Gibson Inn — Hotel in Apalachicola

April 2022 Great Drinks! Giving 5 stars for that alone.

I realize the industry is experiencing difficulties with staff and hiring. The Gibson is usually fantastic! Unfortunately, tonight was a total loss on foods. The appetizer was overcooked as well as the Filet dinner.

Update from 05/08/2022 Mother's Day Brunch Buffet

When I originally called to make my RSVP I specifically asked if the regular breakfast menu would be available and was assured by the kitchen it would. We arrived and was seated in a timely manner. There we four of us for Breakfast. We were told it would just be breakfast buffet and no menu ordering. The price was $24 per person. The buffet consisted of grits, biscuits, gravy, scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, a fresh fruit assortment, ham, sausage and bacon, fresh "made to order" waffles. The grits were a little runny and missing salt in the water when they were boiled. Sausage gravy was reported not to be from scratch. Sausage patties were a precooked, frozen variety. Ham was sliced thick. Not "off the bone". Bacon was the star of the show, thick, crisp and extra salty. Fruit was a nice medley but was not kept filled through breakfast service. Eggs were just scrambled blah eggs. Would be a nice touch if there was an egg station with a short order chef to produce made to order eggs (over easy, over medium, etc). Waffles were the best! Fresh, made to order Belgian waffles... MADE 1 @ A TIME. They were great, if you didn't mind having it after you were finished with breakfast. Please get another waffle maker if you're going to continue to offer them on buffet. You did a great job; they were delicious. But it's very poorly managed and ill equipped. Now: we understand they were short staffed. That doesn't mean the food quality, for the price, shouldn't be better than the free breakfast you get at Holiday Inn or Hilton Inn for free, with your room. The last time I stayed at Hilton Inn in Tampa last year, I had the same breakfast at no additional charge. I want to be your fan. I love the Inn. You have a great bar and the Inn is impeccable. I've heard fabulous about the shrimp and grits, Filet, etc. We will definitely be back. We'll just choose a different meal time and hopefully...

What the new owners are doing to the interior of the Gibson Inn is nothing less than appalling. They have painted black cypress columns and ceiling beams and wainscoting white; this is wood from 1907 when the inn was built which you can't buy nowadays at any price. They've put up ticky tacky touristy wallpaper in the lobby and the dining room which cheapens the appearance of the interior. I hear they're going to be hanging a 10- or 12-foot stuffed gator on the wall. Really?!?!

Ditto for everything from the boxy bathroom stalls (in which the toilet paper is sitting on the floor, the lighting is inadequate, and there's nowhere to hang your purse or coat) to the ugly new tufted leather lobby furniture to the granite bar top, none of which has anything to do with historic 1907 decor. We have a world famous interior designer living in Apalach who has a huge degree of respect for and knowledge of our historic architecture who could have been consulted about all this. But..... nope!

And here's the worst part. At the end of the year, they will be booting Gormley's at the Gibson, a fine dining restaurant with a terrific, nationally recognized chef who's a native of this area. Brett Gormley's been doing great business leasing the restaurant space with his wife Fayah, who runs the front of the house, and also providing pub food in the bar. From what I've heard, the new ownership's advertising for an executive chef who will come from who knows where and do who knows what.

You won't be seeing me or many of the other local residents who are now regular patrons at the Gibson Inn hanging out there after that. We were hopeful the new owner would take good care of this Apalachicola icon, but now we're appalled. A friend here talked in a Facebook post about them desecrating the Gibson Inn and I feel the exact same way. I am also extremely unhappy about the new owners' disrespecting Brett and Fayah by kicking them out. But we have plenty of other choices, and we can go...

This is a great place to stay when in Apalachicola. It is a very different experience from a standard, modern hotel, so understand that. The rooms are nicely updated with modern furniture and new bathrooms (tile, fixtures, etc.) but realize this is an OLD hotel and the basic structure is still 1907. The walls and floors are thin and wood so noise is an issue. We were right above the bar area and there were big football games going on the day/night we were there so it was noisy in our room. Thankfully it closes at 9pm so it wasn't an issue sleeping. The common areas are really beautiful and seem to be unchanged since the place was built. Nice wood finishes everywhere, etc. The doors may even be original. The second floor rooms open up to the huge veranda that goes all around the building which is neat and each room had two rocking chairs right outside the door.

Overall, I recommend staying at the Gibson if you are looking to enjoy Apalachicola. Just don't go in expecting a modern, quiet hotel room with a lot of the usual amenities.

Oh, and I can only comment on our room but we paid a little extra per night for a "bigger" room and it was far from large. I wonder how big the smaller ones are. There was room for a bed, dresser and standing closet thing and one chair. That's about it. Again...it's an old hotel.

Sorry, one more thing. The staff at the front desk were very nice to interact with. Pretty sure the gal who took my phone reservation was the same one who checked us in/out. She was very sweet and helpful. Maybe "Jinny" was her name? I can't recall. She said she'd been there 15 years and I'd say she was a great representative of...