Lodge at Marconi — Hotel in Petaluma

In all my years as a hotel guest, I had never encountered less friendly staff than at Lodge at Marconi. Right at check in, there was noone at front desk and no way of asking for help. Ten minutes later when a dark curly hair attendant finally returned clearly from her cigarette break (the smell was so strong), she tried her best to make us feel unwellcomed. The moment she saw we had two kids with us, she started lecturing us on the importance of being quiet (my kids were quiet and politely waiting for her to finish her lecture). When I asked her whether the nearby restaurant had a table available to gave me a snaky remark how some people had made reservations months in advance so there was nothing for us (a simply no would have sufficed). When I asked about additional nearly hotels she told me to check "google". Thanks, never thought of that! When I asked her if there was water in the room her reply was "from the faucet, yes, there is water" while she knew exactly what I was asking.

The room was very nice. It was beautifully decorated and very clean. Our only issue was with the water not heating at certain times.

On our second day, after a whole day of intense hiking, all we wanted was to shower and rest. When we got to the room house keeping had not come. We had no clean towels and the beds were not made. Getting help with house keeping is the main reason I chose a hotel and not an Airbnb. When I went to the front desk to politely inquire about the lack of house keeping, a new and equally unfriendly (now blonde) attendant told me "I guess they did not come". Well, thanks, I guess I noticed that. After not a single "I'm sorry for the inconvenience," she offered me clean towels, which I appreciated.

Look, I know things are not always perfect, but basic politeness and treating your guests courtesy seem basic. We're...

While the Lodge is in a serene setting, the scenery alone doesn’t make a memorable stay. Here’s what was memorable:||1. Earplugs: It is telling that the Lodge provides earplugs and white noise machines for use by guests. Both are needed ( and were used).Walls are paper thin!! The Lodge advertises that“… Our hope is that your stay with us will be a time to immerse yourself in a serene and peaceful atmosphere” HA! Maybe outdoors but not in the room!|2. ANTS: we moved the wooden tray on the sink that held washcloths and ants came out. On the small stand in the room, thereto ants abounded. (We knew the Lodge didn’t offer breakfast so we brought our own pastries- only to have to toss out the pastries the next morning as they were covered in ants (tried to attach a video of pastry with ants crawling, could only attach photo which still shows ants)|3. Storage: not a hanger or hook to be found in the room. Where is one expected to hang a coat (or even a wet towel?)|4. Barn Door handle missing: so the barn door glides easy to close off bathroom from bedroom area, yet there’s no handle from the bathroom side to open the barn door. It appears it’s been removed- which makes it really hard to open the door|5.”Experience Fee” of $25/night, that supposedly is to elevate our experience with amenities such as “…a cold beverage to welcome you at check-in “ - ok so there WAS water available, to “….priority access to our on-site sauna…” sauna was out of order (yes, they DID provide earplugs to attempt to dampen the noise from the adjoining rooms)|6. Reading lights. One headboard light- how is the other partner...

I would strongly caution anyone considering The Lodge at Marconi for a corporate group event.||From the beginning, communication was nearly nonexistent. Emails went unanswered for weeks, and calls to the office often went straight to voicemail — no return call, no follow-up. The event staff were unresponsive and disorganized, and unfortunately, things did not improve once we arrived.||The meeting space was completely unequipped for even the most basic retreat needs: no AV equipment, no podium, no linens. Be prepared to rent nearly everything externally. On the day of the event, the coordinator showed up briefly to unlock the door and then disappeared for the entire two-day retreat. There was no check-in, no support, and no presence from anyone on the events team — not even a goodbye when we left.||The front desk staff were consistently rude and unwelcoming, making us feel like we were an inconvenience rather than guests. Unfortunately, the restaurant events team wasn’t much better. They forgot one of our pre-ordered appetizers, and instead of handling it professionally or apologizing, they flatly said, “There’s no cheese, it wasn’t ordered. Next time double-check your order — it’s not our problem.” Truly unacceptable tone and service.||As others have mentioned, the rooms have thin walls and the pillows are flat — fine if you're just staying the night, but not ideal for anyone expecting comfort or quiet.||In short: if you're a solo traveler, The Lodge might be tolerable. But if you’re planning a corporate event or anything that requires the events/catering team, I’d recommend...