The Inn on Biltmore Estate

Food is pretend gourmet, trying to emulate the Biltmore house and the perceived experience of that time. I have over 100 nights for business and pleasure over the past year, I would rate this on the level of a Hampton Inn, save you money and stay off site

If I had a blog, I would tell you about this delightful bnb. When we were planning this trip, I wanted to stay at a chain hotel- what did I know? Thank goodness my hubby is a better planner. This bnb has personality, great food, excellent happy hours, and the best guests. I can't say enough and no, I am not being paid or sponsored. I just needed to share with future guests that this is the most delightful and best getaway EVER. The owners and everyone that manned the house felt like the best, nonintrusive family members. The house is also ultra clean.

The long drive to the Inn winds thru the Biltmore Estate and is simply stunning - the Inn is perched on a hill overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains. You can have a drink or dine on the veranda - the view is spectacular. The Inn is loaded with old world charm, the rooms are spacious, and the service is exemplary. We also enjoyed services at the spa - always a nice perk! My daughter and I took an outdoor yoga class with incredible views. The hotel also has several fire places and a large library lounge for relaxing in addition to the veranda. Afternoon tea is offered daily in the library. I plan to always book my weekend getaways at the Inn!!!!

Made Christmas reservations at Bilmore. We were really looking forward to a special experience. Several meals come with the package we purchased. My husband's health took a turn for the worse so when the Biltmore called to ask which restaurants we wanted to dine at on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, I returned the call. The snobby clerk that I spoke with refused to allow me to make our reservations, even after I explained my husband's health issues. As it got closer to the event we realized that due to my husband's heath that we can't make the trip. So, we called to cancel our reservations on October 9th. We knew that according to the the terms that we would pay a $50 cancellation fee. THEY CHARGED US $150.00!!!!! The unhelpful clerk said we would be charged more because of some unknown reason. WE CANCELLED OVER TWO MONTHS EARLY!!! We had hoped to visit next year when my husband will be feeling better, but I will never again make the mistake of making plans at The Biltmore. If you go, don't get sick, don't call to make dinner reservations for your spouse if they are not feeling well, or better yet, just don't go. I was expecting four star treatment based on their pricing, but got cut rate, road side motel service. The only good thing is that we are not going. Based on the service received so far, our Christmas most likely would have been a big disappointment because service is everything.

Have stayed before and had a wonderful time. Noticed when making this reservation, that they are offering a new service called “Chateau Tier� with certain rooms and suites. Reading the description it sounded like they were trying to emulate the Ritz Carlton Club Level, of which I’m a devotee. Unfortunately their service fails miserably in comparison, actually most of the service failed miserably. The only persons who provided the expected service were my housekeeper and server at breakfast. I knew I was in trouble when the valets just allowed me to sit idling, and when one finally approached, he read the card on my dash and inquired “Are you checking in or else�, no “Welcome to The Inn on Biltmore�, no “Do you need assistance with your luggage�, etc. When we established that I was actually checking in, l mentioned the Chateau Tier service, even though he had read it on my dash card, and his response “Oh yeah, there’s a separate room where you go...I guess I need to show you where it is.� After receiving the standard hotel check-in, I was enjoying a beverage in the room while another couple checked in. They received a personalized welcome letter, and young lady gave them a bunch of guides, brochures, etc. even though I later asked and discovered we were both on a room only package. The excuse for my substandard Welcome was that I had made my reservation too late. She tried to placate me with several glasses of champagne, so at least some points there but too little too late. If you ever decide to have lunch in the Lobby Lounge and sit outside on the Veranda, make sure you DO NOT HAVE Ron, the bald guy, as your server. He verified my order 2 different times, and an eternity later still brought me the wrong sandwich. Tried to blame on the kitchen, whatever. Informed him when I sat down at 2:45 that we had a 4:00 Wine tasting. 3:40 the correct sandwich arrives. Remind him, AGAIN, of our wine tasting and could he please bring the check. Finally had to flag another server to pay the check. Was I such a hurry, that didn’t realize that he’d left the incorrect sandwich on my bill. Was going to dispute charge with AmEx, but it’s part of my hotel bill. In the interest of brevity let me just say that his “twin� Russell works at Cedric’s Tavern. The room had several minor problems and one huge problem. The “Grand King� has a strange placement of the tv on a side wall, which would be ok if it were mounted on a swinging mount, but it’s fixed to the wall. Completely awkward if you want to watch tv in bed. The walk-in shower had old-fashioned aluminum/plexiglass doors, and the water took FOREVER to even get lukewarm. About the time I started to call maintenance, it finally started getting warm. Now the major problem, BLOOD STAINS on the comforter (will try to attach pictures). I could go on, but these highlight the service issues I experienced on my overnight stay. Thankfully I wasn’t staying longer. Even disregarding the “Chateau Tier� Service, at this price point-$600/night-these issues should’ve never occurred.