Review: River Terrace Inn Napa
The River Terrace Inn is a classic in Napa, but it’s a new addition to the Marriott Bonvoy Portfolio. During my stay, I received a room upgrade and enjoyed a recently renovated room compared to the Westin Verasa Napa next door.
Let’s take a look at everything that you need to know about the River Terrace Inn in Napa in advance of your next stay.
Booking & Check-in
I booked this hotel on an industry professional rate, and sadly, redeeming Marriott Bonvoy points doesn’t seem to be a great value here. This is a continuous trend with new Marriott properties in North America. The average redemption value is often well below 1 CAD cent per point.
Checking into the property, I arrived very early, about 10 am, and was surprised that they had an upgraded room ready for us!
We were offered a welcome drink of wine, but declined and opted to come back later. We were thanked for being Titanium Elite members and given the option of breakfast or 1,000 points as a welcome gift.
Location
The River Terrace Inn is in central Napa, very close to the entertainment district and the famous Napa Wine Train.
Parking
Parking is free, but there is no valet service like the Westin next door.
Room – River View Room
I was happy to receive a complimentary upgrade to a River View Room, as it’s much superior to a village-view room.
The balcony overlooking the patio is lovely and offers excellent sunrise and sunset views.
There’s a small sitting area and a desk next to the balcony entrance. With the wine and glasses that were presented on the table, I thought we were getting a free bottle of wine, but on further inspection, this ½ bottle was being offered for $20.
The rest of the room is fairly simple, with a fridge, coffee and tea, bathroom, and a vanity. The vanity was a wise use of an awkward space.
At the mini bar section, there was rather expensive bottled water, and a price list for items I can only assume were commonly taken by previous guests. Much of the room still had Noble House branding, which was the chain that owned this hotel before.
The bathroom was very well equipped with a tub/shower combo and a nicely refreshed mirror with extra lighting.
In my Marriott profile, I’ve requested that extra pillows be available in the room. After we returned from the day’s activities, I was surprised to find that these pillows had been delivered! It’s refreshing to have a midscale North American Marriott property have that much attention to detail.
Restaurants
Alba
Alba is the only restaurant on the property, and it’s open for breakfast and dinner. Being part of the Tribute Collection, you’ll get free breakfast for two as a welcome gift if you are a Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite member or higher. That being said, the Marriott Bonvoy elite breakfast was a bit weak, with few protein options.
We opted for a bacon-and-cheese pastry and a yogurt-and-granola bowl. Considering the size of the yogurt and granola, I think the oatmeal would have been a better choice than a pastry.
The patio at Alba is excellent and attracts many visitors, even those not staying at the hotel.
Facilities
While the River Terrace Inn lacks many amenities, such as a pool or a fitness center, it has a wonderful outdoor patio overlooking the river. We enjoyed our welcome glass of wine out here and thought it was a fantastic amenity.
Conclusion
The River Terrace Inn is a nice addition to the Marriott portfolio in the Napa area, with updated rooms and some decent elite recognition. It would be better if Marriott points were valued higher, but I think any new property that gets added to the fold in North America will likely be a poor value going forward. We would definitely stay at the River Terrace Inn again, as it feels higher quality than the Westin next door.
