Flamingo Resort and Spa Santa Rosa Sonoma, Tapestry by Hilton — Hotel in Santa Rosa

July 2021 update: We returned to Flamingo Resort for the first time since California opened up, and wow has the vibe changed. First: it is just packed, at least on weekends. Example: after about late morning until late evening, there are no seats anywhere in the pool area. You pretty much have to camp out on the ground. The pool is fantastic, so it's worth it ... but what did annoy us was how every hour they kicked all the kids out for 15 minutes for "adult swim". Now, if people were doing laps or there was otherwise demand for this, I would get it. But instead, it was just a handful of mostly parents (!!) in the pool with their drinks in-hand doing exactly what they were doing when the kids were in the pool! And it is pointless to kick the kids out of the 2 from deep kids area where no adults even go! The staff were weirdly hardcore about all kids being out and made the announcements with no heads-up. It was crazy how many confused parents there were. It just felt off. Also, the pool gets kinda trashed and there isn't a lot of clean-up so it starts to feel gross by the afternoon (wow can people be pigs who don't clean up after themselves). Example, somebody spilled tomato on the deck right next to the pool, and the next day it was still there but more rotten. Just nasty when everyone is barefoot.

The hot tub was nice though the water was cloudy. In fact, when the bubbles turned on, it went from sorta cloudy to can't-see-the-bottom cloudy. That doesn't seem right.

I only experienced one remodeled room and it was okay. Honestly, the remodel seemed rushed and like they cut corners. Our room was weird in that it was big but empty with no lighting on one side. It's like they didn't know what to do with the space. The layout in general was awkward and didn't feel like they put a lot of thought into it. It was nice to have a new bathroom and new beds, though the HvAC system, like that of many hotels, is either blasting on and freezing you or if and everything feels stuffy. My biggest complaint though is the absolute lack of soundproofing. I feel like this should be a no-brainer in any hotel but doors should never slam, you need soundproofing to insulate from rooms above, and doors need seals to block out hallway noise. Soundproofing gets a 1 out of 5. What a wasted opportunity to do all this remodeling and not soundproof.

The restaurant menu had completely changed since we were there but the food quality was still very high (though pricey). I liked the outdoor seating ... they just need more of it.

I'd say it's 50-50 if we'll come back. We -- by which I mostly mean our kids -- love the pool and that alone could bring us back. But for everything else, it feels like we are overpaying. So I've lowered my review from 4/5 to 3/5.

Original post from Nov 2020: Because the place is being remodeled, the rooms were very cheap when we stayed. Even though the rooms are very outdated and a bit dumpy (hence the renovations), we got such a great deal that it was totally worth it. A lot of sound passes through the walls and ceiling (if on the bottom floor), and though we didn't have too many issues when we stayed because there were so few guests, I hope the renovations address this. Also, we stayed on a weekend so there was no construction noise. The pool and surrounding lounge area are fantastic; a shallow end that is 1.5-3 ft deep that is perfect for kids who can't swim or are just learning. Note that most of the pool is set up for lap swimming though so those areas aren't available for "play swim" like most kids do. The Wild Bird restaurant has a small menu but is quite good with their burger being one of the top 5 burgers I've ever had. The renovated outdoor seating for the restaurant was nice. The staff also were friendly. The only reason it's not 5 stars is because the rooms are so outdated. When the renovations are finished, I'm sure the place will be 5 stars (the new front desk/lobby was largely completed when we stayed and it looks very nice)... though the price will certainly be double or triple...

