Checking Into Wheelman House
Willing to go the extra mile for our readers, last weekend we checked out the quaint three-bedroom hotel that opens this week in the heart of Healdsburg, helping with the lack of five-star quality rooms around the luxury food and wine destination. Wheelman House was originally a Quonset-style building developed in 1948, acting as the town's first coin-operated laundromat. The remodeled site includes twin junior 600 SF suites and one 450 SF suite; each has a private courtyard and can be locked off or combined. Owner Elizabeth Candelari tells us they even include music-enabled bathtubs that let you hook up your iPhone and feel the vibrations.
Wanna book? Not so fast: the new property is under a multi-year contract with Inspirato, a private club for luxury travelers (the man behind the brand is CEO Brent Handler, who co-founded Exclusive Resorts and handed it off to AOL's Steve Case). Initiation fees start at $7,500, with a $3,000 annual fee. After that, it costs as little as $325 per night to rent a room or as much as $1,500 to rent all three rooms. The members-only hotel will offer very limited bookings for the property owner's friends and family. (Time to make friends with Elizabeth.)
