Historic Mount View Hotel Offers Excellent Wheelchair Access
As your walk into the front lobby of Calistoga’s Mount View Hotel (mountviewhotel.com), you’re transported into a different era – a kinder, gentler time devoid of traffic jams, Zoom meetings and text messages. Truly you feel the stress just melt away as you amble through the quiet lobby. In a way, it’s hard to believe that you’re in bustling Napa County, as you survey the interior of this historic property. It’s the prefect spot to relax and regenerate.
A Mount View Primer
Built in 1919, this Calistoga hotel was the brainchild of Johnny Ghisolfo, also known as “Mr. Calistoga” by the townspeople. Johnny served several terms as mayor, and was well liked, so the hotel became a natural gathering place for the locals. In 1938 he added two wings to the property, which he managed until 1964. He then turned over operations to his son Johnny Ghisolfo, Jr.
By the 1970s time had taken its toll on this grand old property. In 1979 designers Jerry Roy and Paul Pilgrim transformed the mission revival property to an Art Deco gem for the new owners. Subsequently the Mount View Hotel was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1981, and in 2024 it received the Art Deco Preservation Award from the Art Deco Society of California. And the good news is, even though it’s a historic property, wheelchair-access wasn’t overlooked in the renovation.
Wheelchair Access and More
Adding access features to a historic property can be a tricky, especially when the property is on the National Register of Historic Places. That said, the folks at the Mount View Hotel did an excellent job in preserving the past, while adding modern access features.
Accessible street parking is located across the street from this historic Calistoga hotel, and the folks at the front desk are happy to offer luggage assistance. There’s level access to the lobby and plenty of room to maneuver a wheelchair through the historic lobby to the front desk.
Accessible room 115 is located around the corner and up a ramp. Access features include wide doorways, lever handles and low-pile carpet for easy rolling. The room is furnished with a 28-inch high queen-sized bed, a table and two chairs, two nightstands and a coffee cart. There is wheelchair access to both sides of the bed, but the coffee cart (which is on wheels) may have to be moved a tad. There’s also a refrigerator and even an espresso maker in the room.
The oversized bathroom includes a full five-foot turning radius and is equipped with a tiled roll-in shower with grab bars, a hand-held showerhead and a fold-down slatted shower bench. Other access features include a toilet with grab bars on the back and right walls (as seated) and a roll-under sink.
All in all it’s a comfortable and accessible garden room, that’s close to all the hotel amenities.
Stay and Play
And at the top of that hotel amenity list is the property’s “backyard”. There’s level access to this pool and spa area with lift access to the heated pool and the mineral whirlpool. You can relax in a cabana during the day and enjoy a drink around one of the poolside firepits in the evening. It’s the perfect place to just chill and recharge at this historic Calistoga hotel.
And when comes time to tie on the feed bag, Robert’s Tropical Table is located right in the hotel. There’s level access to this Caribbean-themed eatery that offers food and drinks with a slightly Jamaican twist.
Finally if you want to explore Calistoga, the Mount View Hotel is just steps from wine tasting, good food, ice cream, galleries, gift shops and even a beer garden. The town is level, and the sidewalks are in good repair, so wheelchair-users and slow walkers will have no problems getting around, And if you have troubles deciding where to go or what to do, just ask the hotel concierge as he is well versed in everything nearby. Bottom line — you can do as little or as much as you want at this nicely accessible property.
