Inside the newest hotel in Ojai, which is also the oldest

By Christopher Reynolds, Los Angeles Times

OJAI, Calif. — Downtown Ojai’s newest hotel, which is also its oldest, stands along Ojai Avenue like a rancher in his best string tie and leather vest.

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This property, now known as Hotel El Roblar, has been a fixture on Ojai’s main street for more than a century — party to multiple civic dramas, one fraud conviction, repeated closures and four decades of fitness retreats. Now, after years of negotiation and restoration, a new team of owners has reshaped the place to evoke Old California, celebrate the Ojai Valley’s wild side and lure Angelenos looking to escape the city.

“There’s a hitching post outside, next to the bike rack,” hotel partner Jeremy McBride pointed out, noting that horseback visits aren’t out of the question.

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