The Lodge at Sonoma Renaissance Resort & Spa

My fiancé and I are planning our Rehearsal Dinner at The Lodge, and the entire experience has been anything but pleasant. Terrible communication from the staff, zero accountability and lots hand holding. We’ve also been tossed between three to for different Event Coordinators.

This hotel billed both my master card debt card and my visa credit card for my stay. How they allowed this to happen is beside me but their Bookkeeper Kerri has failed to return my 1:45pm call or my 4:45pm second call. My bank doesn’t understand why they billed my debt card with individual charges for rooms, dinner, bar bill, sales tax and service charges rather than the total hotel bill of $ 1255.00 which I paid at check out. So as of now I have been billed twice on two separate cards. This should never have happened as I notified the clerk at check out that my debt card already showed a $ 941 payment for the room but he told me no credit was on the billing and made me pay the entire 1255.00 total which I put on my credit card. I am very disappointed in this occurrence and lack of immediate response. I’ll refrain from speaking of other negative experiences during my stay as this speaks to the accountability in customer service for this establishment.

Beautiful lobby to hang out and sip your beverage of choice. Nice large patio area. On Saturday, live music and complimentary wine tasting in the evening. Suite was very nice and a good size. Bike rentals on premise. Also, yoga and a hike was offered on Sat. Morning.

Would I stay here again? Yes but I would make sure I book it carefully.
Note: we booked a 2 night stay for a standard room with double beds. When we arrived we were told that all standard rooms either have king beds or two double beds. Double bed = futon size (bigger than a twin but smaller than a full). That was not going to work for us. Luckily Shanirra was able to help us upgrade to a cottage and it was worth it!
The cottage was perfect for us although I did find a number of small gnats around the bathroom sink. Parking is an issue in the evenings. If you go out for dinner and come back assume that the lot is going to be mostly full due to an event or something else and that you will have to park a good ways from your room. Not a problem, I didn’t mind the walk, just annoying.
The wine tasting in the lobby was fun and the grounds are very tranquil.

Came here for a spa day with my sister and her friends for her bachelorette. We did not stay over, however the amenities and service were great. As a group we got our own cabana with a cute little chalk sign as well. The pools vary in temperature, and everything was made to have perfect spa vibes. In addition, they also had a lovely dimmed relaxation room to wait in before your spa treatment which had delicious tea and almonds to snack.
My spa treatment itself was great (initially), Maria was incredibly sweet and explained everything she did thoroughly and gave future skin tips as well. I thought I would definitely be coming back because my skin was glowing and poreless until about 10pm that night. My entire nose broke out in giant swollen white heads along with random pimples around my face. This make have been a skin shock or purging of toxins, but my skin has never been this bad, or flaky and dry (I have oily skin). Very hesitant to return despite the great experience there. It has been 5 days and my skin is still worse than usual…

Overall we had a nice stay and got the room we requested. We paid for a King cottage on our wedding weekend. The visit was mostly fine but there were a few things I was disappointed about.
Most hotels/​resorts you tell that you’re on your wedding give you something special. That didn’t happen here. I’m not saying I’m entitled to freebies, but it definitely makes you feel extra special if it’s your big day and the hotel acknowledges it, even in a small way. They just said they saw on the reservation we’re getting married after I asked.
The other major issue I had was housekeeping. We requested turn down (not an automatic) and wanted room cleaning, of course. On the night of our wedding, we came back to an uncleaned room. Around midnight, the kind hotel desk keeper was very helpful and moved us to another King, but definitely not an ideal way to celebrate your wedding night. The next day, I asked the front desk about it. They said the DND tag was left on the door so they didn’t clean the room. I removed it when I left, so maybe my now-​spouse came back to the room and forgot to remove it? So, this could really have not been the hotel’s fault. Upon checkout, they asked if there’s anything they could do, so they took off the room service charge and gave us the 500 points for skipping room cleaning that guests are entitled to if they are staying at least 2 nights.
The other thing to note is that the cottage rooms seem like they’re due for renovations. When I toured the facility before they said they were doing renovations. I didn’t actually see the main guest rooms, which I heard were nice, but the cottage looked somewhat dated.
So, the 3-​star rating is is A-​OK because for $ 1000/​2-​nights, I hoped for more of my hotel on our wedding weekend.

The employees were great. Chloe at the front desk was kind and very helpful. Adam in the bar is also wonderful to work with. Nice van service to nearby places was also great. Shuttle drive was also a great guy. Yes the property is a tad dated but the human touch more than makes up for it. Great location as well for shopping, eating etc. only mandatory $ 25.00 add on resort fee kept the score from being higher. Rained two days straight so no resort pools, etc could be used. Just raise the room rate if the fee is not optional.

