Montage Healdsburg recognized by Forbes Travel Guide

The Montage Healdsburg received the prestigious, Five-Star Hotel award by the Forbes Travel Guide, the only hotel in Sonoma County to win such an award this year.

Two other properties at the Montage Healdsburg, Spa Montage Healdsburg and Hazel Hill restaurant received four-star ratings. This is the first time Montage Healdsburg, which opened in 2021, has been recognized by the yearly publication.

“Not only am I proud of our associates for challenging themselves to be the very best, I’m grateful for the thoughtful and professional dedication they bring to their work, each and every day,” said Allen Highfield, general manager at Montage Healdsburg.

The nightly hotel rate ranges from $1,100 to $15,00 a night, said Jennifer Chiesa, spokesperson for Montage Healdsburg.

The 130 bungalow-style rooms, each with either an outdoor balcony or deck, sit on 258 acres of property surrounded by vineyards and oak tree groves, according to its website.

Over 350 staff members, referred to as associates, receive extensive training in all areas of operation, as well as classes that support career growth.

To receive an accolade such as this, “every associate, in every department, must be in alignment,” Chiesa said.

Montage Healdsburg is one of 360 hotels awarded a 5-star rating in 81 countries, according to Forbes Travel Guide Editors, and one of a total of 1953 properties recognized globally this year.

Single Thread Farms Restaurant in Healdsburg also received the five-star rating.

In Sonoma, MacArthur Place Hotel & Spa received a four-star rating. Four out of the five Sonoma County award winners were in Healdsburg.

The Forbes Travel Guide, which calls itself the “only independent, global rating system for luxury hotels, restaurants and spas,” announced the award winners in mid-February.

Hotels, restaurants and spas are evaluated on up to “900 objective criteria,” according to the travel guide’s website. Inspectors stay “incognito” at hotels for three days and two nights where they test the quality of service and facilities, placing about 75% of the rating’s weight on service, with 25% on facility quality.

You can reach Staff Writer Jennifer Sawhney at 707-521-5346 or jennifer.sawhney@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @sawhney_media.