Trudy and I just spent a delightful weekend at one of America’s historic hotels. Deep in the heart of California’s wine country is the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn and Spa.
Rebuilt in 1927, this little gem is charming, calming and balming.
It looks and feels beautiful.
Delightful pink stucco architecture from a time gone by, including a magnificent old water tower, complete with resident barn owls.
Beautiful lighting with fires and outdoor seating sprinkled all over the property. It reminded me of The Eagles and Hotel California.
The Hotel has suffered from a lack of investment over the past decade, and the Hotel rooms themselves are old and tired. However, the team and their enthusiasm and pride in the property more than compensate for that. Plus, quite frankly, you don’t spend much time in your room on this property. Isolation is not the point. The point is to enjoy all the personalised wine tastings, creative, quirky, dining options, excellent healthy and comfort food options and one of the best spas in America. A 40,000 ft² oasis built on top of ancient mineral hot springs. Expert staff (Trudy thought the facials and massage teams were world class).
The Hotel is located 10 minutes away from Sonoma, which has a fabulous Plaza. It dates back to the 1890s with a historic barracks still there and it’s full of funky West Coast shops, wine bars and ice cream outlets aplenty.
The redwoods and palm trees grow side-by-side on the property and are majestic to say the least.
We were there working with charismatic French GM Karim Ikrimah and his Head of Talent Katie Kuruliak. They are committed to energising and stimulating the Hotel team to Make Special Happen for every guest, every day.
Karim and Katie brought together a talented, energetic leadership band of around 18 people, and we spent the day together firing up for a year in which the team will lead a Hotel-wide effort to do whatever they can to make the guest experience intimate, personal, charming and memorable in all the small ways that contribute to making a stay at The Mission one of the happiest memories of the year.
The history and heritage of The Mission and this increased focus on creating wonderful memories for guests outweigh the somewhat disappointing rooms. People love people and place. The Mission Inn is lovable.
If you like wine, good food, old-world, simple charm and pampering yourself in a world class spa – give The Mission Inn a go. It’s dog and kid friendly.
It’s a haven of understated tranquillity in a marvellous piece of America, in what is becoming a loud, brassy, noisy world.
We’ll be back in a couple of months to work with Karim and his team on a tailor-made programme designed not just to give guests what they want – but to give them what they never dreamed possible.
“You can check out anytime you like
but you can never leave.”
