h2hotel — Hotel in Healdsburg

I do not believe in leaving negative reviews because I understand mistakes happen.

I reached out to the GM as a matter of professional courtesy with constructive criticism and instead of listening and empathizing with me, touted about his 4.6 star rating on Trip Advisor and how he opened the best hotels in NYC & Vegas; and so I decided to share my experience with my fellow travelers as you deserve to know. I also sent an e-mail to ownership which went unanswered.

The shower head in my suite was similar to a sprayer on a kitchen sink. When I mentioned it their Director of Operations, she stated that she gets complaints about them at their sister property, but has not received any complaints in six years at H2 however when my traveling companion went to use the shower, she complained as well without me saying anything.

The fact that there is no all day food service is an issue for me. Even if you have prepared cheese plates, chips and salsa, something, anything, this is not too much to ask for in a four star hotel with the rates they charge. Apparently this was communicated as I wanted something "special" and apparently the General Manager, who happened to be the one who answered the phone at the hotel restaurant after several unsuccessful calls to the front desk made it seem as it was an inconvenience when I asked that they fire the chicken from their menu promptly at 5pm when the kitchen opened. The General Manager never bothered to introduce himself nor make an effort to reach out to me despite obviously being aware of my challenges.

There were several maintenance issues in the room, loose fixtures, non working door bell, mold in the bathroom sink and water trapped behind the backsplash.

My room was not properly serviced on my last day, my robes weren't replaced and because the bathroom floor is not properly pitched, the entire bathroom becomes a puddle after a shower.

The bar was also not open on time at 3pm on Saturday like they told me it would be after we waited an hour for it to do so and once we finished our drinks, the empty glasses remained on the bar for over an hour until after we returned from our walk.

My room was right below an entire family staying in the suite above me and there are no area rugs in the bedroom.

I actually tried to downgrade my suite to a room and they informed me that it would actually increase my rate because the rates have gone up since I booked. Their integrity and ethics are questionable, their rates are exorbitant and they even charge you for taking the toiletries in the room!

I also came to find out that apparently someone on the staff complained about me complaining believe it or not so be careful if you are staying here on business and complain because it might get back to your employer or client! They stated that I "wanted to bring my glass of wine to the pool but was not allowed due to hotel policy and I made it clear I was going to anyway" - this I find especially interesting because neither me nor my guest had wine. Not to mention, no one told me I couldn't bring our cocktails to the pool. Being a hospitality professional and owner/operator of a venue with a pool, I am especially conscience of glass by the pool, I even offered to swap out the glasses for plastic cups when Jerry came out with some water and when we were done, I personally brought the two remaining glasses to the front desk so no one else would accidentally break them by the pool.

It was also reported that I "brought 2-3 extra people to the complimentary breakfast." I didn't ask them to provide complimentary breakfast for my guests nor try to sneak them in-I was aware they charged for outside guests and was prepared to pay and The Director of Operations said she was taking care of it but I was still charged for two mimosas anyway.

My guests returned again on Monday and paid for their breakfast and were told we could not order a Bloody Mary nor could I have a slice of cheese for my eggs nor did the staff know how to charge them for the breakfast as we waited...

Had very high hopes for the new Spoon Bar menu. We used to frequent the bar for the extraordinary drinks, and maybe order something from the menu as an afterthought. Sadly Spoon Bar lost their amazing bartender, and are heavily promoting new Chef Maldanado - whose creative fare I'd sampled at One Market in SF. (Interestingly, One Market also had a Startender/Bartender at the time - René, I think it was - but I believe he too has moved on). Maldanado is a cutie, and staff seem to like his kitchen managing style. He's young, has worked with some great chefs, and isn't afraid to take risks. But I found his risks at Spoon Bar to be unsubtle, and out of accord with my palate. His Chicken Crackling snack, though beautifully presented; topped with a nasturtium leaf & bloom and a smattering of green goddess, was . . .meh. . . .(think fried pork skins). The sherry vinegar on the eggplant appetizer was so pungent, it burned my nostrils, and there was no detectable flavor of eggplant at all. The Hamachi Kama appetizer - a favorite at Japanese restaurants - lacked the char grilled crisp salted skin that normally contrasts so beautifully with the flavorful, moist and buttery flesh of Yellowtail, although the garlic sauce was a nice change from the usual ponzu. The 'risotto-ish' Barley, dungeness crab and coconut milk seemed like a good idea - but my taste buds found it a big snore. Desserts were unremarkable - ice cream too lightweight - not rich and creamy, the sticky toffee pudding was excessively sweet - with a sugary sauce on a gingerbread-y pudding' and really needed creme fraiche or something - perhaps should be re-envisioned altogether. It wasn't worth the 10...

This hotel is fine overall, but there were quite a few issues that made the stay less enjoyable than it could have been.

The good: The room was clean, and the bed was reasonably comfortable. Some of the staff were friendly and helpful. I appreciated the filtered water stations throughout the hotel and the refillable glass bottles provided in the room. The location is excellent—right in the middle of Healdsburg, which made exploring the town very convenient.

However, there were many small but frustrating issues. When we arrived, our room wasn’t ready, and we were asked to wait quite a while—even as other guests who arrived after us were given room keys. We later learned that there were other clean rooms available, so it’s unclear why we weren’t offered one of those instead.

The breakfast service was not great. Items listed on the menu weren’t actually available, and they repeatedly forgot parts of our order. The quality of the food was also underwhelming.

Valet parking was another pain point. Even when we called ahead for our car, it was not ready when we came down. We always had to wait, which made planning around it difficult.

In terms of the room, there were a few functional issues: the window coverings didn’t block out light well, so we were woken up early by the sun. The water in the shower didn’t drain properly, and the bathroom door inexplicably slammed shut.

Overall, the hotel feels a bit understaffed, and several of the staff members seem inexperienced in hospitality. While there are a few thoughtful touches and a great location, the service and attention to detail just weren’t where they needed to be...