Try the Inn of the Spanish Garden instead
Based on the great reviews on this site, I reserved a room at the Harbor View Inn. Boy, was I in for a surprise. I planned to come down from San Francisco to run the Santa Barbara marathon. I invited my little brother to run it with me, and as an early Christmas present, I offered to pay his entry fee and for the hotel room. Shortly before the marathon, however, I caught the flu, and the day before, I decided that I was still too sick to run. My little brother still wanted to run, however, so I called the Harbor View Inn to confirm that they should simply charge the room to the credit card that I used for the reservation.
Katie at the front desk told me that I would have to come in and physically sign the receipt. I explained my situation and that I was in San Francisco, and I asked her to send me whatever authorization form they needed me to sign. She refused. She stated that the only way I could pay for the room without being physically present would be to send a check before arrival, which if it cleared in advance, would be deemed acceptable. I pointed out that since my reservation was for the next day, this was not going to work.
After 30 minutes of back-and-forth with her and her supervisor, Nate, I offered to wire transfer the funds. She refused. I asked her why the hotel would not accept a credit card over the phone, even with a faxed, signed authorization form from me. She stated that it was for “my protection.”
I then asked what would happen if I cancelled the reservation. She stated that at this point, she would charge my credit card for the room. I pointed out that if she was willing to charge my credit card if I cancelled the reservation, then it seemed silly to refuse to charge my credit card for the stay, particularly if I faxed her a signed authorization to do so. She refused to budge. As a result, I had to have my little brother charge the room to his credit card, and then I sent him a check. Merry Christmas.
If you look at the reviews marked “terrible” and “poor” on this site, you will see that they consistently point to poor service and/or management. Based on my experience, I must agree. My brother confirmed the reviews that state that that the hotel itself is beautiful. If I were to going to spend $300 to $400 a night, however, I would try the Inn of the Spanish Garden or the Canary Hotel Santa Barbara. That way, I would not have to deal with the staff of the Harbor View Inn.