Hotwire Hotel: Family room in Santa Barbara

[lauriston]

Trying (and struggling!) to find a room in Santa Barbara for 1 night (sat 24th July)

Family of four.

Budget of around $150

Anyhelp would be most appreciated!

Cheers!

[AaronJB]

In terms of a party of four, it is best to use HOTWIRE, as one can indicate 2/2. Are you seeing any listings of interest when searching HOTWIRE for SB for these dates? Is your budget approximately $150 + taxes/fees or $150 "all-in"?

Thank you for using the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.

[lauriston]

I've tried Hotwire and almost every other site I can think of! - with no success!

Would there be some event on or is it always like this?

Budget is approx, I would consider higher if I could find something.

May have to consider another place to stopover, as this is basically what I am doing - looking for a typically Californian coastal location for a stopover on route from LA to Three Rivers in Sequoia.

Thanks for any help!

[Colfax]

Summer weekends in Santa Barbara are a really tough bid, and a single night Saturday is toughest of all. Many hotels have a two-night minimum stay on summer weekends.

Searching Saturday night alone HOTWIRE only offers THREE hotels in all all three Santa Barbara area zones combined (i.e. Santa Barbara, Goleta, Carpineteia). But searching Friday and Saturday together there are SEVEN options. So four of these seven hotels don't permit single night Saturday stays.

Hotwire's only Saturday night option in Santa Barbara is a 2.5* for $306. The better hotels in town (3* and up) have rack rates $350+ and a few are $500+. This isn't a good night for bargain hunting.

$150 may be enough for a 2.5* or 2* in an outlying zone (Goleta or Carpinteria) but I don't think it will get you much in SB proper. To put things in perspective Motel 6 Santa Barbara Beach, which is a 1*, is $119 if available, but sold out on 7/24.

Are you able to stay Friday and Saturday? That will improve availability but not pricing.

Can you stay Sunday instead of Saturday? That will improve availability and pricing both...and traffic.

Saturday night with a $150 limit you're probably looking at a basic 1* or 2* motel in Santa Barbara, or possibly something a little better in Goleta or Carpinteria.

Your thoughts?

p.s. Did you make any decision about the LA leg of your trip?