The Greenbrier

TLDR the resort was saved from foreclosure and the food experience is a reflection of the cost cuts made to save the resort. None of the food seems freshly made and was salty from preservatives but at the price of an elite dining experience. I’m writing this as I’m leaving a weekend work trip. This is my third time at the Greenbrier and I’ve always come for a work conference. I’ve never had time to enjoy the amenities so I’m basing this review off of rooms and food. I didn’t grow up going to fancy hotels and resorts so coming here always felt like a luxury. This year I was highly disappointed in the food. The first night in the main dining room my entree was mostly good. The appetizer seemed over cooked. My partner said he didn’t like either of his dishes and we chalked it up to poor choices. But that didn’t really explain dry chicken at an elite resort. The breakfast buffet was expansive but somehow seemed lackluster. Everything was so salty and high in sodium that I could barely enjoy breakfast. This trend continued at The Forum (Italian) for lunch. That night we had dinner at In-Fusion, the Asian fusion restaurant. I hadn’t eaten there before and never will again. We had 830 reservations and didn’t get our appetizers until 930. The sushi didn’t look freshly made. The lumpia were soggy packets of grease. I had the duck bao which may have been the best thing all weekend. By 10 we didn’t have our dinners and after a long day my partner went up to the room to go to bed. When our meal came I had his boxed but I barely even ate 5 bites of mine. It was salty, lacked flavor, and was overcooked. The final straw for us was Drapers at lunch the next day. We had salads and the chicken breast clearly came from a mass produced vender and was infused with salt. I had a roasted vegetable salad and the veggies (like Brussels) were practically raw but scorched. I had a bisque that was thickened with an agent, and that’s all you could taste. Soup, 2 salads, Diet Coke and a hot tea came to $99. That night we went into town for dinner and had the best food we had all weekend Other reviews mentioned the staff. All of the long-time staff were so kind and helpful. All of the dining staff seems to be seasonal foreign workers. I suspect this is to cut down on labor costs significantly by using a staffing agency and not employees. This is would be fine but staff weren’t well trained. There were meal mix-ups at every meal with people being served the wrong dish, including people being served something they were allergic to. Staff didn’t even notice the repeated mix ups so we exchanged plates with the people next to us. I frankly wouldn’t expect that at a local diner let alone an expensive resort. I was charged for things I didn’t order. They were very clearly overwhelmed. Now the sexism. I was here for my work conference. I’ve worked really hard on my career. The room was under my name. I paid. Somehow my partners name got added to the reservation and everywhere we went we were referred to as his party, even after we corrected them. I was fuming and many of my colleagues agreed it was inappropriate. We came with an electric vehicle because they have on site Blink chargers.(Google Maps says there’s a Tesla charger but there is not). I hadn’t heard of the brand before but the chargers had major issues with no staff that were able to help us. No instructions on how to operate or pay. They’re L2 chargers, not super chargers. And they’re not provided as a courtesy— almost any other public L2 charger is free like in grocery store parking lots. At one point there were 3 different EV drivers troubleshooting the chargers and Blink website/customer service. The hotel said if I wanted to use the chargers in the garage I could but there was an $85 valet cost plus the charge cost and it would come to $125. They did offer to waive the garage fee if we couldn’t get the chargers to work. Now the rooms. I won’t comment on the decor because that’s their thing. But our shower head didn’t work properly and the temperature dial kept falling off. I guess the plus side of low occupancy was that the halls were quieter than usual. It’s clear that to save the resort from foreclosure in 2024 they cut the operational costs and service but are still charging resort prices. I think we paid $550/night. The quality of food was awful — which seems to be mass produced and not prepared freshly in the kitchens. I didn’t even eat half my meals. Employees are replaced with seasonal and temp workers that aren’t trained. The tenured staff is still wonderful but strained.

