The Astro – Santa Rosa, CA
The Astro | 323 Santa Rosa Avenue Santa Rosa, California 95404 | 707-200-4655
Originally built in 1963 in Santa Rosa, CA, The Astro Motel was part of a chain of motels that went up across the country all bearing the same name and signature space-age design.
It flourished in the heydey of the American motor lodge only to fall into seediness and disrepair as the millennium came and went, the slick newness of the digital age usurping the charm of mid-century style.
The Astro was long regarded by locals as a place to avoid, but its potential spoke to the team behind the nearby restaurant The Spinster Sisters, which has been lauded as one of Santa Rosa’s best and is led by James Beard Award winner Liza Hinman.
What followed the Astro’s purchase by the Spinster Sisters team was a thoughtful and ambitious renovation, largely carried out by local artists and artisans whose work can be seen throughout the motel. From the custom railings inspired by the Astro’s original phone switchboard, to a brand new sign more perfectly space age than the original, to custom tiled bathrooms in the motel’s signature colors, every detail aims to celebrate the Astro’s history while improving upon the original. And the original is still very much present: the switchboard now resides in the guest lounge as a fixture for the curious, and the original sign borders an outdoor firepit in one of the motel’s edible gardens.
In 2017 Santa Rosa was devastated by wildfires and The Astro, not yet open, became a refuge for evacuees. In 2020, faced again with a community in crisis, The Astro opened its doors for unhoused persons to safely quarantine during the Covid-19 lockdowns. While the renovated motel officially opened on January 18, 2018, it has served Santa Rosa in myriad ways both before and since.
And now, we hope, it will serve you. The Astro provides visitors to Sonoma County an affordable, central, comfortably designed headquarters to explore all that our bounteous corner of California has to offer. It has received accolades and features from Vogue, Sunset Magazine, GQ, Sonoma Magazine, SF Weekly, Eater San Francisco, The North Bay Bohemian, and The Press Democrat.
ROOMS:
All the style of the 1963 original, renovated to modern standards of comfort. Each room is unique, featuring its own selection of vintage furniture and art for you to enjoy.
Click HERE for more information.
AMENITIES:
Here’s what’s on offer to make your stay as enjoyable as possible – plus some frequently asked questions. If there’s something we can do to improve your time with us, don’t hesitate to ask.
Click HERE to learn more.
THE NEIGHBORHOOD:
Located on the south edge of 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” by the 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 a 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 a vast array of spectacular adventures in wine, craft beer, cycling, horticulture, art, cheese-making, and hiking. Owned, built and managed by native Sonoma County folk, The Astro provides an intimate introduction to the area’s natural splendor, and to its best and brightest makers and doers.
Learn more HERE.
EVENTS at THE ASTRO:
For a listing of upcoming events at The Astro click HERE.