Despite online rumors that the Montecito Inn was distancing itself from the legacy of famous actor Charlie Chaplin, the hotel’s management said that’s not the plan. 

While the hotel is planning some refurbishing, redecorating, and changes to its pet policy, as of now there are no official plans to remove its Chaplin memorabilia. 

The famous silent film star was an early investor in the Montecito Inn at 1295 Coast Village Road, today you’ll find some of his movie posters behind the front desk and next to the elevator on several floors, as well as a conference room named after Chaplin. 

Early in December a post circulated on Nextdoor claiming that Montecito Inn was removing all Chaplin memorabilia starting Jan. 1. Jim Copus, hotel owner and manager, said they haven’t made an official decision to do so.

“Certainly the legacy will continue, and we’re not walking away from that. As far as redecorating, we actually haven’t really discussed if we’re going to keep some of those posters or not,” Copus said. “It was kind of funny that that came up because we haven’t really formally finalized that decision yet.”

While some artwork may be moved around or changed during redecorating, Copus said they actually began scaling back their Chaplin memorabilia 15 years ago so as to not be seen as a themed hotel.

“Some people think it’s really neat that Charlie was part of the history, but it’s not really why people stay here,” Copus said. “Maybe a few, but it’s not the main reason why customers come to Montecito. So we tried to embrace our strength, rather than keep something that not a lot of people really care a ton about. Some people do, but not everyone.”

Before 15 years ago, Copus said they actually paid a fee to Chaplin’s estate because of how much the actor’s likeness was used around the hotel; but today, very few guests even know who the actor was. 

One thing that will change next year is that pets will no longer be allowed at the hotel. 

The Montecito Inn started to allow pets after the pandemic when tourism was down, but Copus said they don’t have the facilities to continue accommodating pets. 

“We get a lot of great dogs and dog owners; we also get a lot of dogs that aren’t quite as well behaved as their owners think they are,” Copus said.

While guests weren’t supposed to leave their pets in their rooms, Copus said many did so anyway, leaving dogs barking and sometimes damaging furniture. 

“The main reason is we just don’t have a big enough property to make it sustainable for us,” Copus said. 

Also starting next month, the hotel will undergo some redecorating as they try to lean into a more modern luxury design.

About 60 out of the hotel’s 61 rooms will be redone in stages, with 15 rooms closed for 15 days at a time.

The work will mostly be related to updating furniture, changing out carpeting, fixtures, and other finishings, but no major renovations or construction are planned, Copus said.