Santa Barbara Surf Culture Meets Stylish Design

Drift Hotels – with more locations in Palm Springs, San Jose Del Cabo, and Nashville – is heralded by Philip Bates, a Georgia native, who quit his career in finance to chase waves, and create hospitality experiences that reflect his surfing and wandering lifestyle.

“It all kind of started in Baja,” Bates told me over the phone prior to the Santa Barbara trip. “I went for the first time probably a decade ago. I was shocked at how amazing that place is – with the architecture, and this laidback surfer town vibe. There was this feeling of what California might’ve been like, maybe, 60 years ago. Less people, less regulation. We would be surfing at spots with nobody in sight, you could have a bonfire on the beach, then fish tacos and beers at the end of the day. There was something very freeing about it.”

In Santa Barbara, the location has a subtle style. The architecture is sleek, yet minimal. Walls are either blank concrete or painted black. It’s classy, curated.

For Bates, that trip to Baja inspired his vision as a hotelier.

“I was blown away by the design and what they could pull off,” he added. “I wanted to make hotels that encapsulate that laidback atmosphere. Not too sound cheesy, but captures the spirit of surfing. And that’s not just putting surfboards everywhere as decoration. But there’s something about that love and freedom, and we wanted to put that into Drift.”

Speaking of surfboards, Drift’s Santa Barbara location offers a quiver of Almond Surfboards for guests to take out, and explore some of the region’s most iconic spots. Like Bates said, “Your stay is up to you. We encourage guests to get out and explore.”

As for my stay, in the doldrums of summertime, the ocean was predictably horizontal. Instead, they also offer bikes, and Santa Barbara is a great town to get around on two wheels. The pier is just a few blocks down the road from the location, and the beachside bike path is a great way to spend the afternoon. Additionally, the staff recommended a visit to the Mendocino Hot Springs, a quick drive away, and a lovely hike through the San Padres Forest to an historic natural collection of pools, glowing in vibrant blue minerals, and soothing to boulder-climbing feet.  

Bates’ background is diverse. While he hails from Georgia, he was always drawn to wanderlust. He’s lived and traveled all over the world, and that nomadic lifestyle is what drew him away from a life in finance, and into the world of boutique hotels.

“Travel changes you, for the better,” he said. “Those places write themselves on you. I’ve always had this feeling, this desire to never stop exploring. Each place I’ve been, I fall in love with it. There’s just so much to see out there.”

And that rings true, whether you’re a surfer or not, and even if it’s a short trip, just a couple counties up the coast. For more, check out Drift here.