Asheville Historic Hotels | Omni Grove Park Inn & Spa

The original Grove Park Inn was founded by businessman Edwin Wiley Grove with the help of his son-in-law Fred Loring Seely. Completed in 1913, the main inn was designed after the Old Faithful Inn and the Canyon Hotel in Yellowstone National Park.

The Grove Park Inn was completed in less than a year, with the help of 400 workers, many of them Italian stonemasons, earning $1.00 a day – the best wages available at the time. When the 150-room hotel opened in the summer of 1913, newspapers across the country christened it “the finest resort hotel in the world.” The Grove Park Inn was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 and is a member of the Historic Hotels of America.

Today, The Omni Grove Park Inn & Spa is a highly sought-after Asheville destination with a world-class Spa, award-winning golf course, over 10 restaurants and bars, more than 500 guest rooms and some of the best views around.

A Legacy Built for the Ages

Journey through over 100 years of history and significant moments that shaped The Omni Grove Park Inn & Spa into one of the most iconic Asheville destinations.

1912

Despite his lack of architectural experience, Fred Seely submitted a sketched proposal for the hotel to E. W. Grove in May 1912. The inn, completed a year later in 1913, only varied slightly from Seely’s original sketch.

1913

The Inn was built of over 12,000 feet of granite stones mined from Sunset Mountain. Workers dragged hundreds of tons of boulders up the mountainside with mules, wagons, ropes, pulleys, and a lone steam shovel.

1915

Inspired by the Art & Crafts movement, Fred Seely decided to furnish The Inn entirely with the property’s signature high-quality Arts & Crafts style, a revolt against the Victorian era and the machine-made products of the time.

1920

The Palm Court, located on the third-floor of the historic Main Inn, has remained a popular location, featuring an innovative skylight, allowing substantial natural light into the space for a more natural and restful experience.

1926

Our Donald Ross–designed golf course traces its origins to the early days of organized golf in Asheville and is associated with many notable players from Bobby Jones and Jack Nicklaus to President Obama and even Michael Jordan.

1956

April 3, 1956, Letter of Understanding: grants the Supreme Court authority to assume control of The Inn during an attack. This property was ideal for its geographic, architectural and technical features. A copy can be viewed on property.

1984

Owners Charles and Elaine Sammons unveiled plans for Sammons Wing, a 202-room addition. Amenities added within the new wing allowed The Inn to return as a year-round resort for the first time since mid-1950.

1988

With a goal to make The Inn a 500-room hotel, The Sammons continued their expansion. Designers used inspiration from the Sammons Wing and Main Inn, focusing on creating a fresh feel to the classic style.

1992

What began with a small group of gingerbread houses built by community members in 1992 has grown for over three decades to become one of the nation's most celebrated and competitive holiday events.

2001

Faced with building a spa onto a historic hotel without risking the integrity or obscuring the views, Elaine Sammons hired architect Robert LeBlond, who proposed a subterranean spa, made primarily of stone like The Inn.

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Classic Elegance, Modern Comforts

In 1913, Edwin Wiley Grove, known as the “Father of Modern Asheville,” established a hotel on Sunset Mountain that was proclaimed to be built for the ages. For over a century, travelers have been coming to this iconic Inn, which underwent a restoration project of the original Main Inn rooms to preserve history and redefine the future. Drawing inspiration from the Craftsman style and paying homage to the rich artistic legacy of the Arts and Crafts movement, the guest rooms’ design concept seamlessly blends craftsmanship with the natural beauty of the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains. Discover a perfect blend of history and comfort, inviting you to relax and unwind in style.

A Modern Day Destination for Wellness

Since its inception, The Omni Grove Park Inn & Spa has been a health and wellness destination for city dwellers seeking rest and rejuvenation in the pure mountain air of Asheville, NC. Embracing its prominence as a premier destination for well-being, The Spa at The Omni Grove Park Inn is the first themed spa on the East Coast and is consistently voted as one of the top resort spas in the world. The Spa focuses on area’s prominent natural surroundings by bringing the outdoors in with mineral water, natural light and rock formations. The 43,000-square-foot subterranean Spa features cavernous rock walls, arches, and tunnels, with numerous water features throughout. Guests can revitalize mind, body and spirit with therapeutic treatments in this electronics-free environment.

Where Legends Gather

Walls of hallways throughout The Omni Grove Park Inn & Spa are lined with photographs that tell the fascinating story of the famous guests who have visited since 1913. Notable guests include F. Scott Fitzgerald, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Harvey Firestone, John D. Rockefeller, Harry Houdini and many others. Ten U.S. Presidents have also visited including William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Herbert Hoover, Calvin Coolidge, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Richard M. Nixon, George H. W. Bush, William J. Clinton and Barack H. Obama.