HotelChatter

Tags: Celebrity Scoop / Randy Quaid / Hotel Blacklists / Hotel Crime / Santa Barbara Hotels / → All Tags

Randy Quaid and Wife May or May Not Have Stiffed The San Ysidro Ranch

Where: 900 San Ysidro Lane [map], Santa Barbara, CA, United States, 93108

Two things are for certain concerning the reports that former? actor Randy Quaid and his wife, Evi were arrested for allegedly stiffing the San Ysidro Ranch in Calif, out of a nearly $6,000 hotel bill. One, Randy and Evi are most likely crazy. They posed for their mugshots like it was a Facebook profile photo shoot and then scribbled off some letter to TMZ about how they in fact did pay the bill. Two, TMZ got way too excited about their mugshots.

But we still aren't sure if they actually did skip out on their hotel bill on August 20th. TMZ says the couple have done this sort of thing before at the Hotel Bel-Air but Evi sent a copy of a cashier's check they sent to the hotel with the amount requested. She also said:

I promise the state of California, Texas does not bother people over hamburgers ordered by room service, supposedly burglarized."

Um...ok. Either way, the duo have posted bail and are free to check into new hotels now. But we're not so sure hotels will be eager to accept them now. Remember, hotels do have a blacklist.

Tags: Hotel Pools / Four Seasons Hotels / Members Only / Santa Barbara Hotels / → All Tags

The Coral Casino Beach and Cabana Club Pool By the Numbers

Where: 1281 Channel Drive [map], Santa Barbara, CA, United States, 93108

Guests of the Four Seasons Biltmore Resort in Santa Barbara have a choice when it comes to pools: the "intimate" Resort Jungle Pool or the "legendary" Olympic-sized pool across the street at the private-membership Coral Casino Beach and Cabana Club.

The spa, and fitness facilities here are open to club members and Four Seasons guests only. And with that kind of exclusivity, numbers matter.

more ›

Tags: Hotel Restaurants / Rosewood Resorts / San Ysidro Hotels / → All Tags

A 'Friendly' Dining Deal at the San Ysidro Ranch

Where: 900 San Ysidro Lane [map], Santa Barbara, CA, United States, 93108

If you’ve never been to the rambling San Ysidro Ranch in the mountains south of Santa Barbara, you might think it’s a stuck-up place since it takes pride in a fabled history that includes hosting Sir Laurence Olivier’s wedding to Vivien Leigh, being the site of JFK and Jackie’s honeymoon, and having Oprah as a neighbor. (It's also a fave for one of our VIP Hotel Reviewers)

It’s also true that the huge suites and cottages all cost a small fortune for an overnight stay. When it comes to dining at the resort, though, you’d be hard pressed to find a better bargain gourmet meal.

more ›

Tags: Santa Barbara Fires / Hotel News / Hotel Emergencies / → All Tags

San Ysidro Ranch Not in Harm's Way, Yet

Where: 900 San Ysidro Lane [map], Montecito, CA, United States, 93108

As the Tea Fire spreads across Montecito in Santa Barbara today, we wanted to check in on the San Ysidro Ranch, a luxury resort where John F. Kennedy honeymooned in 1953. It's also a resort favored by our VIP Reviewer and author Gabe Rotter.

Right now, the hotel is currently not in any danger. A very chipper hotel employee said that things were looking great right now at the ranch but that with the unpredictable winds, "we just don't know." Let's hope this fire stops soon.

Related Stories:
· Californians Seek Shelter in Hotels Near Montecito [HotelChatter]
· Author's Dog-Friendly Hotel Pick in Oprah's Backyard [HotelChatter]

Tags: VIP Hotel Reviewer Series / Gabe Rotter / Pet-Friendly Hotels / Rosewood Resorts / → All Tags

Author's Dog-Friendly Hotel Pick in Oprah's Backyard

Where: 900 San Ysidro Lane [map], Montecito, CA, United States, 93108

We now present you with our VIP Hotel Reviewer Series in which we hand-pick experts in the travel and media worlds and beyond to tell us what are their favorite hotels and why. Once a week, we'll feature a hotel review from said VIPs about their favorite leisure or business hotels. Pay attention: These VIPs are experts at what they do and they don't mess around when it comes to their hotels.

The next VIP in the series is Gabe Rotter, author of the Simon & Schuster novel Duck Duck Wally about a chubby whiteboy who is the secret ghostwriter for a famous gangsta rapper, Oral B. Since Wally's beloved bulldog Dr. Barry Schwartzman is an important character in the book (he gets dog-napped!) we figured Gabe could tell us a safe place to travel with your dogs. Enjoy.

[Photo: IanL]

My favorite dog-friendly hotel is a place I'll likely never be able to afford again. I went there once, a few years ago, for two nights. And I'll be working it off until the day I die, old and hunched and grey and wrinkly, drooling into my Jello and dreaming about my two, wonderful nights with my bitch at the San Ysidro Ranch in Santa Barbara.

Oh, and my dog came too.

MORE

more ›

Tags: Hotels / → All Tags

Montecito Inn: Charlie Chaplin's B&B

Where: 1295 Coast Village Rd [map], Santa Barbara, CA, United States, 93108

[Ed. Note: Long time readers may remember Hotel Maven switchcoast, who moved from New York to the Bay Area last spring and chronicled his hotel stays along the way. Well, he is back, er, sort of. Looks like switchcoast has had a sex change, of sorts. His new reviews are a little softer, and as it turns out, the latest stories are authored by his new female companion. The couple visited a bunch of hotels in the last month including the Montecito Inn, which is reviewed after the jump. Enjoy.]

more ›