In Hotels With Great Taste , we’re pulling back the curtain for a peek at the “special sauce” that hotels use to create memorable, meaningful culinary experiences for their guests.

Look closely at the lodgings that make up Dawn Ranch and you’ll notice they’re actually a patchwork of historic structures in different shapes and sizes. Each building at the luxe 15-acre Russian River resort, which is nestled amongst the towering redwoods in the petite town of Guerneville, California, is linked to a different era of the property’s past.

Built in 1905, it was originally Murphy’s Ranch, a getaway for well-to-do families that operated for seven decades. Later it served for more than 20 years as the pioneering gay resort Fife’s. Today, it’s a refined wine country escape that exists at the crossroads of nature and high-end luxury.…