Read ALL the reviews no matter what the rating is.
We had never stayed in a B&B and had looked long and hard for the right one for our quick trip to Asheville. We finally selected the WhiteGate Inn and were excited, based on the pictures of the inn/room, the online advertisement of a 4 diamond rating, the online reviews and the location.
To say we were disappointed is an understatement. Here’s a list of the pros and cons, based on our stay. Pictures of the cons are provided for reference.
Pros:
Location of the Inn - just a 15 minute walk to downtown!
Cookies in the main room - I like the white chocolate chip the best
Shower - lovely, just lovely
Housekeeper - we met her in the driveway - she introduced herself (the only employee to do so) and asked if we needed anything - very pleasant!
Firepit - we didn’t get there but saw a lively circle there the first evening
Cons:
Location of the Walt Whitman room - this room is on the lower level and heavy footsteps were easily heard in the early evening and in the morning so don’t plan on sleeping in if you choose this room. The plumbing stack was also extremely loud and channels the sound of flushes from above.
Cleanliness - this room desperately needs a deep clean - dusty fan blades, water stains on the entry ceiling, dust on the headboard, the toilet paper, the towel holders, dirty baseboards and walls, bugs (dead, but still) inside the ceiling lights - just take a look at our pictures and compare them to the ones on line and see what you think
Amenities - there are robes in the closet (available for purchase for $95 each) - ours were dingy and one actually had holes in both lapels - not cool
Maintenance - the towel holder that had perhaps been unceremoniously removed from the wall was remounted on a barely painted piece of wood instead of being reattached directly to the wall, the lock on the entry to the common areas didn’t work two of the four times we used it and there is no other way into the main area, the whole suite looked like it needed a good coat of paint
Food - the first morning breakfast consisted of shrimp and grits - a little heavy for me but tasty, the second day was bad - the eggs benedict (and I LOVE benedict) was so undercooked that I could see through the egg whites - the fruit cup tasted so strongly of chemicals that we took one bite and left the rest - oh, and my wife hates benedict so that left her nothing to eat that morning - suggestion for the hosts: post the breakfast menu the evening before so guests can decide whether or not to dine in or walk into town