Grand Bohemian Lodge Asheville provided TPG with a complimentary one-night stay so that we could get an inside look at the hotel and its amenities. The opinions expressed below are entirely those of the author and weren’t subject to review by the hotel or any external entity.
Whether you’re planning a trip to Asheville, North Carolina, to spend some Marriott points or to be part of the city’s post-Hurricane Helene recovery story, Grand Bohemian Lodge Asheville gives you the opportunity to do both while celebrating an iconic hotel, fresh off a beautiful renovation.
A landmark in the city’s Biltmore Village since it opened in 2008, the hotel — and much of Biltmore Village — has been closed since the catastrophic flooding brought by Hurricane Helene in September 2024. Now, after more than seven months of cleanup, restoration and renovation totaling nearly $20 million, The Kessler Collection has reopened this property — formerly the Grand Bohemian Hotel — under a new name, inclusive of both the founder’s ancestry and the history of the nearby Biltmore Estate.
Through the renovations, Grand Bohemian Lodge Asheville has held onto its yesteryear styling and opulence while freshening public spaces like the lobby, Red Stag Grill, Grand Bohemian Gallery and the guest rooms.
As a North Carolinian and travel writer with an unabashed affinity for the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains, I mourned the temporary closure of the property, so when an invitation came to attend the early-May grand reopening, I made my way to Asheville. Here’s what I found.
Related: Best Marriott hotels in the world
First impressions
It was clear upon arrival that Grand Bohemian Lodge Asheville, one of the seven inaugural Marriott Autograph Collection properties, had made a full and (nearly) complete recovery. In fact, the restoration work was impeccable and my initial reaction was to wonder what changes the restoration and refresh had brought.
The design here has always leaned heavily into a luxury hunting lodge vibe, with intricate wood paneling, taxidermy hunting trophies on the wall, heirloom and antique firearms, and a mix of classical and contemporary art — but with a yesteryear feel. Now, new seating arranged around the lobby’s oversized central fireplace creates cozy spots for conversation, and a streamlined front desk gives the room a better flow. The floor-to-coffered-ceiling wood paneling, 18th-century columns, and a handful of Bavarian and Austrian antiques feel more like focal points.
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Behind the lobby, Grand Bohemian Gallery received a refresh, including a small expansion of the gallery’s footprint and the addition of display cases for the jewelry; thanks to those cases, the gallery is now open 24 hours. As is true across The Kessler Collection’s Grand Bohemian Galleries, the works here focus on local and regional artists and jewelers, and the hotel’s art curator plans to feature additional artists and jewelers with events, trunk shows and more throughout the year.
It was clear to me that no detail went unnoticed at the hotel, and the hunting lodge/outdoors theme carried through each space. Think: chandeliers and light fixtures made from antlers, door handles that look like bark, a color story full of vivid forest tones, and other touches that tie the hotel to Asheville’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Even minor notions like the room “keys” — discs of logo-embossed wood that served as electronic keys — drew me deeper into the sense of place, and guest rooms were no exception.
The rooms
Grand Bohemian Lodge Asheville has 104 guest rooms and suites in the main hotel and the Manor House annex (as of writing this article, restoration work is ongoing but nearing completion at the Manor House, taking 20 rooms out of the current inventory).
My room, a well-lit corner junior suite with windows aplenty, was spacious and well appointed, with dramatic velvet curtains separating the bedroom from the adjacent salon, which offered seating, a work desk and an additional television, all set under an intricate stag horn chandelier. I also took note of a small wet bar area, a hidden minifridge and microwave, and a coffee station.
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In the bedroom, stag horn wall sconces framed the very comfortable king-size bed, which sat under another chandelier, and against a green leather headboard and lighter green accent wall. A television sat atop a dresser. There was a square window that opened into the moodily lit bathroom.
The bathroom had both a soaking tub and a separate shower. Refillable soap, shampoo, conditioner and body wash — made exclusively for Kessler’s Grand Bohemian properties — smelled delightful and mitigated the hotel’s reliance on single-use plastics.
I found plenty of outlets and USB ports for charging my electronics, and storage was ample thanks to the nightstands and dresser in the bedroom, the closet and drawers throughout the space.
Those with an attentive eye for detail may notice some furnishings — the desk, a bench or an ottoman — haven’t yet been updated. General Manager Matthew Lehman says that’s by design and Grand Bohemian will replace these pieces across the property once the Manor House restoration is complete.
Dining
Red Stag Grill, the hotel’s restaurant, underwent the most remarkable transformation. This space had always leaned hard into the hunting lodge theme, feeling very “old boys club” at times, but as with the lobby, the refresh has modernized the look and feel of the space. The coffered ceilings, herringbone floor and dark shiplap walls are still there, but the open table spacing, collection of intimate tables for two and sheer drapes that glow in the evening light, revealing hidden images of stags, boars and butterflies, soften the space. Oversized paintings frame the semi-open kitchen, giving diners a peek behind the scenes.
The biggest change in Red Stag Grill is the replacement of a long banquette with booths that make a more natural seating configuration and lend the space a more modern feel.
