Ideal for travelers seeking retro charm with modern comforts, the Astro Motel offers a unique & stylish stay in the heart of Sonoma County. The team behind Sonoma County’s beloved restaurant, The Spinster Sisters, now welcomes overnight guests into the heart of Santa Rosa at The Astro Motel. For decades, The Astro was a blight to its neighborhood, a rundown center for drugs and prostitution. Now t
houghtfully remodeled by area artists and artisans, it stands brightly in the geographic center of a world class wine, beer, wedding and cycling destination that only recently endured devastating fires. In the crisis weeks following the outbreak of fires, The Astro, not yet open, became a refuge for evacuees. The Astro’s staff and ownership are committed to being active agents in the rebuilding of Santa Rosa and Sonoma County. The Astro began its “soft opening” period October 27, 2017, and will open officially January 18, 2018. For visitors to Sonoma County, The Astro will be a refreshing change, offering an affordable, urban, adventurously designed headquarters with 34 rooms and suites starting at $160/night. Welcome to The Astro
Located on gorgeous Juilliard Park, the Astro is a stone’s throw from downtown Santa Rosa in an up and coming arts district recently named “Sonoma County’s next big destination neighborhood” in San Francisco Chronicle. It’s the only place in Sonoma County where, within a five-minute walk, travelers can gaze at contemporary art or used cars, see an avant-garde theater ensemble or a team of bocce players, get a tattoo or a tintype portrait, and taste of the some of the finest wine, beer and produce in Northern California. A stay at the Astro places travelers at the geographic center of Sonoma County, a short trip to exceptional adventures in wine, craft beer, cycling, horticulture, art, cheese-making, and hiking. Owned, built and managed by Sonoma County locals, The Astro can offer an intimate introduction to the area’s natural splendor, and to its best and brightest makers and doers. Design, Cycling and Gardening
Three passions are central to the guest experience at The Astro: Design, Cycling and Gardening. Design lovers will appreciate that each of the rooms is unique, furnished with mid-century modern pieces from around 1963, the year the Astro was built. Guests who can’t seem to part with the desk or vase or lighting fixture they’ve enjoyed during their stay needn’t despair because the furniture acquired for the property is also for sale. The Astro will have the entire collection online, so that guests can peek at—and purchase from—the ever-changing inventory. The finger tips of local artists and artisans are all over the project. Each of the headboards for beds was sourced from native wood by Aborica’s Evan Shively in Marshall. Geyserville-based artisan Omar Perez created the concrete casted sinks. Santa Rosa-based artist Todd Barricklow designed and manufactured the circuit board railings and the Astro sign. Sebastopol designer Julia Busenitz created the bed spreads. And each year, the Astro will be commissioning two local muralists to create work for the North exterior wall, which faces Juilliard Park. As Sonoma County is one of the world’s premier destinations for cycling, and Santa Rosa is the ideal hub for the intrepid cyclist, the motel worked closely with one of its investors, Giro d’Italia champion Andy Hampsten, to make The Astro a haven for bike enthusiasts. A staff member will be equipped to assemble bikes and make repairs on site. And the motel will have Shinola Bikes on site for rental. The Astro is located within minutes of The Santa Rosa Creek Trail, which takes riders of any skill level along a car-free path from downtown through a variety of picturesque landscapes, and connects more ambitious cyclists to a network of longer loops. In a reversal of the Joni Mitchell lyric, “they paved paradise and put up a parking lot,” the team at the Astro pulled up a parking lot and put in a paradise. The motel will feature a lush, edible garden in its central courtyard with more than a dozen fruit trees. Guests will find freshly-picked fruit from the trees in bowls in the lobby and lounge. The garden is intended to connect philosophically to adjacent Juilliard Park, as well as The Luther Burbank Home & Gardens across the street. As a take away gift, guests will receive small seed packs, including Luther Burbank’s Shasta Daisy seeds, so that they can plant or enhance their own garden long after they’ve left The Astro. History and Leadership
The Astro was originally built in 1963. Over the past few decades, the property gradually fell from grace and locals are likely to remember it as a magnet for illicit activity. In 2017, members of the team that built The Spinster Sisters restaurant on nearby South A Street acquired the property in an effort to help develop their vision for the vibrant Juilliard Park neighborhood, an overlooked corner of Sonoma County filled with makers and doers. The team is led by The Spinster Sisters’ chef/owner Liza Hinman. Liza Hinman has been part of the Sonoma County restaurant community since 2004. She was a staffer at Gourmet Magazine before attending The California Culinary Academy, subsequently working at Delfina and Bizou and landing the executive chef position at Santi. In the summer of 2012, Liza opened The Spinster Sisters. Under her leadership, the restaurant has earned a substantial following amongst locals, tourists, chefs and food writers. In 2017, she was selected by the James Beard Foundation for their inaugural Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Program. The Astro Motel
Newly opened in the fall of 2017, the 34-room Astro Motel is an affordable, urban and adventurously designed addition to Sonoma County, located in walking distance of downtown Santa Rosa and the SOFA arts district at 323 Santa Rosa Avenue. For general inquiries, email [email protected] or call (707) 200-4655. The Spinster Sisters
Awarded Best Restaurant in Sonoma 2017 by the North Bay Bohemian, The Spinster Sisters opened in the summer of 2012, bringing a fresh example of New American dining to Santa Rosa, “Sonoma County Cuisine.” Using the bounty of expertly grown and crafted ingredients found on nearby farms in Sonoma County, The Spinster Sisters’ chef Liza Hinman creates an evolving menu of original dishes inspired by flavors and traditions from around the world. Peter Kane recently raved in SF Weekly that the restaurant was "a paragon" of New American food. Michelin wrote that the restaurant “reeks of good taste, not only in design but in their delicious range of food.” Wine Enthusiast put the restaurant on its list of the best wine restaurants nationwide and Eater named it one of 12 “Essential Restaurants of Sonoma County.” “The best way to order,” wrote Jeff Cox in the Press Democrat,”is to pin the menu to a wall and throw darts at it. Wherever a dart lands is sure to surprise and please you." In December 2016 the restaurant published a book, "The Spinster Sisters' Guide to Sonoma County," which features interviews with 50 of its staffers, neighbors, farmers, regulars and wine, beer and cider makers.
