singtx

Booked a 5 night stay on points to visit family. Anyone stay here before/after Tribute Portfolio status? Location is perfect for our visit...any comments welcome.

a quick google search didn't produce any FT results...

SanDiego1K

singtx, I found your post fascinating as I had no idea that the Inn at Rancho Santa Fe had associated itself with Starwood. My mouth actually dropped! We attended a wedding there on New Years Eve. The bridal couple spent their first two nights at the inn before heading out on their honeymoon. I've attended various events there over the years but have never been inside a room. The grounds are beautiful. This is Old California at its best. I hope someone more knowledgeable than me can help re the room quality.

Thyme in the Ranch, across from the Inn, is a great place for lunch. It has a great range of salads, sandwiches, and desserts.

bhrubin

It is a Tribute Portfolio...not Luxury Collection. It joined up as of May 1. A very nice addition to the portfolio. I'll be curious to hear some recent reviews and new review on SPG/Marriott treatment. I was there for a wedding several years ago and thought it a very pretty property with nice food/beverage.

http://www.bizjournals.com/prnewswir.../05/04/MN81091

singtx

Thanks for catching the error! Corrected OP. Thanks SanDiego1K for the restaurant rec!

We now have two rooms booked for 5 nights.

Hopefully someone can chime in on two families staying here with kids under 4 years!

Regardless, its the closest "SPG" property to the sister's house.

thanks!

Kagehitokiri

hopefully another sign of more great properties joining tribute/luxury/design/autograph

cherribabe

When is your stay scheduled? I'd love to hear about it. I am considering a stay next week. The room rate is over $600 with taxes and I was both surprised and yet not surprised to see that included a $25/night amenity fee that covers wifi, parking (I probably won't have a car), fitness center and in room coffee.

Is it just me that gets totally annoyed by these fees? At the rates offered I can't fathom why this needs to be an extra fee?

Anyways, would love to hear more about the property. Thinking of going to check it out this week just to take a look since I'll be close by.

beamer2000

I stayed with my fiance here for a couple of nights after we were in LA for a bit of a getaway.

The grounds are absolutely gorgeous -- beautiful green grass. The town is small and the hotel feels like it's right off the main couple of streets. The walk up to the property was gorgeous. Everything about the exterior and grounds was nice. We walked in through what was the lobby and waiting area for the main dining area. The check-in area was small and a little dated, but it had character.

Our rooms were a short walk away from the main property. Most things here have a villa/bungalow feel. We were on the second level, with a raised boardwalk to the unit. It was very large. The bathroom was great. Our room had a patio and a fireplace with a couple of logs placed outside our room.

We ate in town for every meal except for breakfast (platinum benefit), which was delicious. The menu for other meals looked great and people seemed to enjoy themselves. There were quite a few kids there on our first day (Mother's Day) playing out in front yard. The Inn and the town as a whole seem geared towards an older, wealthier clientele that probably doesn't want to live in San Diego proper.

We really enjoyed our stay. We got our room at a great rate. Service was wonderful. I think it's a great addition to the Tribute Portfolio.

SanDiego1K

That's a valid description. Very wealthy San Diegans tend to live between La Jolla and Rancho Santa Fe. Rancho Santa Fe attracts those who ride horses. Minimum lot size is large and some homes have their own stables. It's typical to see folks on horses on local horse trails. Rancho Santa Fe provides a very discreet environment for the wealthy. There's no home mail delivery by choice as folks don't want their addresses known. Folks have to go to the post office to pick up their mail.nny

Anyway, I digress. It's nice to see such a positive report on the Inn. I've been to events there and seen the beautiful setting but have not been in a room.

PHX_SOUS

Wow just discovered this! A very nice addition to North County SD.

Will be heading there this week for a 5 night stay. Looking forward to it!

singtx or cherribabe - have you completed your stays/visits yet? Just curious to learn as much as I can.

JohnnyP

Agreed -- looking forward to hearing others' experiences here!

singtx

Next month. I grabbed a cash and points stay. They finally loaded the govt rate.

YES the $25 resort fee is BS!

Kacee

I just had a disappointing one night stay here. My basic conclusion is that this place is really not suitable for business travelers. The focus is very much on wedding parties.

Positives: The setting is beautiful and the staff are very nice and accommodating. I also did not mind the $25 resort fee, as it includes parking (much better than the places which charge a $30 resort fee plus $40 for parking).

I had all kinds of issues though:

• Booked a suite, but didn't get one at check-in. They "upgraded" me to a Grand Deluxe Room, which had a nice private patio and a soaking tub, but no separate living space and no desk. Given that I needed to work, this was a problem.
• No SPG recognition or explanation of amenities. I had to ask.
• Around 10 pm, there was a strong smell of smoke in the room. It was from the room next door which had a wood burning fireplace. Thus began a lengthy back and forth with the (very nice) front desk agent about solutions. Wound up moving to a large suite near the pool.
• Phone system was down the entire stay. They didn't proactively notify guests, so until this was explained to me, I thought the front desk just wasn't answering the phone. If you wanted any kind of service, you had to walk to the front desk. It's a fairly spread out property, so this was pretty inconvenient.
• Internet was not very good. Download speeds were 3-4 mbps.
• Breakfast amenity is continental or an $18 credit. Didn't get to check this out, as the service (1 server, no busboys) was glacially slow and I had to leave for a meeting in Del Mar.
• At check-out, was told they computers were down. They couldn't print me a receipt, send me a receipt, or even tell me how much I owed. Still not sure what I'll be charged.

bhrubin

YIKES. I'd be furious.

I definitely would contact SPG Customer Service or the Plat line if you have Plat status. I would expect with all that went wrong that you were due the entire night refunded to you with an invitation to return on their dime for a night to prove they've fixed all that clearly ails them.

Othwrwise, I'd never stay again. Certainly, I won't be staying here ever or recommending them until I hear differently.

damon88

blitzkriegs