The Embers Hotel — Hotel in Blowing Rock

I did not have a good experience with my room nor the manager. I booked a Premium Family Queen online for two nights. The evening before we were to arrive at The Embers, Stacy called and said that this particular Queen room was overbooked and would I be willing to "upgrade" to a Corner Executive King overlooking downtown Blowing Rock. When we arrived, they told us that we would not be in the Corner Executive King but would have a Premium King on the 3rd floor. Our Premium King was definitely a "downgrade" from the original room I gave up to Stacy. The room was located on the back of the hotel overlooking the dumpsters and over the loading dock. The balcony, compared to the original room I booked was probably half the size with absolutely no privacy as all the rooms/balconies in the back of the hotel are jammed together. I called the front desk, asked to speak to the manager and was told the manager would call me shortly. He didn't call, but the front desk person called me back and apologized for the room situation and said they would take care of it later that evening or the next morning and that the manager would be onsite the next morning for me to speak with. I did not get another call that evening so we decided to go on to dinner. We ate at the restaurant there at the hotel, and I have to say the food and service were good. We had a bottle of wine in our room for an after dinner drink so we sat on the tiny balcony overlooking the dumpsters drinking a nice bottle of red. I was still very annoyed about our room. The next morning, things got even worse. The delivery trucks with their loud drivers, slamming doors and back-up beeping started at 6:30. I felt like we were at a Motel 6. We had been looking forward to sleeping in on our first morning of our long weekend...but no, it wasn't to be. I went downstairs for coffee because they only have expresso in the rooms, and there isn't a coffee station so I had to catch a waitress to bring me coffee in a to go cup. We had breakfast at the hotel restaurant where we found the food to be good but had to get up and chase a waitress down to bring sugar and creamer for our coffee. I guess she forgot so I had to chase the restaurant manager down. By this time, our coffee was cold. Isn't it Restaurant 101 that you have cream and sugar on tables at breakfast?? After breakfast, I asked to see the manager and was told that he (Ben) wouldn't be in until later in the day. We decided to leave early because, by this point, we were done trying to work out the room situation. As we were leaving, the front desk person said they would move us to a different king room but our annoyance had grown and we were already packed to leave. The front desk person apologized again and said that she would have the manager call me. That afternoon, rather than calling me as I had requested (3 times), Ben, the manager sent an email apologizing for the "misunderstanding." He did not explain what had happened nor did he offer to refund my money for the night we stayed in the "dumpster room" (trust me, the room rate was way to expensive for what we got). He indicated that I could call him if I wanted to discuss the situation further. I had asked to speak to him 3 times yet he wanted me to chase him down to have a conversation. Poor, poor, poor customer service on his part and even poorer room reservation management. An honest answer about what had happened and a sincere spoken apology would have gone a long way. In his email, he asked that I give The Embers another chance and offered a $100 credit on our next stay. Ben's offer falls far short to make amends for my bad experience. In my 30+ years of visiting Blowing Rock, or anywhere else for that matter, I have never experienced anything like this with other inns, hotels or resorts. I think I'll stay loyal to the other establishments in Blowing Rock where I know I'll get the room I booked and know that they actually care about their customers' experience. The Embers poor management and deception will catch up with...

Disappointing customer service / process for the price, but hoping this improves as they get more established (just FYI for now to maybe expect some odd inconveniences). My husband booked a room + breakfast over the phone as a surprise for me for a girls trip. He tried to use his card for everything so that I didn't need to worry about anything, but was not allowed to list his card for incidentals. Since I would have to put a card on file at check in, he expressed multiple times that he did not want me to accidentally get charged for anything, and even purchased a voucher for breakfast. While they have a restaurant, they do not offer room service or the option of getting food to go (via staff or self pick up), which is disappointing when you want a relaxing dinner in the comfort of your own room (we got pizza from Mellow Mushroom nearby). For breakfast, I used the paper voucher and was told everything was handled. Unfortunately, despite my husband's best effort, I still had two small surprise charges. While these weren't a big deal ($15-25), it potentially indicated something went wrong so I later followed up with the hotel. Since they are newer, I also wanted to share this feedback to hopefully help inform process improvements (like offering room service/pick up to not drive business elsewhere). I was informed the charges were for breakfast, and for facility conveniences (I know, delightfully ironic). They claimed to not see that my husband paid for breakfast (even though I received the voucher at check in so there must've been a record somewhere). Also, apparently they don't charge the facility fee at the time of booking which was not communicated, and then charged to the wrong card. When asking for clarity regarding these nuances the staff member tackily asked "So what do you want?" seemingly expecting that I want a refund. After I expressed that I only wanted to ensure the bill was settled/no more surprises and to share feedback in case it helped, their demeanor changed and they offered to remove the breakfast fee which seemed disingenuous given the immediately prior attitude (I declined so everything can just stay settled). Overall, there are just too many unpolished service processes and inconveniences to warrant a higher star experience at this time. Yet, with a nice enough building, location, and working out some of these issues, I hope this hotel will offer a convenient, relaxing, and respectful experience for others...

The Embers was the perfect place for my birthday get-away. It is an intimate (36 room) hotel perfectly located at the end of the main street of Blowing Rock, high on a hill with a fabulous view of town. From the moment we walked in, we were treated with exceptional care. The staff at the front desk was both friendly and exceptionally helpful with suggestions and advice about both the hotel and the community. Cheryl was particularly delightful. I was surprised with fresh flowers in our beautifully appointed room. The room had wonderful lighting, with well thought out locations for the mini-fridge, safe, power outlets and even a dimmable nightlight. From the guest robes and slippers to the lovely rocking Adirondack chairs on the private patio, no detail has been forgotten. One truly feels "cared for" at The Embers. A handwritten note was left by housekeeping, along with a 5 PM turn down service complete with locally purchased chocolates! In the morning there was a choice of specialty coffee brewed in room or fresh coffee and a selection of teas available in the lobby. There are board games for use by youth or adults waiting next to the indoor fireplace. Or you may prefer a comfy chair to sit and read a borrowed book from their lending library. On a nice day you may like to sit outside in the common patio space. (complete with discreetly placed charging units at each of the tables for those who cannot leave their computers). In the evening, we dined at the awesome restaurant with exceptional service. (remember to save room for dessert) and then finished the night outside on the patio overlooking the lights of downtown Blowing Rock. We weren't early enough to get the prized table next to the fireplace, but there are portable flare heaters that keep you comfortable while you sip on an after-dinner beverage and listen to the live musician play guitar and sing. If you are planning on visiting the Blowing Rock area you definitely want to try and stay at the Embers. But be prompt because this cozy place books up early. And when booking, be sure to also make your dinner reservation so you can dine at your...