Overall, we had a pleasant stay but for a property titling itself as a "resort" there are several improvements to suggest to match price to guest experience. |Pros: Nice grounds and a lovely pool kept at a comfortable temperature, a hot hotub, a nice variety of events, excellent bedding, delicious cuisine, relaxing massage at the spa, a fun 50s vibe, and courteous front desk checkin/out staff were the highlights. So why not award the Flamingo Resort and Spa a higher rating?|Cons: 1) Needs more service staff, especially, restaurant service staff. There was only one host/waiter/cashier person at breakfast which made for harried service. While we were eventually given coffee at the "coffee station", we were expected to get refills, creamer, water, etc. ourselves. This is fine if you are at a coffee shop or a run of the mill business type hotel, but it is not an expectation for a "resort". While it wasn't the poor lone staff member's fault at breakfast for being over burdened, the suggestion of an 18 to 25% tip was over the top as we felt we deserved at least a 5% tip for all the service we provided ourselves. We realize the Covid pandemic has resulted in less service overall in the hotel industry. However, it's one thing to offer cleaning service on request and quite another to be asked to help yourself to the extent we did at the restaurant. While the avocado toast was delicious, we went out to a nearby diner the next morning where we received infinitely superior table service, with a friendly and attentive waitress who checked on us often and kept our coffee refilled with a smile. ||Also, every other resort I have visited in and outside of California since the end of the pandemic still offers Bellhop and Concierge service as requested. ||2) Abrupt end to Happy Hour offering and major menu change. Happy Hour was shown on the Flamingo Resort's website and on handout the Front desk provided us at check-in as being from 4-6 p.m. We invited another friend from the local area to join us for Happy Hour and imagine our chagrin when we showed up for Happy Hour and were told in so many words, " We're not doing Happy Hour anymore". We later found out at checkout that no one had reported an end to this offering to the Front Desk staff either. Also, while we had checked the dinner menu the day before our stay and were pleased to see several vegetarian, gluten and dairy free options medically necessary to my friend's diet, the menu changed overnight and only one option was left. Advance notice of the hiring of a new chef and menu would have been appreciated. |3) The dated bathroom in the 430 "Classic" room is in need of repair. The bathroom sink was badly cracked (more like shattered) and epoxy had long worn off. Meanwhile the shower handle was extremely stiff and creaky making it tough to turn the water on. While clean, the bathroom is in need of both upgrades and repair to make it more practical and appealing. For example, except for a small hand towel rack and one knob on the back of the door (which was useless as it was too round and slippery to actually hold a damp towel), there was no place to hang full size towels except over the dirty curtain rod. Replacing the knob with a double or triple towel rack on the back of the door or adding a heated towel rack would greatly help as would adding a clothing hook for robes and PJs! Again, these are the touches that distinguish a "resort" from a standard motel/hotel. |Overall, the Flamingo has a yesteryear charm, but is in need of both upgrades and service to qualify as a...

We had booked 3 nights and added a 4th night onto the front side of our stay.  Two King suites for 4 nights.  This "Resort" came highly recommended...I strongly encourage anyone considering a stay here to read the reviews like we should have.

I have no real issues with the grounds outside the rooms so they get a plus on the grounds maintenance and upkeep.

The management could probably use some help and the restaurant hours are not super convenient as they are closed early during the week.  The food we ate was pretty good though.

The rooms...where to begin...the first two rooms we had, yes, we moved once during our stay were sub standard at the very least.  Cobwebs on the windows, torn sheets/bedding.  The in room coffee was terrible even by instant coffee standards and creamer or other additives that would make it at least palatable were not plentiful enough to make a difference.

The second pair of rooms were slightly better but under some degree of renovation so there was no carpeting other than some area rugs.  They didn't include an extra blanket or pillows in either room sets to account for the use of the pull out sofa bed.  The pull out sofa beds were pull outs for sure but the comfort could have been far better with available upgraded mattresses if they were concerned that guest comfort might be some sort of an odd goal for a "resort" to shoot for.

When most people install shower glass they place said glass in such a manner as to actually prevent the shower water from escaping the shower enclosure.  The people that installed one of the shower glass enclosures obviously neglected to engage the optional water repelling force fields which resulted in the bathroom floor becoming soaked.  I suppose the guest could avoid inconveniencing the hotel staff by simply not using the shower but where's the fun in that?

As other reviews talk about, there must be a substantial cannabis grow or dispensary somewhere on the property but we were never able to find it.  Maybe that should be listed as an amenity and allow for free samples...free samples might add to positive reviews for some patrons as well.  Yes, the "aroma" was quite strong at times, strong enough to lead one to believe there was some form of additional revenue stream being a strong possibility on this property.

On our final night we had a breaker trip which resulted in the loss of power to one room.  The helpful staff member that came to reset the breaker said that it was a little loose and needed to be pushed more firmly to reset and that it did feel as the breaker buzzed oddly when being pushed in.  Clearly this put our minds totally at ease and nobody ever has a concern there may be faulty wiring in their...