The Grove Park Inn Will Open In Time For The Holidays
by Kate Nixon
After nearly 50 days of being closed from the general public, Asheville’s Omni Grove Park Inn – one of the top Arts & Crafts hotels in the nation, host to the National Arts & Crafts Conference and Shows, and a hotel once called “Built For The Ages” – will finally re-open its doors to overnight guests and visitors this Friday, November 15th.
As other businesses slowly continue to soft open their doors in areas of Asheville affected by Helene, this step towards a full re-opening means a new level of healing and enjoyment in time for the holiday season. “Western North Carolina has displayed remarkable strength, and as Asheville reopens, we’re honored to welcome visitors back to our beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains,” said Gary Froeba, Managing Director at The Omni Grove Park Inn to local station WYFF. “We are grateful to be reopening, especially in time for the holidays, as this is a meaningful step in our shared journey of recovery, one that brings hope and support to our community. Tourism holds an important role in Western North Carolina’s path forward, and each visit brings encouragement to our employees, neighbors, and friends as we work together to rebuild and heal.”
Since the city of Asheville has named December 15th as the deadline to return water back to its citizens, the entire Grove Park Inn campus will be fully open upon getting water service back. But for now, the partial re-opening of the historic inn allows for guests to stay in historic rooms, get services at the spa, play golf on the golf course, explore the on-site art gallery and of course — enjoy the beauty of the Great Hall.
Guests enjoy the fireplace in the Great Hall. Photo by Ray Stubblebine
Collectors explore the 2024 Arts & Crafts Antiques Show in the Grand Ballroom at the Grove Park Inn this past February. Photo by Ray Stubblebine.
Conference attendees gather in the Heritage ballroom during the 2020 National Arts & Crafts Conference and Shows to celebrate those with perfect attendance – a tradition that has continued every year. Photo by Ray Stubblebine.
During this time, the historic main inn will open to overnight guests in addition to the Spa, the Sports Complex, Grovewood Gallery, and the Golf Course in the latest of a multi-stage effort to fully re-open the entire Grove Park Inn hotel. During the holiday season, the hotel will feature more than 45 Gingerbread House competition entries and holiday decor displayed in its hallways.
Bruce Johnson, the founder of the National Arts and Crafts Conference and Shows and author of many books about the Grove Park Inn’s storied past, talks about the Palm Court located in the historic main inn in a virtual tour recorded and released in 2021 as part of the month-long virtual National Arts & Crafts Conference. The main inn and palm court will re-open to overnight guests starting November 15th.
The re-opening of other areas of the Grove Park Inn, such as rooms in the Vanderbilt and Sammons wings, is unknown at this time. It has however been made clear that the water at the Grove Park Inn’s reopening and moving forward is safe to drink and will not run out.
Meanwhile, the office (off campus) of the National Arts & Crafts Conference and Shows continues to accept registration for The National Arts and Crafts Conference Events Passes (for those not purchasing an Arts & Crafts weekend package including the two-night stay at the Grove Park Inn) and the two-day Pre-Conference Workshops happening both Thursday, February 20th and Friday, February 21st, 2025.
For additional updates to the 2025 Conference, please visit Arts-CraftsConference.com
For additional updates for the Grove Park Inn’s reopening, please click here.
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