Black Mountain Inn — Attraction in Black Mountain

We stayed here for one night in July 2024. We had the upstairs loft room, which is essentially a finished attic with a trap door. The trap door has a makeshift counterweight made out of what looks to be a concrete column repurposed from a concrete porch rail. This particular room is advertised as the only room in which kids may stay, which you may find a bit strange when you read about the room's "balcony", below.

Upon arrival, I approached the front door and rang the doorbell. I waited a couple of minutes without answer and then checked the door. It was unlocked. I entered into a dimly lit, makeshift lobby. There were a couple of dingy arm chairs there and an old wood burning stove. I sat down and waited a few more minutes. Still no sign of life.

I then poked around a little more and found a door that read "Employees only" and which led off from a small dining room in the back of the house. I presumed it either led into the kitchen or the keeper's quarters. I knocked... I heard a man say "June, there's someone knocking." After another minute or two, June came out, and told me she meant to leave me a note. She led me up the two flights of stairs and through the trap door, and then showed me the room. She showed me how to work the trap door, and then promptly vanished down the flight of stairs. There was no information provided in terms of breakfast, where to find cups, ice, etc., or really any general courtesy other than just showing the room.

The room was spartan. There was a bed on one side, and a couch on the other. There was a small miniature refrigerator. No water, no ice. The bathroom is small. So small that I could not take a shower standing up, but had to stoop considerably. I'm close to 6'3", but to put it in perspective, the shower was small even for my 12 year old daughter.

After inspecting the room, I went down and retrieved my wife and children. At some point while I was shuttling baggage, my wife did see June, who retrieved and provided some extra towels, which was nice. Again, no word regarding breakfast, coffee, or really any small talk.

As the children checked out the room, they found the "balcony", which a personal injury lawyer might (correctly) describe as an attractive nuisance. The balcony is a door on one end of the room that opens out onto the slightly pitched, second story roof. There is no rail. The fall is about 20 feet onto a gravel driveway. Frankly I was shocked this was actually a thing in a public accommodation. Recall the portion about this being the only room where children are allowed to stay.

After a trip to the store to retrieve items such as soap, paper plates, plastic ware, cereal, etc., we settled into the room. We took showers, and afterward, my wife was blow-drying her hair. Apparently that, together with the window unit AC, overloaded the circuit, and blew a fuse or tripped a breaker. I called June, and she answered. I explained my diagnosis of the problem, and June immediately asked whether my wife was blow drying her hair. I confirmed this. June then said "Well there's the problem, you can run one or the other. But the AC and the hairdryer can't be run at the same time." The way she said it indicated to me that she was frustrated with us, and viewed this as something we should have known better than to do. I suggested that next time she warn her guests of the inadequacy of their electrical system. She did tell me she would have her husband go down into the basement with a flashlight and flip the breaker back on. A few minutes later, the ac came back on. I unplugged it and my wife finished blow drying her hair. The remainder of the night was uneventful, other than the ac being inadequately sized for the space.

It seems to me that it might be time for the owners to hang it up. It could be a much better experience with a little effort. I would not stay here again. For similar rates you can get a room at the Monte Vista, where there is a bar, a good restaurant on site, and a professional staff.

I will say that the white oak in the yard is an...

NOT AS ADVERTISED. This is NOT a quaint, cozy bed & breakfast. This is a poorly maintained 130-year-old building. The Buncombe County Building and Safety Commission should be notified of the unsafe and unclean conditions there. There was a disgusting array of dirt and animal hair on the floor under the bed. The rooms tilt so much the floors are separating from the walls. The lights don’t work in several rooms. The bathrooms were definitely not Covid clean. The walkway steps are unlit and slippery making it very hazardous to traverse at night.||||Ms. June Bergerson purports to be the innkeeper. This must not be her sole source of income or she has been at it too long and needs to retire. Her “Mountain Hospitality” was woefully inept. Do not be fooled that she gives a hoot about you. We stayed there for 3 days and she never showed up once to greet us, give us any information or provide us with instructions. The outside maintenance man was the only one there. He “checked” us in by providing a room key and directions to operate the front door. There was no literature in the rooms to give us any information. He kept saying she’ll be right back. She did not show up at all for our entire stay. Is this what “Limited Hours” means on their website? ||||Perhaps if she had troubled herself in the slightest, we would have learned that this was NOT a B&B as advertised. At some time in the morning, they leave outside your door a paltry thermos of bitter coffee – not enough for 2 cups, a small container of some sort of cream and the most meager fruit and small prepackaged cheese. All with no refrigeration. God only knows how long it was sitting out there. ||||Perhaps if she had been anything more than useless, we could have asked what the wi-fi password was. We got it from the maintenance man when we managed to catch him the second day. The wi-fi was spotty and feeble at best. There was no one around at all to ask for assistance with linens or extra bathroom supplies. What if there had been an emergency? Not a sole around to ask.||||They advertise that the Inn is Air Conditioned. What they don’t tell is they don’t turn it on. It was 80 degrees in there. The ceiling fan in the room only had one speed - slow. It was quite uncomfortable.||||I managed to reach Ms. Bergeron by phone after our stay. I tried to discuss these issues with her. She was not at all interested in hearing any feedback. In fact, she hung up on me. ||||Do not stay here, don’t let your friends, family or co-workers stay here. Don’t have your wedding here, don’t have your retreat here. You...

NOT AS ADVERTISED. This is NOT a quaint, cozy bed & breakfast. This is a poorly maintained 130-year-old building. The Buncombe County Building and Safety Commission should be notified of the unsafe and unclean conditions there. There was a disgusting array of dirt and animal hair on the floor under the bed. The rooms tilt so much the floors are separating from the walls. The lights don’t work in several rooms. The bathrooms were definitely not Covid clean. The walkway steps are unlit and slippery making it very hazardous to traverse at night.

Ms. June Bergerson purports to be the innkeeper. This must not be her sole source of income or she has been at it too long and needs to retire. Her “Mountain Hospitality” was woefully inept. Do not be fooled that she gives a hoot about you. We stayed there for 3 days and she never showed up once to greet us, give us any information or provide us with instructions. The outside maintenance man was the only one there. He “checked” us in by providing a room key and directions to operate the front door. There was no literature in the rooms to give us any information. He kept saying she’ll be right back. She did not show up at all for our entire stay. Is this what “Limited Hours” means on their website?

Perhaps if she had troubled herself in the slightest, we would have learned that this was NOT a B&B as advertised. At some time in the morning, they leave outside your door a paltry thermos of bitter coffee – not enough for 2 cups, a small container of some sort of cream and the most meager fruit and small prepackaged cheese. All with no refrigeration. God only knows how long it was sitting out there.

Perhaps if she had been anything more than useless, we could have asked what the wi-fi password was. We got it from the maintenance man when we managed to catch him the second day. The wi-fi was spotty and feeble at best. There was no one around at all to ask for assistance with linens or extra bathroom supplies. What if there had been an emergency? Not a sole around to ask.

They advertise that the Inn is Air Conditioned. What they don’t tell is they don’t turn it on. It was 80 degrees in there. The ceiling fan in the room only had one speed - slow. It was quite uncomfortable.

I managed to reach Ms. Bergeron by phone after our stay. I tried to discuss these issues with her. She was not at all interested in hearing any feedback. In fact, she hung up on me.

Do not stay here, don’t let your friends, family or co-workers stay here. Don’t have your wedding here, don’t have your retreat here. You...