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Westin Verasa -Napa [New Starwood Hotel Review]

DavidnRobin

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I am looking forward to hearing what you think about the new place in Napa.

We just got back from our stay at the Westin Verasa in Napa (CA) and I'd better respond before I get too busy and forget.

Overall we had a great time - as we always do - go figure... (disregarding our Friday from Hell trying to get home from STT last June).

The location of this Hotel/Condo is great - you don't even need a car if you are happy with shopping, eating, wine-drinking, listen to music, walks around an old town (CA relative), running, biking, night-life (moderately) - but the area is so beautiful it is so worth just going here and there. It is a short walk (~3-4 blocks) to 1st and Main in oldtown Napa across the river.

We got an 'upgraded' room (deluxe studio) - which was a studio with a kitchenette and a very small balcony. Overall - I very nice room with the usual Westin design w/ KS Heavenly Bed, Heavenly shower, flat sceen HD TV, a regular sofa w/ matching chair, desk. Brand new since it just opened - the hotel has a pool, large jacuzzi, workout roon, and Bocce Ball court.

Also a nice wine/beer bar and eating area. They also have a very upscale restaurant (which we were under-dressed for) - La Torque. We heard they moved down from St Helena.

Our room faced the West and was on the 3rd (top) floor - good for sunsets, but bad for noise (although good construction kept most out) - the Napa Wine Train is close by and the train sits for about 45 minutes idleing twice a day and is somewhat noisy (plus Soscal Ave is close by) - not a big issue but I will ask for a room that faces the creek (in the back) next time.

The hotel was less than half-full easily - we didn't see any kids at all while there, but a few wedding were going on (guests staying at the hotel). It had just opened a couple of weeks ago. All the workers were on their best behavior.

Nobody tried to get us to do a sales thing, but we were pretty under-dressed compared to most. (Robin pointed this out as I would be clueless about this - I guess there were lots of expensive shoes/purses - lol). You are almost forced to valet when first arriving - I do not like having a valet for my car - so after we got it out I parked on the street out front (then again - I am okay with carrying own bags but that wasn't happening)

There was a $20/day charge for valet, and other amenities That I didn't know until we checked in. The service people were way nice and definitely work for tips.

They had fitted sheets on the beds (thrilled Robin) - which was nice because we normally bring our own. Also - super-fast talking elevators, or there was no 2nd floor - lol - they were warp speed fast. Hotel is big and hallways long. We generally do not have house-keeping for short stays, but they come in twice per day (for turndown at night). Very clean, and good furnishings (shhets/towels). We didn't use the pool, but we didn't see anywhere to change and it would be weird walking thru the lobby area in bathing suits. We didn't look around that much - maybe there was a changing room in the Workout gym, but didn't see one.

Overall - we can't wait to go back and spend a extra couple of days - there is so much to do in the area we could easily blow off tons to SPs. We need to be better prepared next time.

btw, it was 10K SPs per night for a room that runs at ~$400 per night.
 
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DavidnRobin

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Also - worth mentioning - it is around the corner from The Oxbow Marketplace, and COPIA - we need to go for 5 nights next time...

There is a Burger place called Taylor's Automatic Refreshers on the corner (in Oxbox) that has great burgers, fries, shakes etc. and you can get a $300 bottle of wine - lol - only in Napa...
 

Denise L

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Thanks for the great review! I didn't even know that there was a new Westin in Napa...wish it were a timeshare!

Sounds like a great place for an anniversary getaway, perhaps (ours is coming up next month)? Yikes on the regular price though....:eek:
 

DavidnRobin

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For cash there are lots of places to stay - but great use of SPs.
It is s condo/hotel -and units run in the million plus (from what I have heard).

There are studios, 1 Bd and 2Bd - some regular and some deluxe
 

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Thanks for the great review. We are looking forward to staying there sometime. I am surprised it was only half full as I looked online for availability for weekends in Oct. and Nov., and they didn't have any rooms.
 

DavidnRobin

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Thanks for the great review. We are looking forward to staying there sometime. I am surprised it was only half full as I looked online for availability for weekends in Oct. and Nov., and they didn't have any rooms.

Knowing Starwood - that doesn't surprise me - probably some type of weird numbers games - or perhaps all units are not open yet.

Added: Check again - I see plenty of nights. SPG.com can have bugs as before sometimes they would show and other times not.

I was definitely light. We are going back for 5 nights next time (if we can get in) - I wouldn't be surprise if the SPs are increased.
 
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SDKath

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Great deal with the SP level they have it at! I bet it will go up a category by next year though. I really wish we lived in the Bay Area. This would be the PERFECT little getaway for the weekends for DH and I.

So glad to hear that the location is good (well, minus the noise). Walking distance to places sounds wonderful.

Katherine
 

Kyle

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Westin Verasa Napa

We recently stayed there too and really enjoyed it. The location offers a great base to explore the valley, but also many great places to walk to. The property is really nice and relaxing. La Toque is one of the best restaurants in Napa (Michelin star). Westin Verasa is our new favorite place to splurge on in Napa.
 

