The Astro
323 Santa Rosa Ave
Santa Rosa, CA
Every furnishing is a piece of original MCM, all of it for sale. The former parking lot is now an edible garden.
About The Astro
The Astro was a two-story motor lodge on Santa Rosa Avenue when chef Liza Hinman and the team behind The Spinster Sisters, Santa Rosa's most prominent restaurant, acquired it. The building dated to 1963 and had spent decades declining from its original use. Rather than tear it down, they rebuilt it from the 1963 bones outward. Giro d'Italia champion Andy Hampsten joined as investor and design collaborator. Every MCM piece in the property was sourced at auction from across the country: not reproductions, not mid-century-adjacent, but the actual furniture of the era. Custom railings were drawn from the building's original phone switchboard. The former parking lot became a lush edible garden. The MICHELIN Guide selected it. Vogue, GQ, Goop, and Sunset Magazine covered it. The Astro sits in Santa Rosa's SOFA arts and gallery district, a few blocks south of downtown.
What The Astro Is Known For
The Astro is one of a very small number of motor motels to appear in the MICHELIN Guide anywhere in California. The recognition reflects what the project actually is: a disciplined restoration of a specific 1963 building, using real MCM furniture from real auctions, with design decisions that come from the building's own history rather than from a mood board. The edible garden where the parking lot was, the phone-switchboard railings, the space-age sign built more perfectly than the original: every choice is specific to this building on this street in this city. The Spinster Sisters team made a motel that could only be in Santa Rosa, and the MICHELIN Guide agreed.
Amenities
- Pets Welcome
- Breakfast Included
- WiFi
- Free morning provisions daily: Flying Goat coffee, Clover yogurt, and Spinster Sisters granola
- Original MCM auction pieces throughout, all available for purchase
- Edible garden with citrus trees and fire pit (former parking lot)
- Free bikes designed in collaboration with Andy Hampsten
- Lending library (children's and adult titles)
- Curated NorCal minibar
- Kitchenette rooms available
- Chivas Soap and Shikai bath products
- Casper mattresses and custom bedspreads
- Free on-site parking
- Dogs welcome (pet fee applies)
What Guests Love
- MICHELIN Guide selected: one of the only motor motels in California to appear in the Guide
- Every piece of furniture in the property is an original MCM auction piece and is for sale: you are sleeping in a curated gallery, not a motel with mid-century accents
- Free morning provisions daily from The Spinster Sisters kitchen: Flying Goat coffee, Clover yogurt, and granola from one of the best restaurants in the North Bay
- Edible garden in the former parking lot with citrus trees and fire pit: a courtyard experience that is rare at any motel at any price point
- Free bikes designed with Giro d'Italia champion Andy Hampsten, for the neighborhood and the park adjacent
Worth Knowing
- Rooms on the Santa Rosa Ave street side can get noisy from traffic: a light sleeper may want to request an interior-facing room
- Some guests report that the AC unit can be loud in certain rooms: ask about quieter options when booking if this is a concern
- Rooms are 1963 motor lodge sized: not large by contemporary standards, and furnished with period pieces that prioritize character over volume
- The SOFA arts district is a lively urban neighborhood: check what is happening nearby during your stay, as events can add to street activity
- Pets are welcome. A pet fee applies; contact the property directly to confirm current amounts and any restrictions before booking.
The Room
Rooms across two stories, each furnished with original MCM pieces acquired at auction across the United States: not reproductions, not mid-century-adjacent, but the actual furniture of the era. Custom-tiled bathrooms in The Astro's signature colors. quality mattresses and pillows, high-thread-count linens with custom bedspreads. Chivas Soap and Shikai bath products. TVs and free WiFi. Curated NorCal minibar. Kitchenette rooms are available. Every piece of furniture in the room is for sale: The Astro operates as a curated MCM gallery as well as a motel.
The Grounds
The edible garden occupies the former parking lot: citrus trees, herbs, raised beds, and a fire pit in the courtyard at its center. Adirondack seating throughout the garden and around the fire pit. The morning lounge opens every day with free Flying Goat coffee, Clover yogurt, and granola made by The Spinster Sisters kitchen: the full complement of what the team knows how to do, available every morning at no charge. A lending library with children's and adult titles is available to guests. Free bikes, designed with Andy Hampsten, are on loan to all guests. Free on-site parking. Luther Burbank Home and Gardens is immediately adjacent.
