Hotel St. Helena — Hotel in St. Helena

Note - This Review is able to be updated if issues are addressed

$498 - and didn't even stay at the hotel. Cancellation fiasco

I admittedly had made a mistake by clicking a link sent to me by a wine group that I'm joining for the weekend and booked 2 rooms for 2 of the group parties at Hotel St. Helena. Minutes later I was made aware by the group that the link was for the wrong hotel and I was to book at the proper hotel for where the group parties were staying. I booked at the other hotel and within 15 minutes of booking at Hotel St. Helena, I had contacted Maggie (who was sweet) and she told me that she appreciated the quick notice and she would have to speak with the manager of the hotel to confirm a cancellation and I was told the manager would call me back at 2pm PST. Their standard cancellation consists of NO reimbursement if the cancellation is made within 14 days of the reservation (which is rare but understandable to an extent).

I reached out to the Hotel twice in the morning, first within 15 minutes after I admitted to my mistake and both times was told that the manager would reach out to me on the numbers provided. I then heard no response and called the hotel again after work (4pm PST) and a woman Leslie picked up. She had not been informed of the situation by co-workers and I mentioned that the Manager was to call me at 2pm like stated which did not happen either. She said the manager is gone and she would not reach out to her after hours and she would not be back in until at the earliest 3 days later. After further explaining my situation and what I was told by Maggie earlier in the day I asked if she could authorize the cancellation refund. She said no, Maggie would have to do that. I told her Maggie said she did not have the authority to do so and that the manager would call me which never happened. I go on to ask if she can pass along my information and possibly forward the email I sent to the Hotel. Leslie sternly said NO I will not pass that along at this time and will wait until Thursday to do so. She also said we don't have an email (which is clearly stated on the "contact us" portion on their OWN website). After she said she has no authority to make a decision on this I decided to subside and wait until Thursday.

Minutes later I receive an email through the bookings agency that stated "Hotel St. Helena will not provide any refund but will offer two credits for the rooms to be used within 6 months time." This dumbfounded me since Leslie said she had no authority on the decision yet obviously used a non existent email to notify the booking agency of her decision made without consulting the management.

At this point I don't expect to get a refund since the staff and hotel finds no value in treating prospective customers with any consideration or reasonable contact with management requested in a respectful manner.

It's unfortunate that businesses are run this way and can be run this way and only makes me bitter towards the Hotel and staff and the very experience they portray on their website. The conversations with the staff, especially Leslie, were very contradicting and condescending in tone and verbiage. They don't seem to understand the power of Yelp reviews and online communities especially when I regularly visit the St. Helena and Napa area with my wife and family.

If there are any other sites that are relevant to post about this Hotel please feel free to comment or if you have suggestions or comments feel free to share.

Appreciate you reading this and allowing me to vent and I hope that this review is helpful for when you do make reservations in beautiful wine...

Hotel St Helena was a fantastic surprise to stumble upon. The location was perfect, right in downtown St Helena within walking distance of numerous shops and restaurants. A short drive gets you to plenty of wineries and vineyards for tastings and tours. The hotel itself is beautiful inside. Wonderful old woodwork and furniture throughout. The breakfast nook is charming and cozy and the continental breakfast offered is a delight. Very simple, but a step up from the usual cheap pastries and mini muffins you so commonly find. Margie, the concierge that assisted us, was very sweet and attentive to our needs. She offered great advice for local restaurants and places to visit as well as providing a very useful map of the area. Price is well under many of the other hotels near by but not the cheapest option in town.

The room itself was small but perfectly adequate for two people. Again, very cozy and charming as was the entire hotel. I opted for a room with a queen bed and a private bath just for the added amenity. The shower lacked water pressure but ran plenty hot and was a good size to not feel crowded while bathing. Cheaper rooms were available with shared bathrooms or there was an option to upgrade to a California king bed for those who need extra room to spread out. There was only one outlet in the room which was being used to the max for the lamp and TV/cable box. A minor inconvenience that could be solved with a power strip. The windows were difficult to open and slightly dangerous to be honest. Those were about the only negatives I found though.

Some other reviewers voiced concerns about botched reservations when booking online. I checked into the hotel in person and it is fairly obvious this establishment is not up to speed with the high tech world we live in. Personally, I viewed this as extra character and felt it added to the charm of the hotel. Information was taken down on real carbon-copy paper which was used for my receipt. My suggestion is to make your reservation in person or over the phone if you're concerned about accuracy. The staff was very attentive to telephone calls and customers who were in the lobby.

Overall I would definitely recommend this hotel to friends and family. Wonderful old-world charm, great location, and a very...

Based upon the room rate I was expecting a wonderful boutique hotel. I was severely disappointed. ||||I was hoping for a room where I could relax in an elegant, welcoming, and private environment. I found a room that was about 10 feet square. Had one table light. I could only fine one electrical outlet, behind the bed. No closet. Only a small hat rack for clothes. A grand total of three coat hangers. And there was no control of the room temperature. ||||I was hoping for a room where we could sit in comfortable chairs and chat about our travels. I found a room with one straight back chair. ||||I was hoping for a room with privacy. I found a room where the noise from the hall intruded, where the noise from the adjacent rooms intruded, where the noise from the adjacent bathrooms intruded, and where the noise from outside intruded, ||||I was hoping for an elegant bathroom. I found a bathroom with the simplest of white fixtures. I found a bathroom with no counter space around a small wash basin. I found a bathroom with one towel rack and only two sets of very common towels. And I did not find the ubiquitous second roll of toilet issue! When I looked around I understood why: there was no place to store it!||||I was hoping for a responsive and accommodating staff. I found a the staff was only available between 8am and 9pm. The housekeeping staff stopped us in the hall and asked if we would like fresh towels, We said of course, and asked for our sheets to be changed; she laughed and walked away. I would never use the word accommodating to describe the staff of the...