Allegretto Vineyard Resort Paso Robles — Hotel in Paso Robles

This is our 2nd time at the Allegretto. We came down from SF for a weekend and had to extend our stay (soon to be over 2 weeks) due to smoke and poor air quality from the current Camp fire.

The hotel is so incredibly beautiful, the grounds are majestic.

The owner built this place with a lot of money, impeccable taste and a remarkable soul. It’s like being in old world Italy.

So why the low rating?. Returning after our first much-loved visit, I realize it is the setting that is fantastic, the hotel experience is adequate at best.

Overall, there is nothing I can say that makes the service here remarkable.The front desk is not overly warm or friendly. I distinctly remember having to check in with the same woman as my last visit and actually felt a little ill about it. Seeing staff on the grounds or in the halls, they only acknowledge us when we first say hello. (Maintenance and cleaning folks seem pleasant, valets too).

We returned to the Allegretto primarily due to the resident docent. We ran into her and got to talking about the place and she told us about so much that we would have never even known about, like the top of the hill and the labyrinth and about the owner and the art, how it all came to be.

On this recent visit, we took the art tour with her and I asked why the front desk doesn't mention some of these things to guests upon check-in. At the very least, encourage guests to watch the streaming video that is on the tv in your room. In my opinion the front desk does nothing to market the experience to be had here.

The first time we extended our stay online, I went right to the front desk to tell them and make sure we could just remain in our current room. “Of course, you’re all set,” I was told. Then later, our keys didn’t work so we had to go back to the front desk, who told us they had no record of us continuing our stay, but again was told, “you’re all set now.” Couple hours later there was banging at the door, with the Do Not Disturb sign hanging. I was putting my son down for a nap, so I ignored it. More banging. I went to the door and was asked did I arrange for a late checkout with the front desk. No, I said, because we are not checking out today. I went back to the front desk and asked to speak to the manager. I told her what had happened, and that we all felt a little unsettled, due to what is happening with the fire and we may very well need to extend again and it shouldn't be this hard. She apologized and offered me a $50 credit to my bill for dining at the restaurant. A gesture, as I have now spent over $4,000. The $50 gesture never appeared.

After 11 days at the Allegretto, we’ve had the room cleaned twice. My husband and I are both working so we are in the room much of the day and just don’t need daily service. We called and requested the room be serviced as we walked out for dinner one evening. “No problem they said, we’ll send someone right up.” Mind, you, we only asked because the sheets were soiled. Upon our return, no one had come so we called the front desk again. It was 7pm. The woman who answered spoke to us like it was 2am and we had woken her up at home. It was awkward, again, and completely unprofessional, so we said never mind and ended up sleeping on top of the dirty bed and waited till the morning.

We’ve been to local Paso Robles restaurants, a few for the second time now, and when we walk in they greet us like family. When we return to the hotel we just don’t feel as one would expect. We don’t feel happy to be here.

It’s just disappointing. It is such an incredible place. There is so much sadness in California right now. It’s worth taking the time to be kind. And if this review encourages the staff to do so, it was...

The property is beautiful, as are the rooms..... After that not many good things here. We have had events for the last 3 years in Paso & have referred our out of town guests to stay here. Each year we received info about some issues with the hotel. This last year we decided to stay at the hotel & have a conference room there to work out of for the week. We were able to see firsthand the incompetence of their staff. We have even communicated with the owner, Doug, who is a sweet older man and he has pushed us onto his GM Rich. If there is ever a problem & you let them know, Rich will come talk to you & bring you a bag of lavender to smooth everything over which happened several times. The one good employee who did help with things from time to time "Nam" is no longer working there. Go figure...I would have gotten out too! Rooms... Well we all know check in is at 4pm. If you tell your guest your room will be ready at a certain time it should be ready for the prices you will be paying. We had multiple guest told their room would be ready early. First 12:30pm, then 3pm, then 3:30 then 4pm. No one went out of their way or was held accountable. Reserving a King & getting 2 queens & vice versa. Not having a registered guest on file but our guest having a confirmation code. Multiple times with half of the 70 rooms we reserved. Called the front desk to get a hold of our guests and they asked me what room they are in and then said they had no person registered there...I asked them to triple check, finally after 30 minutes holding, they found the guest registered under the name I gave. Miraculous. Going to the Resturant with 14 people, restaurant is empty, and the hostess looked at us like we were crazy. She asked us if we wanted to book for tomorrow... No for today & she said I don't know if we can help you with the size of your party. Again, the restaurant was empty. We had our conference room booked for our use 24 hours a day. They will not give you a key to let yourself in & out so you have to go to the front desk to have them open it each time you want to go in, not a huge deal but when we came back one evening and needed to work, the young lady at the front desk told us we could not use it as we only had it from 8am-8pm. After a lengthy disagreement she called security for protection. Yes we were upset but no need for security and our belongings were in the room. Had to call Rich's cell number and woke him up. He was not happy with us at all but when you sign a contract and all your stuff is in a conference room & there is work to be completed, plus you've paid for it, you expect to use it. Rich showed up the next day to apologize... Yes with lavender. Problem solving techniques far outstretch offering lavender. Our guests have come forward with a list of their grievances and now our attorney is involved. Stay clear of this hotel. Book at the Hotel Cheval. They understand concierge, apply problem solving techniques, and are trained to treat their guests with respect. We will not be recommending this hotel to...

This sprawling property a short drive from downtown Paso offers so much that we find new reasons to return each time we visit. This comfortably luxurious and warm hotel has a great fine-dining restaurant that doubles as its breakfast venue, an al fresco dining patio, a long, inviting bar where we’ve enjoyed glasses of the delicious estate wines, and an attractive tasting room, at which we peeked but have not yet visited because we opted for full glasses at the community tables in the bar. We enjoy simply strolling the first floor passageways, which display vintage local photographs, interesting modern paintings, classic sculptures, and beautiful minerals displayed on Asian furniture. A true highlight is the polished slice of Giant Redwood or Sequoia, which has an uncountable number of rings and brass flags pointing to the rings from momentous events of world history, such as the assassination of Julius Caesar (44BCE for history buffs) and the birth of Christ. It was downed in the 1950s. It’s amazing to touch the very center marking the tree’s birth, which was around 500 years before Caesar was betrayed. We spent some time admiring the architecture, fountains, furnishings, rose garden, landscaping, and giant American flag. The lobby offers several inviting rooms with comfy chairs and at least one roaring fire. The spacious outdoor courtyard offers umbrella tables for day and a fireplace and firepits with Adirondack chairs for night. The hotel also offers more activities than you are likely able to enjoy during your stay, especially if you are like us, out tasting wine all day. For example, there is a spa, which thankfully my wife did not discover, bicycles built for 1 or 2, at least two labyrinths (which would be great for meaning-of-life contemplation after just the right amount of wine), an outdoor giant chess board (which, again, requires just enough wine, at least to win), outdoor ping pong, or bocce. For camelid lovers there are llamas for petting, after which you can stroll the vineyard trail. I’m sure there are other hidden gems we didn’t discover, both inside and out. The rooms are spacious and well appointed with antique-ish furniture, a comfy couch, marble bathrooms, and glassed-in showers. Our room had a marvelous vineyard view on a day with dramatic clouds and eery sunlight. Some rooms have balconies or...