Hyatt Place Santa Barbara open for business at Hwy 154 gateway to State Street

A new view and a colorful new hotel now greets folks heading down Highway 154 toward State Street.

Hyatt Place Santa Barbara opened for business during Fiesta following three years of construction and a number of delays.

“Hyatt Place Santa Barbara is great for the modern traveler,” said Renee Fletcher, Sales Manager for Hyatt Place Santa Barbara. “It’s great if you’re here for business during the week or if you’re coming up with your family for leisure over the weekend. This is the place to be.”

The Spanish-style hotel was designed by architect Richard Redmond with Edwards & Pitman and stands at the site of the former, 40s-era Hope Ranch Inn.

The 3-story property boasts a beautiful outdoor patio with fireplace seating, 88 rooms (five of which are ADA), business and exercise areas, in-house dining, a coffee-to-cocktails bar serving up local beers and wines. There is no pool but there is a Jacuzzi.

Roughly three years ago, Redmond referred this as the Bow Tie area; the small commercial zone sandwiched between Modoc Road and the Highway 101 over crossing.

“We’re perfectly located between Goleta, Santa Barbara and right at the base of wine country,” Fletcher said. “So, you just take the 154 on up and do your wine tasting. And, we’re just a few minutes from downtown attractions.”

Redmond said a small memorial plaque will likely go up on the far back fence, commemorating a tragic gravel truck accident here in 2010 that claimed three lives.

Local residents say they are thrilled to see the new addition in the area.

“We anticipate having some music out here and maybe some wine tasting or beer tasting,” Fletcher said. “We’re doing some collaboration with UCSB here in the near future, so we’ll ge the word out.”