The Clifton — Hotel in Charlottesville

When traveling, we seek out boutique hotels and luxury inns so for are for 40th anniversary,, we were delighted to find the Clifton’s website. It had everything we were looking for including for: a restaurant , a bar, wine, spectator, awards, and nicely appointed guestrooms. The fact that the chef had a Michelin star made us even more excited. Unfortunately, the Clifton did not live up to our hopes or expectations or the promises from the website. The inn: A great location. We enjoyed driving down the lovely country roads to visit presidential homes and explore the nearby wineries. Beautifully decorated, but we quickly noticed a lack of attention to details in terms of cleanliness and upkeep. The exterior paint, especially on the windows and back of the building is peeling to the point that the exposed wood looks like it is beginning to deteriorate. The bench in the entryway has soiled and stained upholstery. There was a thick layer of dust coating the windowsills and wainscoting in the downstairs areas, especially in the dining room. In the downstairs bathroom, the area around the door knob was blackened with grime. Throughout the inn there is chipped paint on woodwork and doors. The inn definitely needs some TLC and attention to detail. Staff: We enjoyed chatting with Chris who works primarily in the bar area. He was friendly and attentive, the perfect personality for the setting. The rest of the staff were the exact opposite. No one else introduce themselves or made any attempt to be social. Many of the staff seemed surly and unhappy, and put in the minimum amount of effort to execute their jobs. The whole atmosphere was odd and tense. Dining: Continental Breakfast comes with the room, but we opted to order off the menu and found it reasonably priced for a nice breakfast. Breakfast is in the terrace area off the bar and we ate inside as it was quite chilly. There is a glass sliding door between the kitchen and the breakfast area that was open or jar during our breakfast. Throughout the meal, we had to listen to the loud laughter and boisterous conversation of the kitchen staff. On the second morning, we asked to be seated in the bar area, hoping that it would be quieter, but this area was just as loud because another door to the kitchen was also open or jar. There was no background music to help buffer the noise and the overall effect was eating breakfast In a loud diner. We met the sommelier at the bar on our first afternoon, but never saw him again during our three day visit. We have been too many, many restaurants with wine spectator awards, and have enjoyed talking with the staff about the wine list and wines. Here, this was absent as we had no discussion with anyone about the list or received any offers for advice when choosing a wine. We ate two dinners at the inn and the food was good, but nothing outstanding. The service on the second night was horrific. There was a party of 18 the Wine room downstairs, and this may have contributed, but it was no excuse for the poor service we received. The server was obviously angry or upset. She poured our red wine into the white wine glasses that were on the table instead of switching them out as she should have. We never received the amuse bouche. Mussels were served lukewarm. Waited over 45 minutes after appetizers were cleared for entrées and got them only because Chris came to check on us. Overall, the restaurant did not meet the expectations for a Michelin star chef, a luxury inn, or a Wine spectator award winner. Room: The room was nice, but our biggest concern was the excessive noise emanating from the kitchen that woke us up by 6 AM. The kitchen staff seems to have complete disregard for those trying to sleep. Also, Delivery trucks arrive early and park in front of the inn, right underneath the window to the room. This was a disappointing trip for us. We will not return and will not be able to recommend The Clifton to family...

While our wedding turned out to be wonderful, thanks largely to our planner and other vendors, we cannot recommend The Clifton to couples seeking a smooth, professional planning experience. For context, we hosted a full weekend of events at the venue, including a Thursday night dinner, a Friday-to-Sunday room buy-out, a Saturday wedding, and a Sunday brunch. Although the property itself is stunning, the mismanagement and relentless nickel-and-diming severely undermined what should have been an extraordinary celebration. Here are some of the key issues we encountered:

Abysmal Customer Service The most disappointing aspect of The Clifton was its lackluster customer service, especially given the six-figure cost of our wedding. The general manager was consistently rude and unresponsive throughout the process, adding unnecessary stress to an already complex planning process. During the planning process the sales manager verbally assured us that the bride and groom’s stay during the wedding would be fully covered. However, after the wedding, we were charged the full amount for our stay. When we raised the issue, management not only denied their prior promises but also claimed we were entitled only to a 50% discount. Even after we accepted the 50% discount, our repeated efforts to resolve the matter and receive the refund were met with silence. The hotel ultimately stopped responding entirely, forcing us to dispute the charges with our credit card company to recover what we were rightfully owed. This level of dismissiveness and unprofessionalism was shocking for a venue of this reputation and price point.

