Kenwood Inn and Spa sold; will be managed by Four Sisters Inns

Kenwood Inn is ‘an exclusive and beautiful place’ and ranks among the county’s top luxury properties, according to tourism officials.|

The Kenwood Inn and Spa, a small luxury resort in the Sonoma Valley, changed hands Thursday and now will be managed by Four Sisters Inns, which oversees six other Wine Country properties.

The Mediterranean-style Luxury inn, which has been named by Condé Nast Traveler magazine as one of the top small resorts in North America, was purchased Thursday by a private investor group. The price was not disclosed.

The inn is 'an exclusive and beautiful place' and ranks among the county's top luxury properties, said Ken Fischang, CEO of Sonoma County Tourism.

'It's like being in Tuscany,' he said.

Shelley Post, president of the Monterey-based Four Sisters, agreed, adding that 'if you can't go to Italy, this is a fabulous alternative.'

Post said the inn 'has a unique place in Wine Country' with a rural setting that looks out over hillside vineyards.

The resort lies along Highway 12 south of Kenwood. It includes 29 guest rooms, including suites that feature fireplaces, feather beds, Italian furnishings, private entrances and terraces or balconies.

Other amenities include its spa, sunning terraces, a heated pool and a separate warming pool for up to 12 guests.

Room rates range from $269 to $899 per night.

The inn will no longer serve dinner for its guests but will offer a small plates menu at its wine bar.

Four Sisters will retain 28 Kenwood staff members, including Scarlett Graham, who has been promoted from director of sales to general manager.

The inn previously was managed by Seattle-based Columbia Hospitality.

Kenwood's rates compare with those at Miliken Creek Inn and Spa in Napa and with the larger suites at Gaige House in Glen Ellen, Post said. Those are two other Napa and Sonoma properties that Four Sisters manages.

Its other Wine Country properties include the Inn at Sonoma, Healdsburg Inn and, in Yountville, Maison Fleurie and Lavender.

In all, Four Sisters has 16 properties in California.

Fischang said the state's travel industry wants to bring more luxury travelers to California, a reason he went with a number of tourism officials in December to an international luxury travel show in Cannes, France.

Luxury travelers make up just 3 percent of visitors to California, he said, but they provide 14 percent of tourism revenues.

'It's definitely a very hot niche market for Sonoma County,' he said.

You can reach Staff Writer Robert Digitale at 707-521-5285 or robert.digitale@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @rdigit.

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