We stayed at the Grove Park over Christmas. The place was uncomfortably packed - especially the lobby and food venues. The decor aspires to be Stickley, but ends up looking like cheap North Carolina discount furniture all massed together.

It took us 30 minutes the check in. The one bright spot of our stay were two lovely women who worked in reservations/check-in. They should apply to work at the Inn at Biltmore Estate where their skills would be appreciated. At check-in the room rate for our suite differed from what we were told on the phone by a significant amount. Having travelled far to spend Christmas at the Inn, we had no choice but to stay.

Deciding to make the best of it, we booked Spa appointments. The Spa staff was surly and obnoxious - for the amount that Grove Park charges for its spa services, the staff should be VERY friendly.

The food at the Blue Ridge Grill was mediocre and at times, just plain awful and the wait staff was not up to par.

To put it bluntly, save your money. Their are better views, quieter and more sophiscated hotels in the area - the Inn at Biltmore Estate and the Richmond Hill Inn to name two, and more enjoyable vacations to be had!

I have read some of the most horrendous reviews of GPI on here and I have to say that in all the many, many times I've stayed there over the past 5 years or more, at a rate of at least 3 times a year, I've never, ever had anything but a wonderful experience such that I cannot wait to return again and again! The staff has always been charming, kind, cooperative, helpful, and accomodating! We've stayed for my birthday for the past 2 years in December, during the height of the gingerbread season and had no troubles getting a room at a decent rate ($150 or less for a mtn view room in the old inn) we didn't need reservations for dinner, we just went down at 5:30 or so and were seated in a lovely space near the window to watch the remainder of sunset over the mountains. The food was terrific in the Blue Ridge Dining Room. I was a touch disappointed that the crab cakes weren't bigger but the flavor and presentation more than made up for it as did the professional attentiveness of the servers. Breakfasts were incredible, a lovely buffet far wider than any "usual" breakfast buffet complete with made-to-order omelets, sweet and tender roast pork in apples, and many other lovely offerings. Food was hot and not dried out like other places. The property is furnished in antiques, originals from the "old days" and really add to the ambiance. There is a REAL fire burning in the fireplace in the lobby every time I've been there during the chilly season. Front desk staff has been right there when I've needed them. Yes, the heat/air situation is a bit unusual, so if it's too warm in December did I whine about it??? NO, I simply opened a window and enjoyed the lovely sounds of the outdoors and fresh air! Some whiney yuppies would do well to get off their pristine, fat, aristicratical backsides and do the same! The spa is the most wonderful experience I've ever had in a spa setting. Yes, it is priced a bit higher than Bertha's Massage Parlor in your local neighborhood, but the setting is far more condusive to relaxation and far more professional than any place else I've ever been.

Ok, here's the bottom line. You go to the GPI for the ambiance, the history, the experience. I've spent my 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th, and next week my 21st anniversaries there and every year it's been more incredible than the year before! I cannot say enough for the staff on the club level! They anticipate every desire before you even have it completely thought out. The complementary buffet is far above that of places we've stayed. The breakfast exceptional and creative.

As for the age of the rooms, I know for a fact that the rooms were updated just a couple years ago because we were there when they were doing it! My husband is an architect in Charlotte and he knows for a fact that the carpeting was replaced recently because he works regularly with the contractor and carpet company that did the work. So much for whining about 1970's worn out carpeting folks.

The beds??? I've tried several of varying size depending on who was with me, ie my husband, my daughter, etc. I've always gotten the most restful night's sleep when I've been there. The beds are plush, comfortable and wonderful. I have back and hip issues at the tender age of 40 and I've never awoke in a state of discomfort from those beds like I have at other far lesser hotels. The feather pillows are plump and wonderful and the sheets are obviously of very high thread count and have always been clean.

The bathroooms outdated??? Well, pardon the euphamism, but....DUH! It's an historical inn!!! What do you expect? If you want a modern plastic tub and a dribbling shower head then move on down to the Holiday Inn, they'd love to have you and I've love to see you go! The bathrooms were refurbished when they did the rooms and that is quite obvious by the fixtures, if you knew anything at all. Yes the tub has been upfitted but it is one of the most tasteful jobs of upfitting I've ever seen that preserves the character of the room without being "schlocky".

