The Omni Homestead Resort — Attraction in Clifton Forge

September 06-09-2023: While my rating may seem contrary to 5 star ratings, I’ll let you decide for yourselves. This trip was planned by my wife for my 60th Birthday celebration on 9/7.

Upon arrival 9/6 at 1:00pm, we waited until 3:30pm for our luggage to arrive to our room. According to the front desk, the bellman delivered it to a different room and we had to wait until they found the luggage. By that time, not wanting to ruin our appetite, we went to the snack bakery to grab something light to hold us over since we “missed” lunch waiting for our luggage. Once we got our food, we ventured into the elegantly adorned sitting room to find a place to sit. Unfortunately, the tables were dirty with items left behind from other guests and the only table available was one with fewer crumbs and a small glass vase with wilted flowers and noticeably dirty water. Evening: My wife reserved a dinner at Jefferson’s (Only restaurant open during the week) on 9/7 for my birthday however, we decided we would remain onsite 9/6 and figured there would be enough choices on the menu to dine two nights in a row. I ordered a French onion soup that came rather quickly but after arriving to the table and unsealing the cheese, I had an onion soup with no onions nor onion taste. I ordered a filet cooked medium. The filet came medium rare, I asked my waiter (Steve) and he said, “that’s definitely under cooked medium rare.” He returned again with my filet, only this time, the top of the meat was charred, and the middle remained uncooked (medium rare). This is supposed to be a $600/night spa/resort experience. Next morning, we had plans to spend time at the famous water spa for the day. That included everything available in the spa. My wife’s massage was in a room adjacent to construction so for hear, the angelic experience was less than comfortable. We ventured to the outdoor warm soaking spa which was enjoyable. While enjoying the sun a waiter presented us with a menu. I ordered the vegetable/cheese plate. It came with no cheese, just vegetables. Lunch time: After the horrendous experience the day before, we asked an employee on site their food recommendations. They said when their family visited, she took them to Crist Mill Inn at the Waterwheel Restaurant. We canceled my 60th Birthday dinner at Jefferson’s and reserved a table at Waterwheel. They also recommended Warm Springs Tavern for lunch. Great Lunch!!! Evening 9/7: Dinner at WaterWheel was fantastic! Definitely recommend the Waterwheel FOR SURE!!!! Morning 9/8, wife went for trail hike (Great experience). Unfortunately for me, I had a mani/pedi reserved at the “spa salon.” Pictures show guests in robes with drinks and smiles on their faces. I waited with another guest in the waiting room until my name was called and thinking I would be offered a robe, was taken directly to the pedi chair. No music, no beverage, no robe. I asked about the music and was told the amplifier was broken for almost a year. The other technician took out her phone and started playing her song list. Pedicure was not a pedicure rather, a clip and exfoliate and 15 minutes later, moved to manicure. Tech was obviously under skilled and after a few suggestions, painfully apparent, didn’t know what she was doing. Entire experience was $207 less than 45 minutes. Again, Spa/Salon/Resort Experience. We dined at Waterwheel again 9/8 and loved it tremendously! Upon returning, I went to front desk to speak with a manager (Briana, assistant front desk person). Told her about our experience and received a call from the spa salon giving 50% discount on service. Was told someone would notify me about my poor experience and made sure to write down my information and acknowledged that they fell short on our visit. Never heard one word from her or another manager. Upon checkout, received an “appeasement” credit of $80 off my $2,800 three night stay. So, you decide for yourself if you want to risk this “spa/resort experience. I DO NOT RECOMMEND...

TL;DR: for longer stays, make sure to enjoy the amenities that the resort has to offer. That's what you're paying (a lot) for, and the staff will undoubtedly make sure you have great experiences. However, just don't expect great rooms.

My family and I have very mixed feelings about our stay at the Omni Homestead. I think this has a lot to do with the purpose of our visit compared to most people: We were just staying one night to break up a very long drive with a nice pool and a comfortable sleep, whereas most people probably stay several nights to a week for events and to take advantage of all the amenities the resort has to offer.

Firstly, the location is picturesque and is truly is a retreat. But aside from a small grocery store, gas station and a few shops up the road, don't expect too many amenities off the hotel grounds. But with room service surprisingly not even an option, it leaves very few alternatives unless you want to be around a lot of people. And seeing as the hotel is undergoing extensive renovations, also be aware that navigating the grounds is a bit more challenging if you want to go explore.

We arrived early with the hopes of using the pools (the primary attraction for us) while we waited for our rooms to be ready. But the hassle of the crowded valet made it near impossible for hours (more on that later), and our kids were not thrilled when the splash pad was closed for water testing (we kept being told it would be another hour or so, but it never opened). We eventually got our rooms, but they forgot the crib and feather-free request and it took another hour to get all of the bedding replaced.

