The Omni Grove Park Inn & Spa NC 28804

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Ric Schank

This grand old hotel is getting tired. I'll rate the spa separately as it was a great experience and well worth returning. The hotel's shared spaces remain comfortable and ruggedly luxurious, with huge fireplaces, tons of chairs, great service. Our stay included breakfast so we did enjoy that immensely - not cheap at $35 each if not included, but really really good food, wide selection, and great service. Our main disappointment was the hotel room. It was...fine. Great views (we upgraded to a mountain view and recommend that), but at about $400/night (high for the Asheville area) we were expecting something that would feel ... elevated. Instead I would say that one could not distinguish it from any other mid-range chain hotel room. Just ok. Bed was also just OK - didn't come close to the Westin's great beds. Maybe we were staying in a room slated for renovation? Don't know. Also $35 for parking/$45 for valet is a bit pricey, and if you have a non-Tesla EV port (no thank you Elon) you won't be able to charge without a converter. We had reservations at their higher-end restaurant the Vue for Valentine's Day dinner, but as we sat down the overwhelming call of seafood led us to eat elsewhere. Manager was very apologetic but it was unbearable for even my wife who loves seafood. Next trip to Asheville we will almost certainly return to the Spa but will stay elsewhere.

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Amy Peguese

Visited the hotel for the Friday night seafood buffet. They accept reservations, so make one in advance to ensure you do not have a long wait. Lots of variety on the buffet, and well worth the $60 charge. The waiter was subpar but would not hinder my choice to return. The ambiance of the hotel is quite nice. We enjoyed drinks from the bar that were also family-friendly and delicious. The seating in/around the fire place was very relaxing. The view from the outdoor area was beautiful!

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S.

This was our third trip to the Grove Park in recent years. Our previous visits were restful and peaceful in a relaxing haven, each time drawing us to come back again for a retreat. This visit at Christmas was much different. We expected more guests due to the Gingerbread display, but nothing like what we experienced. After paying a nearly double the typical room rate, we were thoroughly disappointed that we were not able to enjoy the resort amenities or even see all the gingerbread display due to the droves of non-hotel guests arriving by the bus load (yes, non-hotel were being dropped off by the bus load). We waited in line over 45 minutes for a $15 hot chocolate and were offered a gingerbread cookie broken in multiple pieces (because that's all they had left) for an additional $7. Getting a rocking chair or any seat in the lobby was impossible, as people were hanging out everywhere for hours due to the long gingerbread lines that extended into the lobby. Breakfast was equally frustrating. Too many people, not taking reservations to help manage the wait times, and not enough servers to adequately manage tables or provide refills dominated the experience. Overall, I would not return at Christmas unless assurances were in place that hotel guests would get to experience the resort that they've paid a premium to enjoy. I'm highly disappointed that we paid over $650 per night in a basic room and didn't get to enjoy the resort amenities due to severe overcrowding. And finally, after getting a late checkout prior to our arrival and confirmed at check-in, our keys were deactivated and we were locked out of our room at the regular check-out time. Overall, this visit did not meet expectations for this resort.