"Stayed at Hotel Santa Barbara on March 8, 2026 and had a very concerning experience.
We checked in around 9:30 PM under the reservation name Vanessa Gonzalez and were assigned Room 415. The air conditioning in the room wasn’t working, so around midnight the hotel moved us to Room 315.
During the transfer, individuals described by the hotel as “third-party security” were allowed into our room to inspect the AC and were then permitted to help move our luggage. Shortly after the move, I discovered that my Movado watch (valued roughly $2,500–$4,000) was missing.
There is a camera directly outside Room 415 and the hotel has key-card access logs that should show who entered the room.
Instead of helping resolve the situation, front desk staff Alex Smith and Dylan Dupont were rude, dismissive, and escalated the situation by calling the police even though we were calm and simply trying to report the missing item. Police responded and a report was filed, which made the situation unnecessarily embarrassing.
The interaction also included comments referencing my being Hispanic, which made the situation even more uncomfortable.
I hope management reviews the hallway cameras and access logs from that night. Guests should feel safe leaving their belongings in their room. Unfortunately, that wasn’t my experience here."