The Beaucatcher, A Boutique Motel — Hotel in Asheville

This is NOT a boutique place. Its just simply not. We decided to get snowed in, in Asheville! When looking for a hotel, we searched specifically for hotels with balconies. This was the first one that came up and it was beautiful. We booked it. I specifically booked the room WITH the balcony, as opposed to the room without it. Saturday came and we timed getting to the hotel around 2:30. We arrived at 2:20. A sign on the door said no early check ins could not be accommodated. So we sat until 3. Someone drove up, jumped out of their car at 3 and got in before we did. They were checked in to a 2 bed queen with balcony (exactly what we booked). We were turned away and were told our room would not be ready for another hour. Okay... so, now all of our gear is getting wet, and we have already waited 40 minutes. I called about 30 minutes into the wait and asked if anything could be done. The clerk was rude and basically said it is what it is and we could cancel (that is NOT customer service. Offer something for the inconvenience. A beverage, a spot to hang out til our room is ready, a gift card to a local place while we wait, a discount... something.. not cancelation.) That hour turned into close to two. We were called back by another clerk that asked if we wanted to downgrade rooms to get into one now, and she was apologetic. We had already waited long enough, so we said no. See, we wanted to get into town, shower, get dressed up and go out to eat, then settle in for the snow. By now, we are hungry, unshowered, tired and still no call. Finally, we pulled back into the hotel after driving aimlessly around for a while and waited for 20 more minutes. No call that our room was ready. My husband went in and we were assigned a room.

Upon first look, its nice (but not as nice as the photos). It's big. After getting our stuff unloaded and packed into the room, we discover.... no balcony! No doors for a patio either. What a disappointment. We decided not to say anything because we were starving and exhausted. But, it really swayed us to never book again.

Then, the front desk starts calling (3 times in total to get different cards because ours weren't going through.) We called our banks to find out what was going on. The first two cards weren't even trying to be processed and the third the expiration date was wrong. So, twice (and she said she had been trying to run the cards multiple times) the card numbers were typed in wrong, and the 3rd the expiration date was wrong. Incompetence.

Our keys quit working a total of 5 times while we were there, and again at 10am the morning of check out.

The breakfast was subpar, every morning. The 2nd morning there were only hard bagles.

The bathrooms are nasty and are in desperate need of updating to match the rest of the room.

Would we come again?.... possibly. The rates are cheap enough... we were willing to spend hundreds per night to have something nice, but this boutique hotel popped up before anything else. If we were desperate and the price stayed under $60 per night (thats all its worth).... yes. If there were lots of availability elsewhere... no. One incompetent and rude staff member ruined this place for us.

Expectations on what the place actually is (not a boutique) should be set in place. Its an old run down hotel that got a 70% makeover, with some staffing issues. To be a boutique you have to offer esthetically pleasing, unique accommodations. Top notch staff, esthetically pleasing food, unique options (like room service, massage, transportation, a store),...

I am pleasantly surprised to find this kind of quality and careful design at a motel. There are so many things I love about The Beaucatcher Boutique Motel: (1) price: one king bed, $65 in late February--reasonable/affordable; (2) location--close to everything in Asheville and the Blue Ridge Parkway; (3) the room is very comfortable, but most importantly, as someone who travels for work, the desk with an adjustable desk chair was perfect to get in a few hours of work before checkout; (4) the care the owners took to make this little motel a "boutique" experience. For example, the rooms are nicely decorated with soothing colors and lots of pillows on a very comfortable bed; (5) lastly, but just as important as everything else, I really appreciate that there are a lot of little eco-friendly touches that make it special, and help me feel better about my carbon footprint: (a) in the bathroom there is a dispenser affixed to the shower wall filled with shampoo, conditioner, and bath soap; the brand is Paya "made with healthful ingredients including organic papaya and all-natural sweet orange." So, less plastic is being used by not offering each guest several little plastic bottles. The only plastic with a Paya product is the lotion and hand soap for the sink; (b) some guests may not like that there is no coffee maker in their room, but this is also a way the Beaucatcher is eco-friendly-- fewer plastics (K-cups for example); (c) the dining room at the front office offers a lovely coffee, tea and juice bar offering compostable Dixie cups and coffee stirrers, and the breakfast dishes are USDA certified biobased product, also compostable; (d) as a whole-foods, plant-based guest, I appreciate breakfast options of plain oatmeal, bananas, and nice Tazo chamomile tea.

The only suggestions that I would have (hence one less star) would be: (a) switch plasticware to match the eco-friendly dishes; (b) please offer decaffeinated coffee in the morning along with plant-based creamers. And, honestly, I would go one step further with the eco-friendly consciousness by offering peanut butter and jams/jellies in Mason jars for guests to scoop out (would also reduce more of the little plastic containers).

Keep up the good work! I'm so happy that The Beaucatcher is reflecting the type of lifestyle that more and more of your guests are hoping for! I will be back and I'm sending all my...

Why am I giving this motel 5 stars? Because number one, it was clean. The linens were fresh, the room smelled like…nothing! All the staff were very nice, courteous, and professional.

Bathroom clean, extra toilet paper, shower dispenser for amenities, and nice clean towels.

Bed was crisply made, with elegantly arranged pillows. The mattress felt like springs, but it was comfortable.

And there was a balcony door so that I could have FRESH AIR!! I hate hotels where you’re sealed into their rooms, so thank you Beaucatcher for the fresh air! I slept so deeply every night I was there.

Okay, there were a few technical issues within an hour. We found water dripping out of a loose sink pipe underneath the sink, remedied by common sense - simply pushing the loose pipe back on and letting desk know for a future repair - and the strip between the rug and the tile was off. Again, we just put it back in place and let the desk know so we wouldn’t be charged for damages. Otherwise, no problems.

I never talk about the condition of the carpet in ANY hotel, as far as I’m concerned, since people in America don’t take their shoes off indoors, all carpets are a bio-hazard, so I keep slippers on! But since I’ve seen other reviewers have issues, I’ll just say that the carpet, (except for the needed repair), was perfectly fine, it didn’t smell, it was vacuumed and I saw no stains, and that’s enough for me.

It was quiet when we were there, people seemed to be in bed by 9. In the daytime I could hear the neighbors voice on a conference call, and a bit of yelling next door one morning, but nothing the TV weather channel couldn’t drown out on a quiet volume😋. I’ve heard worse in more expensive hotels, so it wasn’t an issue. More importantly, there was little to no street or extraneous outdoor noises

I was very happy with my stay of 3 days. The tub was clean and white, the floors clean and scrubbed, and the beds clean and comfortable. Great coffee in the morning. Some nice yogurts, bagels and spreads. Not a lot, but good for the price.

If you want an elaborate breakfast, big fluffy towels, stylish beds and fancy paintings, go waste your money on a pricier hotel. We saved our $70 and had an organic brunch at the Green Sage Café, and dinner at Pack’s Tavern!

I would definitely return to the...