Very small place in a very small town. Visit napa instead. The tall manager is also very rude and tries to throw the little power he has around with customers. Do not recommend.

I love this hotel. It is conveniently located, but not too close to the square. All the rooms are great, as well. I love being able to grab a glass of wine at the wine bar or restaurant and bring it back to your room and relax by the nice fire. The staff is always friendly — haven’t stayed there once and had anything but exceptionally friendly hospitality. The only reason it is getting 4 stars this time is this: This last time, I noticed that little tiny details, like the shower grout, are not as spotless as they were. It is to be expected, it’s not brand new anymore. Lots of people come and enjoy. I am not sure whether it is an age thing or housekeeping is less diligent. But, that is my only gripe! Look forward to coming back!

Beautiful hotel, I was lucky enough to come here for work, because I don’t think I would ever have the opportunity otherwise. The bathroom products were Aveda, very nice! The pool looked pristine and the outdoor fire pits were nice. Plus lots of parking available. The negatives, I was on the first floor and I opened the patio doors to the parking lot and I was unable to close them. I went to the front desk and asked how to close the doors and they described everything that I had already done, and when they finally sent someone over, I realized they forgot to explain one step. I was in a rush when this happened, so it was rather frustrating. If your doors are that tricky to close, there should be instructions in the room on how to close the doors. My other complaint was the light that came into the room at night. The rooms have beautiful shutter doors, but when the doors are closed, light peeks through each close crevice from the very bright light in the parking lot. In addition, anytime someone drove through the parking lot, lights would shine through the doors onto my face. This situation could be easily fixed by adding curtains in front of the doors to pull across at night, or a shade on the glass windows in front of the doors. The pillows were big but not super comfy, for the rate we paid, I was expecting to have different pillow options.

So incredibly disappointed in this place. I have been wanting to stay here for some time and was finally able to while on a scouting trip for an upcoming event. I stayed in one of the cottages in the back of the property near the spa. The first thing I noticed when I walked in was the smell, I thought maybe I booked a smoking room, nope. The room definitely needs some updating, its dark and feels old. It has a small sitting area with a TV, a desk, a small vanity area and a nice size bathroom with a big tub. Probably the most annoying this was the heater, it was very loud and very strong and woke me up several times through the night.
They have a free shuttle that takes you to the plaza as well as free wine tasting in the evening. I figured I should use some of the amenities since there was a mandatory resort fee on my bill and used the small gym. It had the essentials; treadmills, a couple other cardio machines and some free weights. Please note, they do not include the resort fee when you are pricing out the room so factor in another $ 25 per day for that.
Besides the lobby, this hotel just does not have the wow factor I was expecting for someone that charges $ 500 per night.

Please fix your wifi.
It does not stay connected.
From an aggrieved guest.
–yes that is a haiku.

We really enjoyed our extended stay at The Lodge. We upgraded to a cottage — one of the units off the road and past the pool — which was quieter, very comfortable and well-​serviced by the room staff (Lupita). The amenities at the main hotel building were good too, with yoga classes, hikes and wine tasting all daily, an active concierge desk and two restaurants:
The Carneros Bistro was really excellent the first couple of times we ate there, but they must have had some staff changes as the quality did go down a little for our last visit there. The inside restaurant, serving mainly coffee, wine, breakfast and poolside stuff, seemed way too expensive for my taste. The staff were good (Ruben) and they had good stuff there, but at Napa prices.
The front desk staff were excellent, especially Tim, Mike, Katie and Amanda, as well as the folks who drove the shuttle to the town square just about whenever anyone needed it. They always had good restaurant ideas for us — not like there are any bad restaurants in Sonoma!
Overall, this has got to be the best hotel in Sonoma. I know there are two or three others which might be fancier or more expensive or have a higher rating, but The Lodge has it all for regular folks who just want to have a great experience without having to join the 1 percenters!

The grounds are very beautiful and the lobby is nice at first glance. That is all I can really say positive. Let’s start with the bad service from the front desk, to the café/​poolside bar, to the room service that doesn’t speak English. The room was a cottage which I read was supposed to be better then the main or satellite building. Tey are ok. The beds were not comfortable. The pullout bed was dreadful. There is an open pipe coming out of the ceiling in the shower, and what looks to be mold in the bathroom painted over.
Make plans to leave the hotel for everything including coffee and a bagel. That will run you about $ 11, everything here is overpriced. Go down to peets or the great bakery in Sonoma, down a mile or so. Then buy your drinks for nighttime elsewhere as well, the drink menu is not so great and over priced for bad service and attitude. I am yet to meet one service minded individual here. There are not many options in the area to stay, so in a pinch this hotel will do. I would not come back to this area or hotel again.