Then there was the condition of the rooms themselves (we were in the Garden Wing). I know it's an old and traditional hotel that's being refurbished, but I've had better accommodations at budget hotels for a fraction of the price. The carpet was wet in places from a recent cleaning, a lot of the furniture was very worn, many of the electrical outlets did not work at all, the WiFi was very weak, the A/C unit and vents were very old and extremely dirty, and the bathroom fixtures were dated and in poor appearance. The rooms just felt dirty and had none of the conveniences you would expect for this premium price point (over $700 per room per night), and that was incredibly disappointing. Not to mention that the hotel has lots of long halfways and steps, which would be an absolute challenge for those with physical challenges (I'm sure there are accessibility points, but they would not be easy).

On the upside, the main outdoor pool, lazy river and slides were wonderful and almost pristine. I wish we could have spent more days just enjoying that area, along with the mini golf. The breakfast buffet had an incredible selection, and my four-year old loved the food and eating like proper people at the "fancy" tables for breakfast.

Back on the downside, the valet itself was a nightmare. There were three weddings that night, but every request for our vehicle took over half an hour (once over an hour, and we were not alone), and there really was no other option seeing as the parking lot was a mile away up the hill. At one point we tried to get to the playground on the ground but we were told that due to the construction we couldn't get there except by shuttle (we stopped by while driving on our departure instead, and really enjoyed that beautiful shaded area).

Finally, and most importantly, despite all of the issues, I have to say that the service was some of the warmest I've ever had anywhere during my travels: Matt and Holly at the desk, Miguel in valet, Geraldine (who stayed beyond the end of her shift to help get the beds made) and several others in housekeeping were all amazing. They were always understanding and caring about what they could do to improve the experience.

Would we come again? Maybe, if we were staying longer to do more activities and I knew we would have renovated rooms. But as it is, for our situation,...

Disclaimer: we truly consider ourselves rational, compassionate, and understandable humans that temper our expectations of services based off of the story told to us and the monetary value placed on said story. While critical, we believe this review is nothing more than an accurate portrayal of our experience. That being shared, let’s begin!

Upon arrival the experience is stellar— greeted with smiles and champagne. While we knew the resort was under renovations, the lobby is well preserved, clean, and welcoming. A skilled piano player filled the room with warm notes on the black and whites while guests mingled with freshly made cocktails — it felt very Gatsby. Nice.

Upon arrival to our room, however, things started to shift. A family was rooming adjacent to ours, and had somehow snuck in a very loud, disruptive, and barky canine. When we approached the front desk, they said they had security taking care of the disruption and were having them moved to a pets only area. After checking out the fitness center and spa, we returned to a quiet room. Well done team!

Ok, now let’s move onto dinner. The Jefferson Taproom had an adequately (expensive) menu, however the service was much less than adequate. For it not being observably “busy”, the entire bar staff was somehow seeming slammed yet inattentive all at the same time. It took about 10 minutes to be waited on initially, followed by a 15 minute wait to receive our beverage order… we saw them sitting on the bar mat for 14 of those minutes. The server also forgot the silverware and plates… twice. Sweet and kind personality, but the incompetence was a bit alarming. For $9 beers and $18 burgers being served at a premium priced resort, a certain expectation is created around this experience. It was not met.

As fitness enthusiasts, our intention for the weekend was to utilize the entirety of the fitness center and recovery services. The gym, while I was told was “state-of-the-art” with updated equipment and amenities, was in reality an upgraded Hilton gym. Dumbbells went up to 50lb, kettlebells to 53lbs, and a single smith machine for barbell work. Plenty of outdated “Technogym” cardio equipment, a handful of new Peleton bikes, but only a single Concept Rower. The yoga mats were low quality and no resistance bands could be found. Again, the expectation set by the story they told us about the fitness center was not met.

Now the spa experience delivered, mostly. The co-ed sauna was roomy, well heated, and consistent. The natural hot spring bath was delicious. The Herbal Cocoon room was unique and wonderful. The “Experiential Shower” was a little weird… push a button that says “Caribbean Storm Shower” and get violently blasted by cold water and weird LED lighting. However the ice machines in the Cool Room were not functioning properly. The food options were over priced, stale, and not substantial for the monetary value placed on them.

After a day of intense fitness and recovery, it was time to relax and unwind in the room. We pull up the in food dining options and decide on Woody’s All Day Dining. Ok… how do we order? Room Service phone button - a voicemail. Concierge button - transferred to a voicemail. Front desk button - transferred to a voicemail. After 5 minutes of phone wrangling, we finally got a person from Woody’s on the phone. When we go to order from the menu that was available online, we were told that’s not the right menu. We were sent the actual menu and our jaws dropped. Basically a children’s menu. Renovations, I get it, but please please please set expectations with what you’re offering and update all menus.

So… our only option for food besides the overly priced Martha’s Market was going back to the Taproom. Same service, no change. Crikey.

Let’s finish off with in-room breakfast. This was nothing short of disastrous. $85 for soggy waffles, grilled (not crispy fried chicken as told on the menu), wilted berries, and a cold omelette. Nope. We’re...