The Knott’s Hotel has finished its refurbishment and has opened to all guests. We were able to attend an open house that gave us great glimpses into many of the accommodations of the hotel.
It started at the Courtyard that pays homage to Fiesta Village. There we had a wonderful reception with some great food provided by the newly redone restaurant, Thirty Acres Kitchen. A small presentation was given to explain the history of the park and the reasons for the theming of the hotel. Ken Parks explained how the relationship between Walter and Cordelia Knott is at the heart of the hotel and its look and feel. Having this reception in the Courtyard showed off the look of the terra cotta-type tile and warm ambiance of the venue.
Thirty Acres Kitchen
From there we ventured into Thirty Acres Kitchen. Previously this was the Amber Waves restaurant that had more of an Americana decor to it. Thirty Acres now features a more rustic, farm-home feel to it. There are seed packets that pay homage to the original crops grown on the farm by the Knott family. The name itself comes from the original acreage of the farm that became the Mrs. Knott’s restaurant and theme park. A new buffet nook has some great features to keep food warm and a wonderful tile artwork that pays homage to Paul Von Klieben who designed Ghost Town.
Event Spaces
At the very top, on the ninth floor, there are two ballrooms that allow for great meeting spaces. Skyline B has enough room for 200 people with or without a dance floor. Along with the rest of the hotel, it was refurbished with some great ambiance and still has a gorgeous view. On the clearest of days a person can see all the way to Catalina Island! Skyline A features a very similar space, but with smaller capacity. Right beside Skyline B is a meeting room for board room style meetings or grand dinners for a small party. Inside the space is a fireplace that adds that rustic ambiance to a traditional meeting room. All of these are excellent event spaces that help make this a potential destination for a lot of occasions.
Guest Quarters
Of course a hotel is only as good as its accomodations…and the Knott’s Hotel lives up to that! The guest rooms have been completely refurbished and have a variety of layouts for guests’ needs. There are two varieties of standard guest rooms. One contains a king bed, and the other has two queens. Each have ample space in them along with a chair to lounge in. Refrigerators have been added to each room, which is a wonderful addition considering the great food that one can accumulate during a visit. There are a couple of styles of oversized rooms that connect to these standard rooms. An oversized room can either have a king or queen bed. It can accommodate up to 6 guests because of a pull out sofa bed that is within the room as well. This style room also features a small nook with a bar top and sink.
The best feature of the rooms has to be the decor, though. All the pieces (except the linens) have been custom made for the hotel! Decorative paints on the walls have been designed to pay tribute to areas of the park. Each floor has different plates. The one we went through had the berry market tribute. Others have tributes to the Sky Cabin and Fiesta Village. We were remarking how we’d love to take home the plates as souvenirs, and the media representatives were saying the same. Alas, no such product is available…yet. I kept staring at all the fixtures, like the western lamps to the ornate iron-look mirrors. It was a modern farmhouse style that was so pleasing to be in. In the hallways are carpets designed to resemble the Bottle House from the park as yet another homage to this nostalgic farm park.
In all, this hotel has gotten our attention as a destination for Southern California whether or not you visit Knott’s Berry Farm itself. It is rich in history of a historic California landmark that really made the Orange County area a destination. It is great to see such a refined hotel take up residence in this part of Southern California. It has a quaint, yet sophisticated atmosphere that really makes it great for families or just a small stayover for business! It is worth taking a look, but even more to have a stay in it!
