As Umbria is to Tuscany, Sonoma is to Napa: a quieter, more rustic destination that is often underestimated for the caliber of its hotels, restaurants and wineries. We last visited in 2021, lured by the debut of a Montage resort in Healdsburg. That stay also prompted us to reevaluate Hotel Les Mars, a resolutely traditional guesthouse just a two-minute walk from Healdsburg Plaza. Both earned solid ratings.

In 2010, Foley Entertainment Group, the hospitality company behind the commendable Wharekauhau Country Estate in New Zealand and Farmhouse Inn in Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley, quietly acquired Les Mars. Fifteen years later, Foley rebranded it as 27 North, a “vibrant and artistic lifestyle hotel.” Lifestyle hotels and names with numbers both give me pause, but the total design overhaul made a return visit irresistible.

27 North

The welcome was promising — a valet and two bellmen greeted us with warm smiles and polished efficiency — but our arrival proved to be a high point. The classic French-inspired interiors now featured generic contemporary furnishings. In our Premier Room, a four-poster bed, vintage writing desk and large antique wardrobe preserved some of the hotel’s former style. However, a painting declaring “It’s–It Cigarettes After Sex” somewhat sabotaged the effect of the lodging’s otherwise decorous appointments.

Editor Photos (slideshow below)

This 16-room hotel positions itself as Healdsburg’s buzzy social hub, with vinyl nights, live-music brunches and spirited happy hours. We enjoyed inventive drinks at the bar, falling into conversation with the friendly mixologist, Matt, before dining on delectably tender chimichurri-coated skirt steak at the hotel’s Mexican restaurant, Arandas. Oddly, despite the high season’s full calendar of events, the common spaces felt conspicuously quiet. Even during the Wednesday “Rock Like a Banshee” DJ event, the atmosphere didn’t match the hype. Perhaps that’s for the best.

I love that 27 North champions regional artists, but the execution felt discordant. Busy motifs and loud Warhol-esque paintings collided with wood-paneled public spaces, which diminished the impact of both the art and the historic elements.

We slept soundly and dined well, but the rebranding has erased the property’s former charm. Just a block away, SingleThread Inn, with its five elegant suites and Michelin three-star restaurant, remains Healdsburg’s class act.