Cottage Grove Inn — Hotel in Calistoga

My husband and I experience the WORST stay of our lives here. What’s worse is the owners’ refusal to make anything right. Soon after we arrived and were hoping to relax next to the fire, a noxious odor began to infiltrate the cottage. We contacted the innkeeper, who came in and immediately agreed that there was a bad odor coming from the fireplace. She suggested changing to another cottage, which emitted the same noxious odor as the first cottage we were staying in. She said the fireplaces had recently been serviced. We think some harsh chemical was used to clean or service them. The innkeeper suggested that we spend our vacation time finding a cottage that didn’t have a smell, while she attended to other things. That should have been her responsibility. We ended up having leave the windows open all night along in December!||||We contacted the inn after our stay and they said they acknowledged that there was a foul smelling odor, but said “It's our sincere hope that our offer of a different cottage and the complementary wine will demonstrate our dedication to ensuring your future experiences with us are delightful and stress-free, in line with the visits you've had in the past.” They offered us a cheap bottle of wine to compensate for a cold, stressful, toxic night. The offer for a “different cottage” was no offer at all: we tried another cottage and it was just as foul smelling due to the fireplaces being serviced. And the innkeeper did not assist us with finding another cottage because she was too busy.||||This place used to be beloved to us. This experience has caused us to do further research in the Cottage Grove Inn business to see if we were not the only ones who has experienced this. We read reviews on various sites. Several guests have left negative reviews recently. Some of these complaints are very alarming, such as non-compliance with ADA rules, faulty smoke and carbon monoxide detectors that required a 911 call and a visit from the fire department, fraudulent credit card charges, poor management, customers feeling they were treated rudely by the manager, and an extreme decline in quality in the last year, charging more and offering less. ||||It appears this business has undergone a change in ownership in the last few years, being purchased from its longtime owners. As returning and longtime customers, we (myself and my husband) feel that we have been disrespected and treated poorly. We hoped that we would be treated with more respect with an offer for a resolution due to this incident. We are reporting this Inn and its owners to the Department of Consumer Affairs and the California Department of Public Health.||||For your own health and well-being, we advise to stay away from...

My husband and I experience the WORST stay of our lives here. What’s worse is the owners’ refusal to make anything right. Soon after we arrived and were hoping to relax next to the fire, a noxious odor began to infiltrate the cottage. We contacted the innkeeper, who came in and immediately agreed that there was a bad odor coming from the fireplace. She suggested changing to another cottage, which emitted the same noxious odor as the first cottage we were staying in. She said the fireplaces had recently been serviced. We think some harsh chemical was used to clean or service them. The innkeeper suggested that we spend our vacation time finding a cottage that didn’t have a smell, while she attended to other things. That should have been her responsibility. We ended up having leave the windows open all night along in December!

We contacted the inn after our stay and they said they acknowledged that there was a foul smelling odor, but said “It's our sincere hope that our offer of a different cottage and the complementary wine will demonstrate our dedication to ensuring your future experiences with us are delightful and stress-free, in line with the visits you've had in the past.” They offered us a cheap bottle of wine to compensate for a cold, stressful, toxic night. The offer for a “different cottage” was no offer at all: we tried another cottage and it was just as foul smelling due to the fireplaces being serviced. And the innkeeper did not assist us with finding another cottage because she was too busy.

This place used to be beloved to us. This experience has caused us to do further research in the Cottage Grove Inn business to see if we were not the only ones who has experienced this. We read reviews on various sites. Several guests have left negative reviews recently. Some of these complaints are very alarming, such as non-compliance with ADA rules, faulty smoke and carbon monoxide detectors that required a 911 call and a visit from the fire department, fraudulent credit card charges, poor management, customers feeling they were treated rudely by the manager, and an extreme decline in quality in the last year, charging more and offering less.

It appears this business has undergone a change in ownership in the last few years, being purchased from its longtime owners. As returning and longtime customers, we (myself and my husband) feel that we have been disrespected and treated poorly. We hoped that we would be treated with more respect with an offer for a resolution due to this incident. We are reporting this Inn and its owners to the Department of Consumer Affairs and the California Department of Public Health.

For your own health and well-being, we advise to stay away from...

We recently stayed at the Cottage Grove Inn in Calistoga over Thanksgiving with our family and close friends, and unfortunately, it was one of the worst hospitality experiences we’ve ever had.

The smoke alarm in our room malfunctioned and went off every 30 minutes throughout the night, leaving us unable to sleep at all. While we understand that issues can arise, the response from the staff the next morning was shockingly dismissive and unprofessional. When we shared our experience at checkout, instead of apologizing or offering meaningful support, the lady at the front desk deflected by claiming we hadn’t provided a credit card for incidentals (completely unrelated to the issue) and blamed us for not calling their emergency number during the night.

We chose not to call out of respect for the staff, given it was Thanksgiving, and expected the hotel to take responsibility for ensuring basic comforts like a functioning smoke alarm. Instead, we were made to feel at fault for their negligence. To top it off, the only “compensation” offered was a glass of wine—not even close to addressing the magnitude of our ordeal.

This experience was especially disappointing because we had stayed here the weekend after our wedding 20 years ago and had fond memories of the property. Clearly, the service has deteriorated significantly since then.

I would strongly recommend against staying at this property. The complete lack of accountability, unprofessionalism, and disregard for guest comfort is unacceptable, particularly at this price point. Save yourself the trouble and...