In 2024, the MICHELIN Guide is announcing the first ever MICHELIN Keys — a brand new distinction that recognizes the most outstanding hotels across the world. SingleThread Inn is one of the only Three Key hotels in the United States. Find our selection team’s official take, here. And below, take a peek at the special experiences that make this one of our most dazzling hotels.
Tucked into downtown Healdsburg squarely in California wine country, SingleThread has humble origins — some eight years ago, Kyle and Katina Connaughton opened a little restaurant and inn. In 2018, that restaurant gained two MICHELIN Stars. In 2019, it had three. By 2021, one profile pointed to SingleThread as a major player in the transformation of Healdsburg from “sleepy country town” to world class destination.
You can attribute this staggering success to a deep appreciation for the land. Just down the road from SingleThread, you’ll find the Connaughtons’ 24 acres of biodiverse farmland, the engine that fuels Kyle’s lauded Japanese, farm-to-table cuisine.
But it’s not only the restaurant that benefits.
Just above the restaurant is the SingleThread Inn, a miraculously tiny, five-room hotel that just added Three Keys to go with its Three Star restaurant.
“Our hospitality has always been about welcoming guests to our home,” says Kyle Connaughton, speaking of both places. And “this is the home of a chef and a farmer and a family that we've built around what we do.”
It’s obvious how a farmer’s ethos manifests itself in the restaurant. But farm-to-table finds its way to the guest rooms, too, with cut flowers straight from the farm arranged daily, complimenting high-ceiling rooms made with redwood beams and exposed brick.
Accommodations are spacious, simple, and properly luxurious — with soaking tubs, heated floors, and cozy fireplaces. Individual artisans famously contribute custom spoons and donabe cooking pots to SingleThread’s restaurant. They contribute skincare products, infused with botanicals from the farm, to the hotel.
On the roof, the gorgeous gardens make for a special spot for breakfast. And that's just the start.
The inn would still work if it sat above a less lauded restaurant. But this is SingleThread. Not only does a night at the inn here guarantee you a reservation at the restaurant, it provides even more opportunities to feast on Connaughton’s cuisine.
Traditional room service is replaced by the offering of a four-course hot pot donabe dinner: a multi-course, Japanese-style meal that’s enjoyed family style. Think: a series of small dishes, a sashimi course, a hot pot served with organic rice and side dishes, and a seasonal dessert.
It won't cost you extra. “We wanted the experience of the inn to be an extension of that feeling of home,” says Kyle. “This is why we've made a check in process that requires no check in. Everything in the rooms is inclusive — breakfast, amenities, and room service are all included, so that the guest feels that they are guests in our home.”
Midday, room service includes crudite of farm vegetables, local oysters, local cheese, and charcuterie. Breakfast is offered a la carte. But with everything included, why not order some of everything?
A sample menu from the Sonoma breakfast could include roasted cherry tomato tartlet, squash blossom and negi omelette with black truffle, miso chorizo and farm tomato and cucumber salad. The Japanese breakfast tantalizes with cedar roasted salmon, Dashimaki tamago (Japanese omelette with layers of fried beaten eggs), yuzu kosho donabe rice, seasonal vegetable salad with sesame dressing, miso soup and fresh fruit.
You might also take a picnic, packed in a wooden bento box, to enjoy on the SingleThread farm. Open it and you’ll find a build your own sushi hand roll experience with four different kinds of seafood, prepared vegetables, and a house made barrel aged ponzu, served with miso soup and dessert.
Most likely, you’ll come for the food. But such a tiny hotel boasts a remarkably personalized experience. As soon as you make your booking, the dedicated concierge team stands at the ready to organize any number of excursions on your behalf. They’ll get you to any of the vineyards of Sonoma, of course, but there’s also art gallery tours, cheese tastings, fly fishing, helicopter tours, hikes, and visits to the redwoods at Armstrong Woods.
So you see, the food here is important, of course — but it’s only the beginning.
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Top image: © SingleThread Inn — Healdsburg, California
