By Contributor,David Hochman

Copyright forbes

Established in 1919, Hotel El Roblar is Ojai’s longest-standing hotel. Eric Goode, Ramin Shamshiri, Warner Ebbink and Jeremy McBride have restored the two-acre property to its historical charm and namesake.
Gregory Goode

Ojai has always attracted a stylish and eclectic crowd, whether it’s mystics or movie stars, wellness gurus or weekend warriors seeking that famous “Pink Moment” at dusk. Now it has a hotel to match. After decades in hibernation, the 105-year-old Hotel El Roblar has awakened under the stewardship of one of the most far-ranging ownership groups in hospitality: the Tiger King producer and conservationist (Eric Goode), an AD100 designer (Ramin Shamshiri), a celebrated restaurateur (Warner Ebbink) and a local hotelier (Jeremy McBride) who convinced them all to join forces.

Bringing a 105-year-old hotel back to life

The result? A 50-room Spanish Revival stunner where Aldabra giant tortoises roam manicured gardens, hand-carved ballrooms host modern soirées, and Chef Brandon Boudet serves wood-fired Mexican fare that has locals plotting their return visits. It’s equal parts historical preservation and creative rebellion, which is exactly what you’d expect from a creative dream team like this.

The lobby at Hotel El Roblar preserves original inspirations and touches that date back to the property’s opening in 1919.
Gregory Goode

But how do you create a hotel that feels both exclusive and welcoming to locals? What’s the secret to making century-old architecture feel effortlessly modern? And yes, I had to ask: what’s the guest reaction when they encounter those roaming tortoises?

The dream team behind Ojai’s buzziest hotel opening in years

I caught up with the foursome to decode the magic behind Ojai’s most talked-about transformation.

Guest rooms are divided among the Main Building (31 rooms, many with spacious garden terraces), 11 private bungalows, and the newly added Sycamore House, offering 8 additional rooms. Design highlights preserve many of the original architectural details such as the Mission-style entry archway, lobby stone fireplace and Monterey-style furniture.
Gregory Goode

David Hochman: Wait, you can pet the tortoises? What’s it like having 600-pound Aldabra giants as your hotel’s unofficial greeters and do they have favorite guests?

Eric Goode: Oh, absolutely – they have their favorite guests! And they love a good scratch, too. Truth be told, they usually prefer each other’s company, and their accommodations might even outshine the humans. I do run a hotel for tortoises, after all – The Turtle Conservancy – it’s just down the road.

Hochman: Basic origin story question: How did a filmmaker, a designer, a restaurateur, and a conservationist end up as hotel partners? Was this planned over cocktails?

Warner Ebbink: There is a very powerful force in Ojai known as the Vortex. It was that concentrated energy that brought us together. We didn’t have a choice. It chose us.

Hochman: You reimagined an older property that hadn’t been open to the public in 50 years. What was the biggest challenge in getting El Roblar up to modern standards and tastes?

Ramin Shamshiri: El Roblar is a 105-year-old landmark, Ojai’s longest standing hotel that had not really operated as a traditional hotel over the last 50 years. Restoring it to feel like it has always been there, while implementing modern conveniences, has been the hardest and most rewarding challenge. In revising the facade, we wanted to honor Mead and Requa’s original architecture for the hotel, and were very conscientious of how it related to the neighboring historic facades of downtown Ojai.

The hotel has been fully restored to honor its original historical charm and close-knit community of Ojai.
Gregory Goode

Hochman: If someone has never been to Ojai, what’s your 48-hour itinerary that goes beyond the typical tourist spots?

Jeremy McBride: You have to see a film at David Berger’s Ojai Playhouse. He has the best movie snacks in the world. I would also go up to Rose Valley and catch some horn lizards and enjoy Ojai’s backcountry.

Hochman: You furnished the hotel through local estate sales. What’s the coolest piece you scored, and did any come with ghost stories?

Goode: This question is like asking someone who their favorite child is. We sourced over 1,000 pieces for the hotel, collected over 40 years. From local Native American stones and objects to some of my own personal finds over the years. If I had to pick one, I think a paper mache Road Runner, made by an 85-year-old local artist, is one of my favorites.

What it takes to open a boutique hotel, circa now

Hochman: You’re launching in summer 2025 after years of work. What keeps you up at night—and what are you most excited about?

Shamshiri: Most excited – welcoming new and returning guests in the Fall weather as well as sorting through some programming for guest chefs and events in the Mariposa Ballroom.

McBride: Keeps me up at night – Running out of plushy California Condors we have in our guest rooms (it was impossible to find them).

Hochman: Chef Boudet has Chicatano ants on the menu?!? I’m presuming there are no ants in the rooms, right?

Ebbink: Correct, there are no ants in the room unless specifically requested as an off menu item on the room service menu by dialing a special number that goes directly to Chef Brandon’s personal unlisted kitchen phone.

Hochman: Five years from now, how do you want people to describe Hotel El Roblar? What’s success look like beyond occupancy rates?

McBride: Well, it took us over six years to complete this project. Time moves really slow in Ojai – maybe we’ll add a third tortoise.

Hochman: Anything else you’d like to share about this experience and what you’d like readers to know as they think about visiting Ojai?

McBride: Prepare to stay longer.

The interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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