The management company behind Little Saint and SingleThread restaurants has purchased the historic River Belle bed and breakfast in Healdsburg for $7.25 million.
Owners will add the 12-room luxury accommodations to their expanding portfolio of properties in Healdsburg and New York, including five guest rooms atop the SingleThread restaurant and the Remsen Hotel in Brooklyn, New York.
“The River Belle is such a lovely property, and I’m excited to add this unique property to our growing portfolio and provide new management and development opportunities for our growing team at Vertice Hospitality,” said Tony Greenberg, CEO of Vertice Hospitality, in a statement.
The real estate developer is co-owner of SingleThread, with Chef Kyle Connaughton and his wife, Katina. Both of the Connaughtons are also part of the Vertice Hospitality executive team.
According to Greenberg, there are no plans to make significant changes to the inn, which was extensively renovated by the previous owner, Thomas Phillip Bangs, in 2016. Rooms advertised on the inn’s website begin at $450 per night.
The 10,300-square-foot, two-story Victorian was built in 1875 and was the residence of Isabelle Simi, the daughter of Simi Winery founder Guiseppe Simi. Located at 68 Front St., about six blocks from the Plaza, locals once called it the “grand old painted lady” for its pink exterior (which is now painted white).
“I remember when it opened in 2016, around the same time as we opened SingleThread. We’ve grown together in Healdsburg, and we’ve shared many guests throughout the years,” Greenberg said.
SingleThread, awarded three Michelin stars in 2021 and recently named one of the Top 50 restaurants in the world, has become a focal point in Sonoma County’s upscale dining scene. The Connaughtons’ Japanese-influenced multi-course tasting menu has won critical praise for its use of local ingredients and seasonality.
In 2022, the Vertice team opened Little Saint with Ken Fulk, of San Francisco nonprofit Saint Joseph’s Arts Foundation; philanthropist Jeff Ubben and his wife, animal activist Laurie Ubben; and program director Jenny Hess. The plant-focused restaurant and community space expand on the ideals of Doug Lipton and Cindy Daniel, who took a leap of faith by self-funding the 10,000-square-foot “modern grange” space in 2013 (which closed in 2018).
“I’m excited to add this unique property to our growing portfolio and provide new management and development opportunities for our growing team at Vertice Hospitality,” Greenberg said. “(The previous owners of the River Belle) have been wonderful hosts and stewards of the property, and we look forward to continuing their legacy. The entire current staff will continue to run the property and will join our team at Vertice Hospitality.”
He declined to provide further detail about whether the Vertice purchase was part of a more significant real estate play in Healdsburg.
“We are always looking for interesting hospitality opportunities to become a part of,” he said.
