Four Seasons confirms it will run planned Calistoga resort

Two luxury resort projects are moving forward in Calistoga, and Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts recently confirmed that it will manage one of the properties.

The resort developments, with room rates reportedly in the range of $900 to $1,200 a night, are still at least two years away from opening. But Mayor Chris Canning said the projects are expected to one day give a significant boost to the economy and tax base of the town of 5,200.

“We remain excited and look forward to these properties opening and contributing to the community,” said Canning, who also is executive director of the town’s chamber of commerce.

Four Seasons this month announced it will operate one of the yet-to-be-named projects, news that city officials had reported a year ago.

That resort, slated to open in early 2018, will feature 85 guest rooms, 20 “private residence” villas and a winery and vineyard. The property is owned by Alcion Ventures, a Boston-based private equity firm, and Bald Mountain Development, a boutique resort development firm based in Napa Valley and Aspen, Colo.

“As we extend our presence in California, having a property in Napa Valley, a preferred destination for our luxury guests, is essential,” Four Seasons President and CEO J. Allen Smith said in a statement confirming its involvement in the project. “This is a unique opportunity to combine a privately-owned and operated winery and vineyard with a world-class luxury resort.”

The Four Seasons resort, to be built along Silverado Trail at Rosedale Road, is expected to charge about $900 a night for its rooms, Canning said.

The other project, proposed on a forested hillside above Highway 29 at the southeast end of town, will be operated by Rosewood Hotel Group, Canning said. That project is slated to open in late 2018 and to charge upwards of $1,200 a night, he said.

Both projects drew considerable opposition when first proposed, but each won voter approval in separate ballot measures in late 2012 and early 2013.

Of note, Canning said, is that the town’s “no formula” business naming ordinance won’t allow either Four Seasons or Rosewood to use their brands as part of the official resort names. Under the law, he said, the signs at the front of the resort or its marquee “cannot give reference to any chain.”

You can reach Staff Writer Robert Digitale at 521-5285 or robert.digitale@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @rdigit