Come for the ambiance, depart early due to the abrasive staff...
I found this place to be a HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT for the price. It was my first visit to Asheville, and this hotel piqued my interest due to its close proximity to the Biltmore and its affiliation with the Marriott Autograph Collection brand. I travel constantly for work & have attained Ambassador Elite status with Marriott as a result. I booked a room here on points for my girlfriend and I & we were really looking forward to a cozy stay in this seemingly chic hotel. This place was straight-up not worth it, and we did not feel particularly welcomed at all. Full disclosure - we are a mixed-race, same sex couple in our 30s, and the typical guests seem to be much older, heterosexual white men accompanied by somewhat younger women.
Check-in was strange at best, and there was no recognition of my Ambassador status/loyalty to the brand. A room upgrade is typically standard for Ambassador members when available, as well as the option of a check-in gift of either points, or complimentary breakfast, etc. in Marriott properties. In reading other reviews, I see that other guests were offered a complimentary glass of champagne at check-in. None of this happened. Instead, the welcome guest receptionist noted aloud that I was an organ donor after reviewing my driver’s license, which was particularly odd.
The basic room itself does not have a microwave or mini fridge within, and there also was not any complimentary water made available either - which would have been wonderful because the water that came out of the bathroom tap was cloudy and opaque :/ The shower was refreshing, but that’s about all that is noteworthy about the basic room itself. We were put in a street-facing room, which wound up being rather noisy (think My Cousin Vinny with the early morning train whistle) - lots of traffic noise from cars, ambulances, and trains in the wee hours of the morning.
When we attempted to call down to the front desk, there was no answer after multiple attempts.
In the morning, my girlfriend and I were hoping to get a latte or cappuccino to go. When we inquired with the restaurant hostess if that would be possible, she told us in a rather snooty tone that we’d have to place an order with a server, as if it was our first time ever in a restaurant. When I mentioned again that we were not looking for a full sit down experience, she said we could go to the bar. We waited for quite some time for the breakfast bar-tender to return. The hostess made no further effort to assist us. We got sick of waiting after a while, so just turned around and walked out... happy to take our business elsewhere where we would be treated better.
Other things to note: mandatory valet parking with an overnight fee of $24.
If I’m ever back in Asheville, I’d have no reason to return to this particular property. Flat out not impressed.
