We've stayed at ABVIS in Healdsburg several times over the past 5 years and this year marked a decidedly nasty downturn. After a day of wine drinking, we like to be able to walk to the square, have some beers and walk back to our lodging. With this objective, one can pick a B&B or this motel. I like the local B&B's but there's the cost to figure.
Arrival revealed blue tarp over most of the gables on our building. Obvious roofing problems. It rained during our stay but we had no leaks. The door to our room was maybe a 1/8" too wide for the door jam. Getting in and out of the room was slightly violent.
In the past, ABVIS has been basic, clean, reasonably priced digs. This is no longer true. Getting up in the morning and standing in the wet tub, I noticed that my feet had muddied the tub floor. I'm quite sure that didn't run around barefoot the previous day so had to conclude I picked up the dirt from the motel room floor. Closing the shower curtain revealed mold spots.
Next morning, 7am, we had the 'pleasure' to listening to our neighbors TV thru the wall. If you stay, go for a bigger room at the end of the complex. They're either newer or better insulated. Also more expensive.
Returning to the room on the second nite, we discovered our fridge was short 1 beer. Not a big deal in terms of cost, maybe $2, but huge when one considers the violated trust between tenant and housekeeping.
At $140/nite (Saturday/Sunday stay average, over sat/sun event weekend) this can no longer be considered a budget motel but if one wants to avoid driving in Healdsburg and retain some cash, one's kinda stuck. The best western's a little too far for the walk and L&M scares me (tho' I might just check it out next time!).
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
24 January 2011
Dear CheckerAz69,
First, I want to thank you for your patronage over the past 5 years. I am sure you have seen over this time period that we have made significant improvenents to our property including reconstructing 90% of our property and completely rennovated the remaining units which were part of the original building. You are absolutely correct about the tarp on the building and that we did discover some problems this past winter with our roof on a portion of the original building. However, there are no leaks inside any of the rooms. With the current state of our economy and the lack of business in our area, it is taking us a bit longer to fix the issue. I am hopeful that with the approaching summer months along with improved business conditions, we will be able to redo the entire rooms on the original wing.
I do want to comment regarding your claim about the theft of a beer. Our housekeeper has been with us for the past 12 years and we have never had any incidents related to theft in all these years. She is a very loyal employee and a dear friend as well. She would not have intentionally stole the beer, especially for someone who doesn't drink alcohol. If in error she had cleaned out the fridge and thrown out the beer, I apologize for that. I hope in the future you give us an opportunity to correct the situation before your departure.
Sincerely,
General Manager
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
