The Columbia Hotel — Attraction in Ashland

5 stars all around, from easy online booking to checkout. $20 fee for parking in their lot, but there was room for our long vehicle, so we were happy to pay the extra charge. Stylish furniture, framed photography and paintings, and wall murals. Our room was very spacious and comfortable, and they even had a dog bed and treats for our dog ($30 dog fee). Perfect location, with restaurants and shops right next door, and Shakespeare right down the street. Good morning coffee, half and half, tea, and fruit/snacks freely available. The shared bathroom situation was no problem at all, and we never had to wait to use the bathrooms. Robes and totes with bath towels, hand towel, washcloth, and slippers in the closet, and good shampoo (nice grapefruit scent), conditioner, soap and lotion in the bathroom. The shower was clean, with hot water and good pressure. They also have onsite laundry, though we did not use it. A shared mini-fridge in the kitchenette, and deep sink for dish washing. Friendly and helpful staff, easygoing and quiet environment. They also had books and board games in the shared social room, and an arcade style super pac man in the wide hallway near the back entrance was the cherry on top for our kids! The only negative was that the air conditioning in our room was pretty loud. But all the other amenities balanced it out. Thank you!...

Not a great experience. I made my reservation over the phone, and was given the choice between a “classic queen” room without AC or a “classic queen” room with AC. I chose the room with AC and was very thankful because Ashland was about 110 degrees the day I stayed. Other than the functioning AC unit, everything else here was horrible. I had no reason to expect that the room would lack basic amenities, like a bathroom, because the person on the phone didn’t mention anything of the sort and their website says nothing about the rooms not having bathrooms. So I was pretty surprised when I got there and was told I had a shared bathroom. For $177/night I expected a hotel with normal amenities, not an expensive hostel. (I was in a rush and didn’t read reviews before booking). It also did not feel COVID-safe at all. The shared bathroom doesn’t have a sink, so after using the toilet, you have to touch both the bathroom doorknob and the doorknob to your room, and then wash your hands at the sink in your room. And it doesn’t seem like the shower is sanitized in between uses. My room also had a nauseating mint smell, a week later all of my clothes still smell like it. There is also no elevator and very limited parking. Their website also advertises coffee and tea, but these were not available during COVID. I cannot...

Our latest stay at the Columbia was in "The Workshop", a themed room facing north. The room features gloriously large, openable windows overlooking East Main Street. Each room now features custom, individual murals by a local artist. We have stayed at The Columbia Hotel 4 or 5 times over the years. The new owner/operators are investing a good deal of sweat equity upgrading the "European style" rooms ( no en suites, just wash basins in the rooms) Showers and toilets are shared, locking common facilities that were clean and functional. The best upgrade so far has been stripping off multiple layers of ancient carpet and linoleum, exposing original hardwood. Feels so much better underfoot. They have also made a stab at providing air conditioning with the addition of small, quiet window units that worked surprisingly well. We had mixed feelings about the custom mural that dominated "The Workshop", finding it overpowering, with a heavy-handed graffiti feel. The room initially had a strong paint odor, but opening a window allowed the odor to dissipate while we walked Ashville's theater district directly adjacent to this quirky gem. Word of warning, parking is...