The former Best Western Plus Pepper Tree Inn has joined FOUND Hotels and Series by Marriott, adding loyalty benefits while retaining its established Santa Barbara positioning.
Hawkins Way Capital has converted and rebranded the 150-room Best Western Plus Pepper Tree Inn as FOUND Hotels, Santa Barbara, Series by Marriott. The property now participates in Marriott Bonvoy while continuing to offer complimentary breakfast, free on-site parking and enhanced guest services. The move places an established Santa Barbara hotel within Marriott’s collection of independent regional brands, linking its local identity with the reach of a global hospitality platform.
Located on Upper State Street beside La Cumbre Plaza, the hotel is positioned between downtown Santa Barbara, the harbour and nearby beaches, with access to Highway 101 and the Santa Ynez Valley wine country. Its garden-style layout includes lush courtyards and two outdoor pools, while the property is designed to accommodate weekend visitors, families, corporate guests and small groups. The combination of location and practical amenities keeps the offer focused on accessible leisure and business travel rather than a full-service resort model.
Guests can earn and redeem Marriott Bonvoy points through the Series by Marriott collection, which Marriott describes as a network of independent, regionally created hotel brands offering comfortable stays and the benefits of its loyalty programme. The Santa Barbara property provides spacious accommodation, daily breakfast and complimentary parking, alongside private balconies or patios, heated pools, complimentary Wi-Fi and guest laundry facilities. It also markets flexible accommodation for corporate retreats, social gatherings and wedding groups.
The conversion illustrates how an existing independent-style hotel can gain distribution and loyalty-programme access without discarding the characteristics used to define its local proposition. Series by Marriott positions itself around simple, comfortable stays, regional identity and global connectivity, while FOUND Hotels, Santa Barbara continues to emphasise gardens, outdoor space and proximity to Santa Barbara attractions. For Hawkins Way Capital, the property also extends a broader relationship with Marriott built around converting multiple hotels into the Series by Marriott system.
FOUND Santa Barbara joins a portfolio that Marriott and Hawkins Way Capital are developing around the Series by Marriott brand in the United States. Its positioning is deliberately practical: a familiar destination hotel gains access to Marriott Bonvoy and the company’s booking ecosystem, while retaining complimentary breakfast, parking and a relaxed setting. That balance gives the rebranded property a clearer connection to a major hotel network without requiring the source material to suggest a fundamental change in its guest profile.
