Chetola Resort at Blowing Rock (Lodge)

The fact that they charge a resort fee is laughable. We were unable to get reservations in the restaurant, or the spa. The advertised bonfire on weekends never happened. The pool room is at least 95 degrees and the pool is FILTHY! The water is slimy with a green cloudy tint. The hot tub is worse. The water is the same green slime, but there are things floating in the hot-tub. We chose to eat dinner at the bar. Unfortunately the restaurant was short staffed although no one told us. We heard the staff complaining. We ordered drinks and salads. My wine never comes. Turns out one of the two bartenders left right when we ordered. People are lining up at the bar to order because they are sitting outside and no one is waiting on them. The bartender is swamped! Asking for help. Not getting any. We got 11 dollar salads with 12 dollar add on for “grilled chicken” that was straight out of the refrigerator, freezing cold. No water/drinks, no waitress, just an overworked bartender trying her best to assure us she hadn’t forgotten us, but tending to the 10 people lined up to order. When she was finally able to check on us, we ordered dessert. HUGE MISTAKE! It took 45 minutes to get that. Finally a manager shows up in time to give us our bill. I was charged 15 for the wine and had to wait longer to have that removed. Only the bartender apologized for the evening. When booking we paid 40.00 for two breakfasts in the restaurant. Advertised as a breakfast menu. When we arrived, it was a buffet and not very appetizing. In addition to the fact that they only had a 90 sanitation grade we opted to go somewhere else for breakfast. I will say the room was clean, however, the air conditioner didn’t work very well. The grounds are beautiful.I have reached out to them to discuss, offering my number for a call but just received a boiler plate apology email. I wish I had seen more honest reviews before booking. Buyer beware. This place is expensive and does not live up to the hype.

Overall very disappointed with stay. Grounds are beautiful and well maintained. However our room was not what we expected. Room was damp with humidity, to the point of sheets moist on bed and clothes damp when hung in closet. We requested change of room but were denied. Air conditioner ran constantly and blew on us in bed every nite. We would not recommend Chetola Resort.

Rather disappointing stay compared to former visits there. Stark cold lighting was sparse and I couldn’t read in bed. The Bob Timberlake decor had been replaced by wood plank walls, large moose wallpaper on wall, no headboard, etc. The safe was not working and staff should’ve been aware of that because the door would not close to it. We left the room one morning at 10 AM to go down to get breakfast and we already had a note on our door that said that we had missed their cleaning service and to call the front desk for towels if we want them. I complain to the front desk And they said they would have someone clean our room, but when we returned at the end of the day it was still not done. Then I called and asked for towels and we had to call again an hour later to ask for them again. Not worth the $1100 two night stay. I could have gotten the same room for $280 at the last minute.

The grounds are spectacular and we found nothing wrong with the room. The location is ideal. It was a little off-putting for it to take 15 minutes for two parties to check-in with 4 people behind the counter. The room was clean and sufficient. The Timberlake restaurant is overpriced and needs an upgrade for selection and taste. Our service was friendly. The Buffet Only Breakfast option was disappointing. We did not want to gorge before going on a hike. Tableclothes at dinner would be nice. The bar did not have the selection that you would think a place like this would have. The garbage containers were overflowing, and room service trays remained in the hallway for more than 12 hours at a time. It is not a bad place to stay, it just isn’t a top hotel anymore. Disappointing, but not disastrous.

The room was very tight for a wheelchair. The pool stairs to far apart to enter. Overall, a Disaster except Friendly Staff.

The hot water stream in the faucet was a trickle. There was no Kleenex in the room. The safe was locked on arrival. Our Resy confirmed dinner reservation for Friday did not exist. it was extremely noisy in the halls after midnight. We were asked to wait 25 minutes for a table for the breakfast buffet . Plenty of tables were available. We observed other guests complaining about air conditioning not working and not being able to get in their rooms after check in time. Our bed was never made. We were charged for breakfast which we did not eat.