The Experience
The Astro's location gives two modes of access. The first is the edible garden and morning lounge: the kind of still morning that a motel courtyard can produce when it is well designed and not surrounded by parking. Flying Goat coffee, citrus from the trees, fire pit if the morning is cool. The second mode is outward: bikes out to Juilliard Park and the Luther Burbank Home, or north on Santa Rosa Ave toward Railroad Square's restaurants and the Saturday farmers market. The wine country is 20 to 45 minutes depending on direction: Russian River Valley west toward Guerneville, Sonoma Valley south toward the town of Sonoma and the plaza, Healdsburg north. The Spinster Sisters restaurant is nearby for the evening.
Details
Santa Rosa, CA 95404
The Boutel designation is earned, not purchased. Boutels is editorially independent and has no financial relationship with any listed property.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does The Astro have EV charging?
No, The Astro does not have EV charging.
Does The Astro have WiFi?
Yes, The Astro has WiFi.
What is there to do near The Astro?
Luther Burbank Home and Gardens: 0.1 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk. Railroad Square Historic District: 0.5 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk. Russian River Valley Wine Country: 30 miles, about a 60 minute drive.
How far is The Astro from Luther Burbank Home and Gardens?
0.1 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk.
How far is The Astro from Railroad Square Historic District?
0.5 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk.
How far is The Astro from Russian River Valley Wine Country?
30 miles, about a 60 minute drive.
Is The Astro pet friendly?
Yes. The Astro welcomes pets. A pet fee applies; contact the property directly to confirm current amounts and any restrictions before booking.
Is breakfast included at The Astro?
Yes. Every morning the lounge is stocked with free Flying Goat coffee, Clover yogurt, and granola made by The Spinster Sisters kitchen. It is available to all guests daily at no additional charge.
What does it mean that the furniture is for sale?
The Astro doubles as a curated mid-century modern gallery. Original MCM pieces acquired at auction across the country are installed throughout the property, and all of it is for sale. If you fall in love with the credenza in your room or a piece in the lounge, you can buy it.
Are bikes available at The Astro?
Yes. Free bikes are available to all guests. The bicycles were designed in collaboration with Andy Hampsten, one of The Astro's founding investors and the only American ever to win the Giro d'Italia.
How far is The Astro from Sonoma wine country?
The closest wine country is 20 to 30 minutes south toward Sonoma and Glen Ellen. The Russian River Valley AVA, known for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, is 30 to 45 minutes west toward Guerneville. Healdsburg, the upscale wine town with a central plaza surrounded by tasting rooms, is 25 minutes north.
What is Santa Rosa like as a city?
Santa Rosa is the largest city in Sonoma County, with an independent arts, food, and coffee scene along the Railroad Square Historic District that is distinct from the tourist-facing wine country towns. Charles M. Schulz, creator of Peanuts, lived and worked here for decades, and the Charles M. Schulz Museum is three miles from The Astro. Luther Burbank's home and gardens are preserved as a public park downtown.
Is The Astro walking distance to anything in Santa Rosa?
The Railroad Square Historic District, with independent restaurants, coffee shops, and boutique retail, is about ten minutes on foot. The nearby SMART train station connects Santa Rosa to San Rafael and Marin County, making day trips without a car more practical than at most wine country properties.
Does The Astro have a pool?
The Astro does not have a pool. The property has a central courtyard with fire pits.
Is parking available at The Astro?
Yes. Free on-site parking is available at The Astro.
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Things to Do Near Near Sonoma Wine Country
Luther Burbank Home and Gardens
0.1 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk.
The former home and gardens of botanist Luther Burbank, who developed more than 800 new plants including the Shasta daisy, the Santa Rosa plum, and the Russet Burbank potato, sit directly adjacent to The Astro. Burbank lived and worked in Santa Rosa from 1884 until his death in 1926. The home is a National Historic Landmark and the gardens are maintained by the City of Santa Rosa, open to the public and a genuine green oasis a minute's walk from the motel. Juilliard Park adjoins the site.
Railroad Square Historic District
0.5 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk.
Railroad Square is Santa Rosa's historic commercial district, centered on Fourth Street west of the Highway 101 overpass. The stone and brick commercial buildings from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries house restaurants, wine bars, vintage shops, and galleries. The Saturday farmers market runs in Railroad Square year-round and is one of the best in the North Bay, with produce, wine, cheese, and prepared food from the surrounding agricultural region. The Spinster Sisters restaurant is in the SOFA district near The Astro.
Russian River Valley Wine Country
30 miles, about a 60 minute drive.
The Russian River Valley AVA runs through the redwood-forested hills west of Santa Rosa toward the coast, a cool-climate growing region known for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The town of Guerneville sits at the river's bend at the center of the valley, with dozens of small producers clustered along Westside Road and Eastside Road. Healdsburg, 25 minutes north, is Sonoma County's most concentrated fine-dining and wine-tasting destination, with a central plaza surrounded by tasting rooms and restaurants.