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At the back of the dining room, the Black Forest Wine Room, dominated by a backlit agate slab, offers additional seating and can be closed for private dinners and events.
The food at Red Stag Grill, notable since the hotel’s opening, was superb. The breakfast, lunch and dinner menus emphasize the rich local food scene with farmed and foraged produce and a surprising array of aged steaks and exotic meats such as elk and bison.
Elk carpaccio and Bison tartare, menu mainstays, were as good as ever, and the selection of steaks and chops was impressive. I also found enormous salads, a selection of fresh seafood and farm-raised trout, and an expansive wine, cocktail and mocktail list on offer. Lunch featured salads, a house burger and lighter options; breakfast had Southern favorites (shrimp and grits, biscuits and gravy), surprises (a delicious breakfast salad and an ice-cream-free breakfast banana split) and staples (omelets, pancakes and the like).
Amenities
- In the main hotel, The Spa at Grand Bohemian provides facials and massages in a cozy space.
- The on-site fitness center offers a well-appointed space for a hotel workout.
Location and logistics
Asheville’s an easy-to-navigate town, and most of its visitor-friendly neighborhoods are a short drive from one another. Grand Bohemian Lodge Asheville sits at the edge of Biltmore Village, a hundred yards or so from the entrance to Biltmore Estate and a seven-minute ride from Downtown. Biltmore Village, established in the late 1800s as a depot and settlement for the estate’s army-sized construction crew, was hit hard by Hurricane Helene’s floodwaters and is undergoing a revival of its own; as of this writing, many of the boutiques and restaurants here are closed while they rebuild. That’s not the case in Downtown or the South Slope, adjacent to Biltmore Village, though you will find limited openings in the River Arts District as this collection of warehouses-turned-studios and galleries rebuilds following Helene’s flooding.
The closest airport to the property is Asheville Regional Airport (AVL), about 15 miles or a 30-minute drive away.
Asheville itself sits in western North Carolina, one hour west of Cherokee and the Oconaluftee entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Blue Ridge Parkway, a 469-mile scenic route through the mountains of North Carolina and Virginia, skirts the city and is minutes from the hotel.
What it costs to stay at Grand Bohemian Lodge and how to book
Since this is a Marriott hotel, you can earn or redeem points for your stay. If you’re booking with points, expect to spend between 65,500 and 95,500 Marriott Bonvoy points per night.
Standard cash room rates range from $460 to $589, with larger suites and studios in the $567 to $616 range.
There is a $36 nightly valet fee, and if you’re traveling with pets, prepare yourself for the $150 nonrefundable pet fee ($50 for an additional pet, with a maximum of two pets per room).
And from now through Sept. 7, the hotel is offering a Grand Reopening rate that includes a 20% savings and breakfast for two daily. Other packages available include daily breakfast and a $100 hotel credit when booking three nights (good through September 2025) and discounts on stays of five or more nights.
When booking the Grand Bohemian Lodge Asheville, you’ll want to use one of the credit cards that earn the most points for Marriott stays, or one that offers automatic Marriott Bonvoy elite status for value-added benefits. These include:
- Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card: Earn 6 points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program, automatic Platinum Elite status and 25 elite night credits per year toward a higher tier.
- Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card: Earn 6 points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program, automatic Gold Elite status and 15 elite night credits per year toward a higher tier.
- Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful Card: Earn 6 points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program, automatic Gold Elite status and 15 elite night credits per year toward a higher tier.
- Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card: Earn 6 points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program, automatic Gold Elite status and 15 elite night credits per year toward a higher tier.
- Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card: Earn 6 points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program, automatic Silver Elite status and 15 elite night credits per year toward a higher tier.
- Marriott Bonvoy Bold Credit Card: Earn 3 points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program, automatic Silver Elite status and 15 elite night credits per year toward a higher tier.
The information for the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Accessibility
Grand Bohemian Lodge Asheville offers four accessible room types: a Main Building room with king bed, a Main Building room with two queen beds, an Exec Studio Main Building room and a Separate Manor Building room.
These rooms offer mobility accessible features like bathroom grab bars, bathtub grab bars, roll-in showers and 32-inch-wide doorways. Accessible rooms also feature visual alarms and notification devices for both the door and the in-room telephone.
There is an accessible route from the public entrance to the accessible guest rooms. As always, for questions about accessibility, we recommend contacting the hotel before booking to ensure it can meet your needs.
Bottom line
After my one-night stay at Grand Bohemian Lodge Asheville, I’m impressed and eager to return for another stay or at least another meal at Red Stag Grill.
If your ideal Asheville getaway puts every restaurant and brewery your heart desires only a block or two from the hotel entrance, this might not be the spot for you. But if a quick drive downtown sounds OK, Grand Bohemian Lodge Asheville makes for an ideal spot. Downtown (and other food- and art-filled neighborhoods) is only 2 miles away and the Biltmore Estate couldn’t be closer. Other regional icons (the Arboretum, Blue Ridge Parkway, Great Smoky Mountains National Park and waterfalls found an hour south of the city) are within a quick drive’s reach, too.
If you’re in search of polished luxury, high-concept design and a superb in-house restaurant, Grand Bohemian Lodge Asheville is the hotel for you.
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