This is the singular most disappointing place I have ever stayed by choice. The property is very worn out. It is dirty. Service: outside of the bellman, service is indifferent, distant and uninterested. The room was very dated. Clean is a subjective word. Will you get sick? No. Did you feel good about walking barefoot, No. Outstanding service can elevate a poor facility. That is not the case here. Food: We were there during the slow part of the slow season. I was hoping to at least have a decent meal. That didn’t happen. I was trying to find a reasonable comparison from previous travel. The buffet food on the last day of a Carnival Cruise is light years better. You will enjoy the food more at a Golden Coral. Pricing: This is more than The Wynn, Bellagio, The Ritz at Occonee etc. The pricing structure with add ons make the folks in Las Vegas look like rookies. Everything has several resort taxes. The historic preservation fund fee is laughable. The property is so run down it brings a tear to your eye. Bottom line, don’t waste your money. A staycation downtown at home with a meal at a nice restaurant would have been more memorable and considerably less money.

The loveliest spring break family trip! I highly recommend a true American family vacation to the Greenbrier. Our room, a Draper suite, was spacious and well appointed. It had more than enough room for our family of 4. The resort is beautiful to explore and each space is lovely and full of history. The grounds are idyllic. The staff are extremely knowledgeable and welcoming. As a busy mom it was a treat to have housekeeping each morning and turn down service in the evenings so I felt that I could truly relax. Our family enjoyed falconry, golf on the Old White, the indoor pool, afternoon tea, and multiple trips to the playground. The highlight of the trip was family time in the lobby while playing a family card game, listening to live music, the children enjoying the treats from afternoon tea, and my husband and I enjoying drinks from the lobby bar (check the chandelier in there- it’s from the movie Gone With the Wind). We enjoyed genuine family time surrounded by the beautiful history of the resort. We definitely recommend and will return!

I have been coming to the Greenbrier for my entire life, and my family has visited for over four generations. Writing this review is genuinely painful. For decades, the Greenbrier represented the epitome of glamour — the perfect combination of outdoor activities, memorable experiences, and of course the iconic décor. Around 2020, I began noticing subtle changes: slower service, lagging maintenance, and an overall decline in the experience. At the time, I chalked it up to post-COVID travel disruptions. I even brought a group of ten friends here and tried to give the property the benefit of the doubt. Unfortunately, the decline has continued year after year. During this week’s stay, for the first time in my life, I felt embarrassed recommending the Greenbrier to others. As a native West Virginian who takes enormous pride in this place, that is incredibly difficult to say. Some examples from this visit: room service was delivered in a white plastic grocery bag. There were no robes or towels in the room. The food was extremely heavy and largely inedible. The retail stores appear to have the exact same merchandise I saw several seasons ago, with very little that appears new. Empty shelves in shops. Slow service. Across the property there are signs of deferred maintenance and cost cutting that are impossible to ignore. If anyone is wondering why investment seems to have stalled, it has been widely reported. In a Forbes article published in January titled “This Former Billionaire, and New U.S. Senator Is Now Broke,” the situation was summarized this way: “The Greenbrier is suffering years of neglect… The need to pay down debts to Carter Bank and others prevents the Justices from reinvesting any cash the Greenbrier generates into sprucing up its rundown guest rooms and traffic-worn carpets.” The most frustrating part is that the long-standing employees are still wonderful and clearly doing their best to keep the place running. They remain one of the few bright spots, along with the natural beauty of the property itself. They deserve far better support. The Greenbrier is not just a resort — it is one of West Virginia’s great treasures, and watching it decline like this is heartbreaking. For anyone considering visiting right now, I hate to say it, but I would recommend looking elsewhere until there is new ownership and meaningful investment in restoring the property to what it once was. Ironically, the Omni Homestead Resort — once jokingly referred to as the “poor man’s Greenbrier” — has recently invested over $200 million into renovations and by all accounts looks beautiful while offering many of the same amenities. I sincerely hope the Greenbrier eventually receives the reinvestment and stewardship it deserves (through new ownership). It is too important to West Virginia — and to generations of guests — to be allowed to continue down this path.

We had often talked about a visit to Greenbrier but for various reasons never got there. Decided to visit, despite some negative reviews, and we were extremely happy that we did. Staff was exceptionally friendly and helpful. The facility was well maintained, even though the decor was not something that would select for my home. It is an old resort that is maintaining its character, and all of us found it more than satisfactory. Perhaps the negative reviewers need an attitude adjustment. The restaurants were very good, with exceptional service and superb food quality and variety. The buffet breakfast in the Main Dining Room was one of the best I've experienced in many years, and should not be missed. After breakfast you will likely choose to miss lunch!