Oh, and btw, I've stayed in the very smallest rooms to the very largest and I've never, ever seen a bathroom where you sit on the commode and your knees touch the wall, door, or anything else, so seems to me someone is telling fibs or exagerating to make a point.

Has the lobby been busy?? Of course there are high times when it is so. Don't like it? Then don't go during Christmas! Do your homework and see that this hotel is very much sought out during the holidays because of the gingerbread competition and that draws in the old folks buses, the kids on school trips and everyone in between. But that is only for a 2 week period during December.

I've had rooms directly over the restaurant and had no troubles. I've stayed in rooms over the ballroom patio and had no troubles. I've heard voices from the room next door if I put my nosey ear to the connector door and listened. I've never heard screaming children because the ORIGINAL HEAVY WOODEN DOORS are so heavy it takes a lot to penetrate them.

I've seen folks on here complain about the heavy doors, the quirky bathrooms and the odd closet. Quite frankly, that's the charm of a wonderful property like this and I think it's what sets it aside from the cookie cutter mushroom hotels that pop up over night across the countryside. So if you prefer your room to look exactly like the hotel you had last night, in Memphis, then tonight in Asheville, go find that same chain and stay there because the rich character of a gem like GPI will be lost on a common yutz such as yourself.

I love GPI, I think that's pretty clear. But I also am not a self-centered demanding whiner that expects everyone to jump at my every whim. The wonderfully amazing thing though at that is the fact that even though I don't act that way, the staff of the GPI always work to meet my expectations, and have yet to fail. Nuf said. Keep up the terrific work GPI. We'll always be back.

Cassandra P.

I went to GPI for a "Girls Spa Weekend". There were 4 of us in 2 rooms. The property is kind of impressive when you pull up. The grounds are well maintained, but the valets seemed overwhelmed, and it took way too long for someone to get our car. The line to check-in was so slow. There were several conventions checking out, and it was completely chaotic in the lobby.

When we finally made it to our room, I was very disappointed! I was paying about $260 a night, and the room looked like a cheap motel room! The bathroom was tiny and sparse, the bedding was old and worn and the room looked like it was decorated in the early 1970's. The dressers needed replacing, and the room smelled musty.

We then went to the spa, which is wonderful. Very upscale, modern, clean and zen....but sooo overpriced! $140 for a 50 minute massage? Plus tip? At home I pay $60. A 45 minute facial was over $100. The spa was beautiful, but by the end of the weekend, my spa bill was over $500, and I didn't get that many services.

The lobby smells terrible, like cigarette smoke. It could be fun to hang out there, but it stinks! Even just walking through it to get my car was awful. The restaurants were good, again, very overpriced, but at least the food was good. The restaurant in the spa was a big disappointment. Lunch took over an hour to arrive, and was nothing special.

Needless to say, i will not be returning anytime soon.

We just returned from Christmas at the Grove Park. We really enjoyed it! It was about as Christmasy as you can get. We booked the Christmas package which included breakfast and 1 buffet dinner and that was the way to go. It was not cheap by any means. Our room was as we booked and with a lovely mountain view. The line was horrendous at check in but moved well and the valets were helpful with our car while we waited. I was impressed by the attitude and service. Everyone throughout the hotel was in a good mood and friendly and efficient.

Our room was in the Sammons wing and wasn't anything special but fine with a great view and operating windows! We found the food to be very good at the breakfast buffet and Christmas buffet was enormous. The decorations were terrific- trees everywhere and non-stop entertainment in the Great Hall. The Spa was beautiful and treatments great but pricey. The sports complex was more than adequate for our needs. I have 3 areas of concern- 1) the mattresses on the beds needed changing- lumpy and one-sided 2) a photo area was set up in the Great Hall robbing the room of one fireplace and tons of seating and 3) sports complex needs some attention- better furniture and weight room equipment has been virtually destroyed by all the kids. The pool in the sports complex was nice. I would return again as the hotel was comfortable and warm. There was a nice sense of community and it was easy to talk to fellow travelers.