Opening Shot is a column that peeks inside new hotels, restaurants, bars, and shops with dreamy interiors.
LODGE AT MARCONI
Location: Tomales Bay, California
Designer: Home Studios
On Offer: Just off Route 1 in the rolling hills of Northern California, radio inventor Guglielmo Marconi built a receiving station in 1913 and 1914, along with a massive hotel—which built 35 rooms, a library, and dining hall underneath a monumental veranda—for his employees. By the 1960s, a drug and alcohol rehab center called Synanon had made itself at home in the hotel. As the ‘70s wore on, Synanon devolved into one of the country’s most notorious cults, stockpiling weapons and, allegedly, led by an attempted murder.
In 1980, Marconi Conference Center State Historic Park took over the grounds. And some two decades later, after a 17-month renovation by Brooklyn’s Home Studios, the site now beckons design fanatics with a new identity: the Lodge at Marconi. Sited on 62 acres of the Marconi State Historic Park, the lodge has retained its historic interiors, with some careful additions. Cedar paneling brings the surrounding woods inside, brightened by tile from the legendary Heath Ceramics, just half an hour or so down the road.
Standout Amenities: The lodge’s 45 rooms include a king suite with high-thread count linens, a super plush sofa with views of the park, and elegant workspace with MCM-inspired desk. Expecting more guests? Try the Deluxe King Loft, which installs a twin loft above the king-sized bed. And while cult meetings are off the menu, the Lodge offers farm-to-table spreads for benign occasions held in its 40-seat outdoor amphitheater or any of the four meeting rooms: L-shaped McCargo Hall; the Cypress or Pine Lodges, which offer a private patio with views of Tomales Bey; and the indoor-outdoor Redwood Hall, which accommodates 80 diners in the main area and another 20 in the lounge.
