the destination. As I said, the property itself is gorgeous and historic, the weather was sunny and warm, and as I ate my free breakfast—a phenomenal lobster omelet that I can't stop thinking about—on the hotel restaurant's patio, a huge pod of dolphins swam by as a woman paddleboarded along with them. It was kind of the picture-perfect California moment.
With my $88 dining credit, I took my family down to the little restaurant at the Coral Casino Beach Club, a high-end private beach club (I think regular membership is in the range of $250,000!) that Four Seasons guests have access to and we had a great afternoon there eating right on the water. The food was actually moderately priced, and that credit went a good way toward covering the bill, even though there were six of us.
True value
All in all, I had a really great stay (apart from the WiFi—come on Four Seasons, it's almost 2012!). Did I wish I could get hotel points for it? Yes (at least I did get 2 points per dollars since I paid with my Sapphire Preferred). But in terms of reaping value from the experience, I don't think I could have asked for much more. The facilities were great, the service was excellent, and it was a lovely place to spend a night in Santa Barbara.
[card card-name='Citi ThankYou® Preferred Card – Bonus Point Offer' card-id='22145660' type='javascript' bullet-id='1']
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 5X | New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Valuable dining and food-related credits
- Flexible rewards with airline and hotel transfer partners
- Multiple travel and purchase protections
- No foreign transaction fees
- Access to Amex Offers for additional savings (enrollment required)
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Pay It® lets you tap in the American Express® App to quickly pay for small purchase amounts throughout the month and still earn rewards the way you usually do. Plan It® gives you the option to split up big purchases into equal monthly payments with a fixed fee. You’ll know upfront exactly how much you’ll pay.
- Updated! $120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants after you pay for eligible purchases with the American Express® Gold Card. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment required.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with your Gold Card. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you'll get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- New! As an American Express® Gold Card Member, you can enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status. Enjoy benefits like skipping the counter at select locations, adding an additional driver at no additional cost*, and vehicle upgrades**. Benefit enrollment and Hertz Gold+ registration are required. *Additional drivers must meet standard rental qualifications and must be a spouse or domestic partner to qualify as complimentary. Other additional drivers subject to fees. **Benefits are subject to availability and vary by location. Additional Hertz program Terms and Conditions including age restrictions apply.
- Take advantage of a $100 credit towards eligible charges* at over 1,300 upscale hotels worldwide when you book The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App **. *Eligible charges vary by property. **The Hotel Collection requires a two-night minimum stay.
- Book your travel through the Amex Travel App with added peace of mind – backed by American Express® service and support. Only for American Express® Card Members.
- Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.