The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa is a five-star luxury hotel and resort located in Sonoma, California. The property was built to resemble a Spanish mission, and sits atop Boyes Hot Springs, a natural, thermal mineral spring that is now used to offer spa services at the hotel. The property also boasts a 177-acre, 18-hole championship golf course.
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History
The hot mineral springs that lie below the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa were first discovered by Native Americans who considered the site a sacred healing ground. Commercial development came years later, in 1840, and was accomplished by T.M. Leavenworth, a physician, and the last alcalde of San Francisco.
Leavenworth built a home on the Sonoma land in 1849. In 1895, Captain Henry Ernest Boyes and his wife purchased the land and house from Leavenworth. Upon hearing about the hot springs that supposedly ran beneath their land, they dug two wells and discovered the thermal mineral water. They installed a pipe system, directing the waters into a huge tub.
Within five years, they had built the Boyes Hot Springs Hotel. As word spread, more and more people from San Francisco began to visit the property to take advantage of the healing waters.
The hotel and most of Boyes Hot Springs were destroyed in a 1923 fire. It wasn't until 1927 that a new inn was completed, containing three floors, and built in the traditional style of a Spanish mission, and once again gained popularity among the residents of Northern California.
When the stock market crash of 1929 plunged the country into the Great Depression, the resort ended up in receivership. The property remained closed until 1933, when it was purchased by hotelier Emily Long, who restored the hotel to its former glory.
During World War II, the hotel came under the control of the United States Navy, and was used as an R&R site for sailors and Marines until 1945.
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Renovations
The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa has been renovated numerous times over the last several decades. In 1980, a major renovation restored the hotel to its 1920s roots. The spa was added in 1981 to take full advantage of the hot springs that course beneath the hotel. A few additions were made from 1999 to 2000, including an expansion of the spa to its current 40,000 square feet (3,700 m2), which includes both indoor and outdoor space.
Most recently, the hotel completed a $10.7 million renovation that lasted from January through September 2013. The project entailed upgrades to the lobby, wine room, bar, Michelin star-rated Sante restaurant, and 97 of the 227 guest rooms. Several changes were also made to the exterior parts of the property, including the landscaping, signage, and pedestrian walkways.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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