News Alert: Big Hospitality Sale in Santa Barbara’s West Beach: The Franciscan Inn Sold

The Franciscan Inn & Suites, a 53 key boutique hotel located in Santa Barbara’s West Beach neighborhood, has closed in a privately negotiated transaction for $22.5 million. Steve Golis, Jack Gilbert, and Aneta Jensen of Radius Commercial Real Estate led the sale process, co-listing the property with Austin Herlihy and his team at Colliers Santa Barbara.

The property was sold by local owner and developer Ed St. George, who acquired the hotel in 2022, to Warren Resort Hotels, a family-owned hotel group with longstanding roots in the immediate area. The group also owns the neighboring Marina Beach Motel, further strengthening its presence in the West Beach submarket.

The offering was structured as a pocket listing, enabling a discreet process and direct engagement with a select pool of hospitality investors. The closing reflects sustained private capital interest in high quality coastal lodging assets and underscores the value of relationship driven execution in Santa Barbara’s hospitality sector.

Positioned within one of Santa Barbara’s most established coastal lodging corridors, the property benefits from immediate beach proximity and seamless connectivity to the waterfront and downtown core. Its intimate scale, courtyard oriented design, and on-site parking offer a competitive edge in a neighborhood where charm and functionality rarely converge. The buyer plans to thoughtfully enhance the asset over time, building on its architectural character and further strengthening its long-term positioning.

West Beach remains a cornerstone of Santa Barbara’s lodging market, supported by consistent visitor demand and enduring barriers to new hospitality development. These underlying fundamentals continue to reinforce investor confidence in well located boutique properties throughout the Central Coast.