The Lodge at Sonoma Resort, Autograph Collection — Hotel in Sonoma

This was our second time staying at this location, but the first time we were in a regular room - this time we were in a suite/cottage. I believe the first time this property also wasn't a part of the Autograph Collection. The grounds are gorgeous and well-kept - the lighting at night is a wonderful touch. Also loved the big oak tree area - magical at night.||||Overall, our stay was okay. I wouldn't return - and it's mainly because of the details. It's not a cheap property and I feel that a few improvements would go far. ||||Room: relatively spacious - nice with a back patio area. But the patio had a dirt strip with only one semi-alive plant... The bathroom was large with a separate fan with timer - nice touch. We were given EXACTLY two sets of towels per person: a body towel, hand towel, and washcloth. Even the Excalibur has left us three sets in case a need arises... The soap dispenser and ironing board were broken in our room. They do provide neat little collapsible bike helmets for use. The room is...loud? Like it sounds kind of like someone is taking a shower 24/7? Maybe it's the AC? Not sure, but at least the AC kept up with the outside heat over 90. We were grateful to have a fridge to keep a few snacks cool. ||||Service: overall okay. Each time we called the front desk (3 times), it rang for awhile then sounded like someone picked up and hung up. This was 3 separate times over the course of our 3-night stay and necessitated us going to the front desk in person. The shuttle only runs 2p-9:30p... Annoying when wine tasting and shopping open at 10-11a in town - we made it work by taking the 90 degree walk in. On the plus side, our shuttle drivers were awesome and friendly - they were quick and offered accurate time estimates for arrival. Despite being told we had a good chance for late checkout, we were only extended to noon - be aware you may not get late checkout despite Marriott status and/or Chase Edit benefits.||||Pool: be aware that this seems to be less of a couples getaway place and more about many parents taking their toddlers on a vacation. This means the pool is filled with children with waterwings/swim diapers and a lot of playtime. Kids are loud - I lasted maybe 5 minutes at the pool before retreating to my dirt-strip patio. There were times in the afternoon that seemed a bit more peaceful, but we were either headed to town or just getting back at those points. ||||Gym: small, but manageable. Nice touches like Peloton bikes and free weights. There are two large machines that are a strange addition - lat pulldown and leg press. It was VERY hot in the gym despite both doors open on either side. The spacing for weights is a bit weird and makes it so one dude was taking up the entire weight area with the two benches scooted to the wall. Was very busy when I was there - had to switch treadmills because one was very noisy. ||||Food: we ate at Benicia's twice and Wit & Wisdom once. Benicias was good - friendly service, but definitely neglectful on the coffee refills. Cocktails and food were delicious with good portion sizes. Wit & Wisdom was a great experience, though it seemed odd that we didn't get offered another cocktail or wine at any point - they definitely could have extended our stay and $$$ spent. The steak was amazing, the sides and service were great. ||||Location: it's about a mile walk into town. I didn't see people using the bicycles. Can be hot since there's not a ton of shade on the way. The Broadway Market is close by - nice to grab more reasonably priced wines or a sandwich. ||||I'd definitely come back to Sonoma and would eat at Wit & Wisdom, but will likely stay elsewhere next time. I've had better stays at a Courtyard for 1/4...

We recently traveled with another couple from out-of-state and stayed for 3 nights. The grounds are gorgeous, and the Cottage rooms were extremely comfortable. Unfortunately, it ended there. We certainly understand the impact COVID has had on everyone, but when the owners and general manager decided to open back up at full occupancy, they should have had plans in place to insure they could provide the exceptional customer service Marriott provides its customers. They also owed it to their employees to know if there was enough staffing to manage the workload. There were so many missed opportunities. When checking in the staff should have clearly informed the guests that there would be no daily housecleaning service. The management team should have prepared daily room refresh kits, in advance, so guests would have fresh towels and linens along with coffee bar replenishment, if requested. Instead, we found out there would be no cleaning service when we came back to our uncleaned rooms after visiting the sites the next afternoon. We then had to chase down housekeeping to get the items we needed. After a long day’s drive to the hotel, we decided we would hang out at the hotel, relax, and have some appetizers at Wit and Wisdom along with dinner later. Before finishing our drinks, we were informed by our server that the restaurant would be closing because it was booked for a private event that evening, but we were welcome to sit by the outside firepit (that had seating for maybe 8 max) which was full. This was crazy to hear since there were no other onsite restaurant options. I spoke with the manager who offered me a couple bottles of wine to make up for the inconvenience, which I declined because as I explained to him; I was not looking for anything I just wanted the management team to know that there were many upset guests, and this was well below the Marriott customer experience standards especially for a top-tier hotel. The next morning did not start off any better. The coffee shop had a line 20 people deep for a couple hours. Food orders were slow and coming out wrong. Many guests were complaining and just getting up and leaving in frustration. Again, missed opportunity by management to prepare in advance for the number of guests. It would have been easy to set up two (2) lines; one for drinks and the other for food orders. This way they could have quickly taken care of quests who just wanted to quickly grab something while better accommodating those quests that wanted to order food. We did end up having an outstanding dinner at Wit and Wisdom another night. My compliments to the Chef and staff for an outstanding meal. I would also like to commend the employees for doing their best under difficult circumstances. The ownership and management team should have done a better job in providing their guests with the customer experience they have come to enjoy from Marriott and the management team should not have placed its employees in such a...

I called several weeks in advance to confirm the reservation online. I was staying at the hotel in two rooms with a group of ladies. We wanted to have lunch at the pool and wanted to reserve a space, happy to pay for or assume a minimum charge for a reservation in advance. I was told by the hotel staff that a reservation at the pool lounge wasn't an option, but I should arrive early to get a space, first thing in the morning. Given that I live within an hour of the resort, I did just that. I arrived at 9:30 am on the day of my reservation. I knew it was early, but I assumed that I would secure a space and get one of my two rooms by 1:30 The manager was helpful and courteous and said that we'd be put to the front of the list and should hopefully have one of our rooms soon. I began checking back in with the front desk around 11:30, when they told me that one of the two rooms had been confirmed vacated. I confirmed with them that that I needed a room by 1:30 to freshen up, as there were no other showers available for myself and my guests. As I was speaking to the Manager, Greg, another hotel employee was offering another guest a room, "we don't have any doubles available, but we're happy to let you have a king, until a double becomes available later in the day". I said, "Yes! That! I want that! I want a place to leave our things (on a luggage mover even) and freshen up for 30 minutes. Can we have that?" The manger said, "wait, I want to understand what he's saying." The other employee repeated it to the guest a second time and again, I confirmed emphatically, "yes! can we use a room for 30 minutes if ours still isn't ready?" The manager refused, saying that wasn't something this hotel could do. Despite the fact that I checked in with upgraded Marriott status, despite the fact that I heard the other hotel staff offering it TWICE to the guest next to me. Finally, it was nearing 2:00 and I asked for any double room available. Our first room was lovely, we were out in 20 minutes and on to our afternoon of fun. We came back at 6:30, at which time the second room (far from being close to the first) was available, but we had dinner reservations at 7:00. I went to the desk to get room keys, but didn't access the room until we got back, around 1030 when we found trash in the room. The poolside lunch menu looks great, but the...