Southdown13

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Thanks for posting the hotel review! We had no idea that Starwood opened a new Westin hotel in Napa. Just booked 5 nights using SPs for the July 4th week next year. I guess we will have to upgrade our resort attire!
 

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I have a friend that is in contract there to buy. I have suggested for his downpayment amount he could buy a couple of SVO units (requal etc) and stay there with starpoints.

Do you know if they have an agrement for discounted stays to SVO owners or any plans to roll this into SVO as a resort? Sort of seems like a no brainer to me (but what do I know).
 

bizaro86

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Do you know if they have an agrement for discounted stays to SVO owners or any plans to roll this into SVO as a resort? Sort of seems like a no brainer to me (but what do I know).

My guess would be that this won't happen, because Starwood doesn't own the real estate or developer rights for this location. It was developed by intrawest, and starwood sold them access to the westin brand name and hotel management services.

Michael
 

DavidnRobin

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I have a friend that is in contract there to buy. I have suggested for his downpayment amount he could buy a couple of SVO units (requal etc) and stay there with starpoints.

Do you know if they have an agrement for discounted stays to SVO owners or any plans to roll this into SVO as a resort? Sort of seems like a no brainer to me (but what do I know).


Can your friend share the detail(s) of ownership there? Not looking - just interested on the specifics - e.g. cost, terms, MFs, etc. I got some general info from the front-desk person, but they didn't know much.

I saw the sales store while in Napa, but no way was I going to walk in and ask.

No discounted stays, and not going to be rolled into a SVO-type since they are already selling as a condo/hotel.
 

Ken555

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Studios started at ~ $440k. Similar pricing to Mammoth.
 

DavidnRobin

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Studios started at ~ $440k. Similar pricing to Mammoth.

From what someone told me - that only gets you 30 days of occupancy at the condo/hotel - and then there is some type of kickback for when the unit is rented. Also - will these show up on the resale market?
These are the types of questions I was interested in.

Let's say you bought a 1Bd Deluxe unit at Verasa - is it float or fixed, what does it cost, what are the MFs, how often can you stay, how do the rentals work, what happens upon resale, etc?
 

Ken555

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Yeah, I spoke with an owner while I was at WPORV. The ownership includes up to 29 days per year of usage, and a portal of rental income for the rest of the year. I don't believe terms like fixed or float apply here - you can supposedly reserve the room whenever you want, up to the 29 day restriction (float, then!). And yes, this is real property so it will show up on the MLS and regular agents can purchase, etc.

For instance, there are lots of Mammoth units listed (at least, last time I checked...).
 

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He is in for $665K for some sort of 1 bedroom. Not sure on HOA/MF. I know he is allowed 29 days of usage and the rest of the time it needs to be avialable for rental. Not sure what the split is when thrown into rental pool but I assume 50/50 or 40/60.
I will try to get more details as he wants me to go in on the place with him :eek:
 

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From what someone told me - that only gets you 30 days of occupancy at the condo/hotel - and then there is some type of kickback for when the unit is rented. Also - will these show up on the resale market?
These are the types of questions I was interested in.

Let's say you bought a 1Bd Deluxe unit at Verasa - is it float or fixed, what does it cost, what are the MFs, how often can you stay, how do the rentals work, what happens upon resale, etc?


This is listed on the MLS. The one bed. is listed at $539,900. and is 624 sq. ft. The studio is 450 sq. ft. and the 2 bedroom averages 1212 sq. ft. I do not know the listing prices for those.

The property taxes run $2567. a year for the one bed. and the unit owner is responsible for that. The maintenence fees are from $550-$700 per month per unit.

That is all the info I have. It has been on the MLS for over 10 months.
 

DavidnRobin

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2nd Westin Verasa Visit (July 4th Weekend)

We just got back from our 2nd visit at the Westin Verasa over the July 4th weekend.

In a nutshell - excellent 3-night stay (Thur-Sat).

I reserved just before the SPs increased on Mar. 1st - 12K SP/nite.

We figured it would be crowded on the July 4th weekend, but I guess the economy is keeping people away from traveling - I would estimate that the hotel was only about 2/3 full.

Ended up get upgraded as SPG Gold (w/o request) to a Deluxe studio (kitchenette) on the 3rd (top) floor overlooking the pool and Napa creek (east) with an extra large (~9x12ft) private balcony. The only request that we made was to face the creek as last time we had a Deluxe studio that faced west overlooking the street outfront, Soscal Ave and the Napa Wine Train, but had a very small non-private balcony and while the sunsets were nice - I didn't want to overlook the street and train. Also, this unit seemed larger that the one we had last time. {I will post photos when I get a chance}

If pool noise does not bother you - units 3009 and 3011 are excellent locations for studios.

The staff was excellent - friendly and helpful. We stored our bikes with the valet and they were able to get our bikes in/out very quickly. Not being a fan of valet parking - we kept our car out on the street (plenty of parking). There is a $20 per day resort fee (and a Napa city charge of $2.40/day) - and they made sure we knew about it when I called to request a creek view, and again when we checked-in.

I had checked out TripAdvisor reviews before we left to find out if there was anything to be wary off - I must say (again) that some people just seem to want to have issues with every minor/petty thing.
 
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