Broken Promises on Event Size We booked The Clifton over a year in advance, enticed by the idea of hosting our closest friends and family for an intimate weekend. When we booked, we were told that the venue was already hosting a “petite” wedding the Friday evening before our wedding. We were assured that The Clifton’s policy for a “petite” wedding meant fewer than 50 guests, and that they would never host two full-sized weddings over the same weekend . Just three weeks before our wedding, we were informed that this event had ballooned to 124 guests. The Clifton’s response? A dismissive “we have the right to do this,” despite how it had been presented to us when we booked the venue. Couples should beware—get everything explicitly written into your contract and signed. Ultimately, The Clifton comped a few of the rooms Friday night for our friends and family most affected by staying in rooms overlooking the “petite” wedding, but not without a lot of unnecessary stress, hassle and anxiety on our part shortly before our wedding. Unacceptable Issues for the Price For a venue of this caliber and cost, the amount of issues was astounding. Warm beer was served during the reception due to “insufficient cooler space”—a shocking oversight given the $109 per-person bar tab. Guests reported unpleasant smells, excessive bugs in their rooms, tiles coming off the floor, and a broken balcony railing at the farmhouse. During the not-so-petite Friday wedding, our guests were disturbed by loud music, despite being promised this would not happen. Additionally many of our guests mentioned that one woman on the waitstaff was consistently unpleasant and rude. Bottom Line The Clifton is a stunning venue, but its management is profoundly unprofessional and disorganized. If you’re accustomed to the service and professionalism of similarly-priced hotels, you will be sorely disappointed. It’s a shame that such a picturesque property is so poorly run. Look elsewhere for a wedding venue unless you want unnecessary stress during what should be one of the happiest times...

The Clifton Inn in Charlottesville VA was an amazing experience. If I am staying in Charlottesville that is where I would choose every time. I've eaten at the C&O and Keswick hall, this topped them both. My girlfriend and I enjoyed dinner at the Chef's counter and a night's stay in the Thomas Mann Randolph suite in the main house. The food was delicious, the accommodations lavish, and the staff was impeccable with making sure we were well taken care of.

We arrived at 7:30 p.m. and received a warm greeting at the front desk by the general manager and several servers. We were given a tour of the well-stocked bar and dining areas. We took our seats and were introduced to the sous chef Yannick Fayolle and his team who were busy creating beautiful dishes but took the time for delightful conversation and to explain each dish in detail.

Our server Mark made sure our glasses were kept full and our dishes and silverware were cleared after each course, and that we had the proper utensils for the next, of which there were about a thousand as part of the tasting menu. We were served several amuse bouche, appetite stimulants served on tiny plates with tiny forks. Notably we enjoyed the brioche w/ brown butter, charred pearl onion w/ Banyul's vinegar gastrique, nasturtium greens and puffed pork skin, as well as a scallop ceviche.

Between bites the conversation was praise for the food and compliments to the chefs. We had vegetable salad of shaved butternut squash, turnip, and carrot with a buttermilk dressing and cocoa powder and hazelnut garnish, chicken liver mousse with glazed blueberries and grilled sourdough, seared scallops with grilled carrots and a squash puree, monk-fish on beluga lentils, duck breast with pickled fennel and black garlic puree, squab with risotto, rock barn pork with black beans, maple cherry glaze and apple crisp, and by the time we got to the dry aged beef with cauliflower and broccoli rabe we needed a box. Everything was cooked to perfection right in front of us on gorgeous copper pans.

They rolled us to our room with that, our dessert of sticky toffee with salted caramel ice cream, red row cheese with pears, a care package of mint macadamia nut cookies, chocolate truffle, sour apple gummy and rosemary buttermint. There in the suite, everything was as it should have been, the biggest, most comfortable bed with the nicest sheets I've ever slept on, glass shower with claw-foot tub, complimentary water and ice everywhere, a couch with ample culinary and travel literature on the coffee table, a decent sized television, beautiful antique furniture and hardwood floors. Without a doubt the nicest room I've spent a night in.

At 11 a.m. checkout we were given coffee and offered breakfast which we were unfortunately not able to partake of, it was snowing and the front desk clerk appraised us of the road conditions. I would highly recommend the Clifton Inn for anyone looking for a decadent meal and a reasonably...