The Greenbrier

My daughter and I stayed for 4 days in a superior room. First, the food in the restaurants that were open (the better ones were closed) was AWFUL. The cesear salad in the Prime restaurant had no taste except raw egg. The filet mignon came out as a hard fist of steak. The creamed spinach was absolutely tasteless. The breakfast the next morning was equally nauseating. Eggs were dry. Grits had a hard crust over them. After those two meals we ate all our meals in outside restaurants. As to the room. The green carpet had black stains. There were two flies in the room that we could not get rid of, and stayed with us the entire time. The people who worked there work hard and are very accommodating. Last but not least when we left I paid the $5,170.27 bill. Then looked on my credit card only to find the hotel had placed an additional $3,039 in “pending charges” added AFTER I fully paid the bill. Oh- and the bill was incorrect when first handed to me and had to be recalculated. One last thing. You have to pay a daily extra fee because you are staying in an historic hotel! Really? They should charge you less because you are staying in an historic hotel that is not well kept.

The Greenbrier offers a lot but seems was less than guest-friendly. The doormen and bellmen were professional and efficient. The concierge seemed a bit arrogant, seeming to scold us for not making dinner reservations at their restaurants before we arrived and had a chance to see any of them. He also said we would be charged a cancellation fee if we changed any reservation and decided not to eat at the hotel. We considered cancelling our second night stay at the hotel but they already had charged the whole stay and it was clear we wouldn’t get our money back. The thermostat in the room was broken, there was no room service menu or instructions for the coffee maker. The afternoon tea consisted of paper cups and very limited, inexpensive snacks. All in, an old traditional property that seems to have fallen on hard times. Next time we’ll stay at the Homestead which has just been totally updated.

This review is consistent with most of the others. We just returned from a 4 night stay at The Greenbrier. This resort has been on our bucket list for quite some time. Unfortunately, we were disappointed with many aspects of the resort. Positives: Grounds are very impressive, beautiful and well kept. There are amazing trails that run through the golf course- we love to walk and enjoyed these each morning. The staff are very friendly and attentive Negatives: The hotel is dated and needs a lot of work- shipped and scratched furniture, sagging couches in common areas, entire building needs painted, shower in room with very little water pressure. THE PRICES ARE UNREAL! My husband and I have traveled all over the world and have NEVER seen prices like the Greenbrier. Although the rooms were fairly reasonable-everything else is ridiculous. The hotel charges a 9.75% "historical preservation fund" on everything you purchase including food. Not sure where the money is going as it does not appear that any improvements are being made. This is on top of services charges, etc... I purchased a glass of wine (house) at the lobby bar and it was $27.00 (with all the added fees). 2 breakfast sandwiches and 2 bottles of water, at the golf course snack bar, was $54. There are alot of activities but they are very very pricey. We did the beginning falconry- it was $350 for the 2 of us. When we checked out, the price increased to $485 with all the added fees. We ended up going into the small towns of Lewisberg and Sulphur Springs for a lunch and dinner which was much better and less expensive than the hotel. We spoke to several staff who communicated their dislike with current owner and management. One said they felt bad for guests with all the added fees as well as the lack of upkeep of the hotel

I’m not sure my Holiday Inn $200 night/food in Beckley was sooo much less a positive experience than my $650 night/food at The Greenbrier. It did seem a little more impressive than my visit to the French Lick Resort in Indiana last year with a similar natural spring history. However, I’d bump it down a notch after having my keen sandals stolen from the room between 1730 and 1930 hours last night while out to dinner. I did note a new daily schedule lying on the bed upon our return, hmmm. I had 2 separate check in staff report they would have someone call with any updates, but nothing yet. Guess I’m out $100 sandals. I wish they would’ve just said don’t wear sandals on the grounds versus stealing them. The grounds were nice and hotel acceptable, but not worth the higher price over a Beckley night. I sure hope they give West Virginians a discounted rate or it may get out-competed by the more modern resorts popping up everywhere. I was glad to hear the local high school has prom and/or graduation on the grounds. I’d say, even after having something stolen, it’s worth experiencing one night for the history buffs, but not worth the price after that. I’m sure my bill would’ve bounced over $1,000 for the day, if would’ve wanted to experience a round of golf and/or game of tennis, maybe even a glass of wine. I have to save up now for a Biltmore experience at some point, which I suspect will be even more pricey. .

Been here over 40 times, less lately. Positives: grounds better than ever. food much better than several years ago and golf courses in great shape. There have been improvements in the common areas but they need upholstery staff working around the clock. There is no other way to put it, the rooms are shabby.. Since we are on a first name basis with many of the staff they leveled with us. They know the rooms need a lot of work and they are disheartened. Rugs are frayed, chairs are worn and dirty. Bathrooms are a tribute to the 80ies. Electrification of the rooms hasn’t changed since Teddy Kleisner redid the wiring in the 80s . We were in the superior room classification. Our next door guests asked us,” are all the rooms this shabby”? . There has never been an independent audit of the.Historic Fund. In short, the hotel needs somewhere north of $100 million in renovations.. it is sad to see the decline.