The pool is a cryptosporidium petri dish– currently six diaper-​clad toddlers getting either swim lessons from parents or getting rinsed out, couldn’t tell which. Oh well, guess I didn’t need to go in on this 90-​degree day anyway.
Rooms have Aveda product tho!

Heading out today, against my will. This place is an adorable oasis with a great location to the Sonoma area! First and foremost the staff has been friendly and helpful the entire time. They have a free shuttle that will take you to the Sonoma Plaza, where you will find excellent dining options and shopping a plenty! Or you can rent one of their bikes and cruise over there on your own. This is the way to go so you can explore some of the wineries close by. I recommend going to Gundluch Bunchu, and scribe.
If traveling around on bikes isn’t your thing, the hotel also offers wine tastings at 4:30 everyday! The pool area is really beautiful on a nice warm day too! This location is a bit remote in regards to Napa if you don’t have a car, but that’s part of its charm.

My impression of this place was a fancy motel with all the rooms facing the pool. I was pleasantly surprised at our accommodations in A3 cottage. Huge room and nicely laid out. The lobby is relaxing and everyone is nice here.
Gym is okay and I got a good work out. We didn’t want to go out for dinner so I walked to Broadway Market and bought some nice foods back to our room (less than a 5 min walk).
Upscale and perfect for a quick vacation.

I enjoyed my stay at The Lodge. This hotel has good amenities and provided lots of interesting activities for the guests. It is the kind of resort hotel that you could practically just there all day long and not get too bored. My only complaint is just the lack of smile from the front desk staff when I check in. I don’t think they are by any means rude or unfriendly. It’s just that I expect I little more warmth and enthusiasm to make me feel at home. I think this is a fair expectation for a hotel at this caliber.
The spa and swimming pool are awesome. Don’t miss the wine tasting either. Wish I could join their morning hike but weather did not cooperate. Overall I think there is a good chance I would return to this hotel.

I can’t say enough good things about this place! From the time we got there to the time we left the staff were amazing!
It was my husband and my 10 year anniversary, and we only had a few days off and so we went up to Sonoma. We had a terrible experience with our air BMB which we had to cancel and we’re looking for a place on short notice. We were so fortunate to have found the lodge! When we checked in I was telling the front desk staff member about our situation and she so nicely upgraded us from a regular room to one of the cottages. We love the cottage! There’s a fire large bathtub and lots of space in the room for us to lounge and for our dogs to play. That’s right it’s also a dog friendly hotel! And in this case dog friendly truly means dog friendly. You can leave the pets in the room unattended as long as they behave.
it was too cold to actually swim in the pool because it was the off-​season however the pool lounging was fun and there are fire pits, and a hot tub. Every day they also have complimentary wine tasting. They also have a great shuttle that takes you to the downtown Sonoma Square at normal hours. This is great for going into town to eat and have a drink and not worry about driving or finding parking.
They knew it was our anniversary and they also gave us a wonderful bottle of sparkling wine! It was absolutely lovely. Thank you to the staff of the lodge this was a great experience. Especially thank you to Kristi and Andrew for making our anniversary memorable.

Service is spectacular, and this place is doggie friendly. Doona is happy! The interior is sooooooooo beautiful. Since it’s Christmas, the trees are all lit to perfection, and there’s a warming fire place at a few spots inside the lobby. The swimming pool looks so clean and is lit up, adding to the dreamy romantic feel of this lodge. Everyone is so helpful and delightful
I love the setting of the rooms. I feel like a college student, finding my specific room number, among the array of mini apartment like lots. It’s not like the usual hotel or motel configuration. Every mini square living space is separated with their own outside patio. There’s no elevators because it’s only two story mini buildings. Inside it’s very sweet and comfortable. There’s a fridge and ironing board already set for you, which is also an added bonus. Oh and it’s free internet use, so no need for bothersome passwords and paying a fee for a wifi connection. If you get cold, you have the option of their timed fireplace or thermostat!
The dining restaurant is so great. The food is very fresh, and presentation is just so pleasing. It’s like simple art, that’s placed perfectly, on beautiful white plates. The interior of their Dining Restaurant is so spectacular. I love that they play music, good music, like Frank Sinatra. The service here, is also very pleasing. Another sweet tid bit… they give you two tickets for two days, to dine at their breakfast time, at this Open Table Restaurant. So you get to rack some points with your Open Table account, as you dine for free! It’s pretty pricey too!
My only pet peeve, is that the rooms are carpeted. I hate carpet. It’s just like stepping on a dirty rag. And if pets are allowed, along with people who sometimes wear their outside shoes inside… carpet inside, is just a soft sidewalk. So I always bring my own in house slippers! Problem solved! Oh, and why don’t hotels, motels, and any other overnight stay lodging, have plastic bags in their garbage cans!!! I feel weird throwing away things inside a garbage can that’s naked! :P