The Darling Hotel, Visalia CA

We loved our brunch plate, I finished it all! We got a champagne bottle with guava and orange juice do delicious, loved the setting even when it’s cold they setup heaters, enjoyed our girls brunch!

Went for a company luncheon, first time trying this place, inside of the restaurant is extremely small. Lots of construction going on on the patios, service was not wonderful. The server only filled our drinks one time never came back, To see if we needed anything else after our meal was served and we had to hunt down the server to ask for the check. The hotel itself is really cool. Lots of history there, very beautiful art,
And well decorated but could use some work service. Food was tasty but a little over price for the serving.

I'm not sure if it was because I was using my local address and not my out of town one, but I was given a list of hotel rules which I had not received previously when I used my out of town address. I felt as though it was being insinuated I was not welcome or locals are not responsible.
I was charged an incidental fee when I had never received such a fee before. This fee was not communicated at check in. Incidental fee+taxes added up to $200 over the initial booking quote left me not in a holiday spirit. I know I'll get the incidental fee back but it was just poorly communicated.
I absolutely love the vibe of the Darling although it is in a not so safe area of downtown Visalia (lots of homeless). The Elderwood restaurant is always fun to get a cocktail and delicious food at.

I know hotels do not like locals using their facilities and I sure did not feel welcome upon check in and check out. I won't be returning or recommending.

Edit: I did have a reservation in 2021 that I had to cancel two days before due to an emergency surgery. The woman I spoke to that day was very nice and did not charge me a cancellation fee which I was grateful for.

I also stayed during Easter in 2023 with no incidental charge and no list of house rules. Our stay was very nice.

I'm not sure what has changed.

Wow! This place was incredible, I felt very Great Gatsby being here! Gold everywhere and the drinks were great as well as the delicious food. Great date spot or gathering! I would highly recommend the salads and any drink, honestly!

Charming boutique hotel located in the center of downtown. The best customer service and very attentive staff. Walking distance to many great restaurants.

Staff was excellent, friendly, and provided great customer service. Rooms were clean, shower was a highlight.

I hosted my daughter's Quinceañera at The Darling. The courtyard is the outdoor venue and let me just say that it is so beautiful! The staff were amazing! The bartender made great cocktails. I could just go on about what both my daughter and I loved. I will definitely consider hosting my next event at The Darling.

It makes me super sad to write this review and I actually tried to work with the management to fix the issue I had.

Let me start by saying that I have stayed in this hotel maybe 7 or 8 times and have enjoyed eat one until 8/26/2023. I didn't know that cars and trucks actively cruise in front of the hotel on the weekend and certain rooms are going to be louder than others (I have stayed here enough to know this). Since it was a weekend and they had been booked I was given a room I had never been in before. One that had banging sounds in the wall against a pipe all night long. It was so loud I didn't get to sleep as it happened every few minutes all night. That is the one thing you need when traveling.

Because I liked the hotel and had even become friendly with the former manager Claire Caviglia - I didn't rush to write a review. I asked to have the manager call me. My room was 261.00 before taxes and I was offered a $67 reduction on my bill. I felt like this was the bare minimum that you would do the keep a customer that comes a few times a year, eats and drinks in you restaurant etc. I told them as much and I sent them a couple of videos of the banging.

I then received a phone call from Ashley Isidro Guest Services Supervisor letting me know how sorry they are and that I would be getting a gift card for a $100 for a future stay. I didn't ask for a full refund, but I did feel that I would stay there again and move forward. When I asked if she needed my address she said "No it will come in your email" after a couple of weeks, I reached back out and was told.

"I have cc'd my upper management team! I am so sorry that your stay did not go as well. This is unfortunately out of my decision regarding the gift card and will have Mike or Jessica reach out to you ASAP"

WHAT? I WAS TOLD THIS WAS WHAT WAS HAPPENING.

I have never heard from them again. The idea that a person handling a customer issue would say they are going to send you something, pass the buck and then have the managers care so little for customer. It's pretty shocking. There are so many ways to keep a customer, but this isn't one of them.

I will never stay at this Hotel, but I have taken a moment to see all the other Charleston Hotels are managed by.

All that over $100 gift card. I tried to not write this as I was a fan of this hotel.

That is the only one hotel in the town with a rooftop. Location is good, service is good. Courteous staff. Clean rooms.

We stayed for a night just for a quick getaway. 40 min drive from Fresno and it felt like we were far away from home.)

A beautifully renovated hotel right in Downtown Visalia. I used it to run a business seminar. The meeting space was great and service great as well. I will return.

Nice finishes on the rooms. The hotel layout is a bit bizarre. I felt like where my room was located on the 2nd floor near the front desk was odd. And the window was like right at street level by the door. Just odd. The restaurant was delicious.

I loved staying at The Darling! It was a perfect home base for visiting Kings Canyon and Sequoia NPs. My room was beautiful and comfortable and every staff member that I interacted with was so nice! They did an amazing job restoring the building and I loved all of the detailed design elements and art. I hope I get to stay there again someday!

The hotel makes a very nice impression from the outside. When we arrived, we were greeted by a very warm and friendly employee. We booked the hotel for one night as we were passing through. We got a room in the basement, unfortunately without a view, but with a view of a wall, which was perfectly fine for us for one night. The room was clean and very high, which really fascinated me.
The roof terrace of the hotel is also very nice, we ordered cocktails that were delicious.
All in all a nice hotel.

I have to say, I've stayed in so many hotels, and this by far will be the most memorable one.the building is elegantly renovated to preserve its historic charm, yet blended with modern touches. I stayed in the old "bank vault" room.the closet and bathroom were both enormous.it was so nice, I didn't even want to leave the hotel. So I didn't! I went upstairs for dinner! The bar was stunning, the drinks were amazing, and the food was great. All around one of the most memorable hotels I've stayed in.

We love the Darling it is very difficult to just have drinks/dessert. They should really just keep the bar for drinks/apps /dessert only.

The hotel is really great. As soon as you enter, you get a clean and very well-kept impression. The staff are very friendly and helpful. Our room including bathroom was very tastefully and high quality furnished. We also noticed the pool positively. Towels were provided for this.
You also get a very safe impression here. The parking lot is only accessible with an activated hotel card. In addition, the doors are solid and electronically secured.
We can also recommend the rooftop bar.
A few bars and restaurants are within walking distance.
We are happy to recommend the hotel.

Very good experience. The hotel is very cool. Great location and history. Staff is incomparably friendly and helpful. Max at the Elderwood was incredible - creative bartender who has helped design an excellent craft cocktail menu. Some of his drinks rival some of the great craft bars. Note that the rooms can have noise from adjoining rooms due to the high ceilings and old buildings overall, excellent.

We rented out a conference room for a hiring event for our company. Krystan and her team set us up perfectly for what we needed and checked on us throughout the process. They are such great hosts and so friendly. We highly recommend using them for any type of event you have going on!