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Scientology has left the building.
The downtown Drift Hotel quietly opened this week at 524 State St. in Santa Barbara, in the former home of the Church of Scientology.
Room rates range from $300 to $400 a night to $1,800 to $2,000 for the penthouse suite.
Commercial real estate broker Jason Jaeger, his partner Sep Wolf and a team of investors purchased the building from the church in 2020. The team reimagined the building and, with a multimillion-dollar renovation, transformed it into a 45-room hotel under the management of California-based TMC Hospitality.
The result is a remote-entry hotel with ocean and mountain views, a state-of-the-art coffee bar called Dawn and a sleek night agave bar called Dusk, in the heart of Santa Barbara’s downtown.
The hotel is managed by Nick Gillio, general manager, and Aaron Carty, the hotel’s operations manager.
“The hotel is fun, unique, has a homey feeling, it’s not your typical hotel,” Gillio told Noozhawk. “And you are right on State Street. You’re five blocks from the Funk Zone, you are seven blocks from the harbor. You are in the 500 block, which is a very thriving block.”
Unlike a traditional hotel, there is no front desk. When people make reservations, they receive a code that they input to enter the building and their rooms. The barista and bar staff are trained to help with any problems that arise, and the hotel’s managers are also on site.
When a guest’s room is available, they will receive a code and enter through city parking lot 10. If people arrive before their room is ready, lockers are available for people to store their items. The hotel also loans surfboards and bicycles to guests.
The team renovated a building that Jaeger called “the eyesore of the 500 block.”
“To reactive it, it is going to help Santa Barbara businesses,” he said.
The original build more than 100 years ago was used as a hotel. The scientologists used the rooms for offices.
Wolf said the hotel is a model for how to do adaptive reuse.
“Traditional development doesn’t really exist in Santa Barbara,” Wolf said. “There aren’t really many vacant parcels left. We have to find old buildings to add value to and bring them to a higher, better use, and that’s truly what this project exemplifies. It’s taking a building that was not used to its fullest potential and bringing it back to its original, historic use.”
Super Bowl-Bound
Santa Barbara-based company Cultural Global Media will help produce the broadcast of Sunday’s Super Bowl, for the eighth time in nine years, for Fox Sports Latin America.
The company’s founder, David Bolton, is a graduate of Santa Barbara High School and is beginning his 35th year of producing live national sports broadcasts, according to a news release.
“We are honored that the NFL and Fox Sports executives in Mexico City again have the confidence in our work to hire us for this 57th Super Bowl,” said Bolton, who began his television career at KEYT in 1982. “Every Super Bowl is memorable. We are fortunate to have a strong, talented and dedicated production team.”
Preparations for the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles began a year ago.
The Santa Barbara company is responsible for everything from the production truck to cameras, satellite coordination, camera, audio and replay operators, plus logistics with the NFL.
“It’s a lot of detail and sometimes feels a bit overwhelming, but our team members have done this multiple times and they really help carry a big load,” Bolton said in a news release.
This will be the 57th edition of the Super Bowl for an international Spanish-speaking audience.
Village Properties New Hire
Knight Real Estate Group of Village Properties has hired Gabe Grandcolas to help give buyers and sellers the advice and support they need as they manage the complex decisions and life transitions related to residential real estate, according to a news release.
Kelly Knight, founder of Knight Real Estate Group, said Grandcolas’ “integrity and client-centric approach impressed her immediately.”
“It’s a thrill to be able to work in the community I love,” Grandcolas said in a news release. “Through my time working with Kelly, I have learned firsthand how impactful agents are in the buying and selling process. Kelly’s dynamic clientele and sophisticated professional approach resonated with my interests and style. We both quickly recognized that we make a great team.”
Knight added: “Gabe will go to any length to ensure a client has what they need. He really listens, and his attention to detail to ensure the best possible outcome no matter the circumstances make our clients feel instantly comfortable.”
— Noozhawk staff writer Joshua Molina can be reached at jmolina@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
