I'm staying here over Memorial Day weekend for four days on an award so your comments piqued my interest.

I've stayed at this property twice in the past year and both times, I thought the food was stellar. Not quite 5-star cuisine, but for lounge food, I was very happy. The had beer and wine for free and were constantly restocking the food. Has it changed that much since my last stay, was this just a bad day in the club Lounge, or were you expecting a lavish spread and got what you got (which to me, would've been just fine).


A waiter told me that the chef likes to get food from the local farmer's market when it's open which is certainly a bonus.

I'm considering this property to stay at for 1-2 nights this coming weekend to have easy access to Sonoma and Napa.

Can anyone let me know how the hotel is overall and winery recommendations?

Stayed at the property less than a month ago:

No suite, but upgraded to a top floor club room that was fine. Seems like a hotel is less than 10 years old.

Club lounge hit or miss: it was a slow time at the hotel so it was not staffed well, yet the wines were all local and free. There were some interesting nibbles at night from the restaurant, which apparently is top notch, although we didn't eat dinner there. Problem with the lounge all relates to staff, as so much was hidden or put away so you really need someone to get basics like a wine glass. (We did eat Breakfast in the restaurant, one day had excellent service, the other not so good, but all in good nature). No free wifi in the lounge, but free wired internet in the Club Rooms.

Hotel is not in walking distance to much, so you need a car (parking is free), and besides Downtown Petaluma you are a short drive from all that Sonoma and Russian River have to offer. Too many great wineries to mention. Be sure to spend time in Petaluma, especially by the river with some great restaurants, art galleries* and shops.

*Hint: We have some wonderful FT'ers in Petaluma, one who happens to run a very fine gallery and another who's a great Mod & coach. ;)

I stayed here earlier this year on a special winery rate which included free bottle of wine and cheese plate. The free bottle of wine was a Sonoma county pinot noir that was actually quite good. I found the $139 rate on the hotel website under specials. I would definitely return to this hotel.

A number of the local wineries accept Visa Signature card for free tasting. So be sure to show your card if you have one. This can save you quite a bit of tasting fees.

Next time you might want to consider the new Westin Verasa in Napa. It's quite impressive.

Stayed there last Saturday night. As noted it is kind of a strange location, but I did get a room with a great view of the river. I could see the 101 but it was not noisy at all. The room was not a suite but was fairly good sized, and everything seemed new. The staff was all very friendly; I would stay here again (although I had previously stayed at the Fairmont Sonoma which was top notch)

I stayed here for a night a few weekends ago. As a platinum, I was upgraded to a corner suite facing the marina. Not quite a 2-room suite but it was a large jr. suite with a jacuzzi tub. It was on the ground floor so there were more noise that I would have preferred since there's a wooden walkway around the entire hotel where guests stroll. But the hotel was completely full (I watched them turn away someone who walked in to request a room) so I was content with the room that I got. Apparently this summer has been pretty busy for the hotels in wine country.

The Club Lounge is closed on the weekends much to my disappointment. I asked if there were breakfast coupons for platinums in this case but the front desk manager said no.

CIT85 had a good suggestion of using the Visa Signature wine tasting program for Sonoma County. As far as how the individual wineries treated you upon mentioning the free tasting program, it was a hit or a miss. Some places treated us a great and gave us a full variety of wines to taste. Other wineries served the bare minimum and we had to share a wine glass between the two of us during the tasting. Oh well, their loss. Guess which ones I spent my money on for bottles of wine. ;)

+1 Stayed there earlier in the year and upgraded to a small corner suite but was on first floor with one wall's windows opened up onto the parking lot and the other wall's onto the aforementioned walkway. NO privacy whatsoever. I would have prefered to remain un-upgraded and on a higher floor but was too tired (arrived around midnight) to do anything about it so can't say if they would have solved my problem. Was very sorry in the morning as I worked on the computer and watched tv in my pj's but with all the drapes tightly closed. Never saw the sun or what looked like a nice view of the water.

$20 Prix Fixe includes wine & exceptional food!
 

Hotel is pretty standard fare and I wish they'd come clean about being in Petaluma vs. what everyone thinks of as Sonoma.

The property redeems itself, though, with an incredible value for early bird diners. 3-courses, local ingredients, AND a glass of wine for $20.

Click here for my write-up along w/photos...this is a steal!

There's nothing to "come clean" on. Petaluma is in Sonoma County. You can't cater to people's lack of geographical knowledge.

Very nice stay.....
 

As I posted in another thread, Plats no longer receive free breakfast on weekends (i.e. Sat, Sun, Mon mornings) when the club lounge is closed. The front desk said they had to discontinue this on account of the economy. On the positive side, there is a nice a la carte menu in the restaurant, which has great staff although they're sometimes short-staffed.

My wife and I, and our dog Zena, really enjoyed this dog-friendly establishment. Dogs are free if you sign a waiver, and dog bed/bowl/treats are provided. You must stay on the first floor. As Plats using a free weekend night, we were accommodated in a first-floor corner junior suite (#188) facing the marina. This is a very nice location, a little like being on a ship. Fridge, microwave, bar sink.

We considered the early-bird dinner mentioned in an earlier post, but that menu is quite limited. Instead, we took a long evening walk with Zena in the nearby Shollenberger Park, accessible on foot, right from the hotel. The trail runs along the navigable Petaluma River, an historically critical factor in the city's prosperity, and through marshes and dredge-spoil with good bird life. Then we returned for a 7:30 p.m. dinner from the full menu, which has some nice choices as you'd expect in wine country. And not too expensive.

BTW, Petaluma's downtown has some great 19th- and early 20th-century commercial architecture, built when the city was the egg capital of the world.

Does anyone have an email address for this property? Their "contact us" link doesn't have one.

Update: the internet access is free to all guests. The lounge's evening offer is is decent; 1 hot dish, salad, cheese & cracker tray along with free wine and beer. No drinks nor snacks are available during non-service hours; I wish it offered water. :( The breakfast is strictly continental.

I guess it's one of the better Sheratons I stayed (I prefer to stay at Westin).

Lastly, only thing that bothers me is FD clerk always say we upgraded you to club floor. :rolleyes: The club floor is a defined benefit for Platinum members.

P.S The hotel currently offers $89 prepaid rate which I'll be taking advantage of a few more times...

Actually, it isn't necessarily...but club lounge access is where there is one at Westins, Sheratons, and Le Meridiens. ;)

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

[email protected]

I would like to give credit to the manager David Scott. I contacted him after my stay regarding not receiving my 'make a greener choice' 500 points in exchange for declining housekeeping. I also got a $5 coupon which I used in the hotel shop. He quickly replied telling me he would look into it. After a couple of hours, he told me that the points had not be submitted and he had done so but expect them to credit in about a week. Not only were the points in my account the next day, it was 1,000 instead of 500. So he gets ^ ^