The Virginian Lynchburg, Curio Collection by Hilton — Hotel in Lynchburg

My wife and I stayed at the Virginian because of the tremendous experience we had when we dined at William & Henry several years ago. It was such an amazing dinner that we figured we would give the hotel a chance as well. Our experience was not exactly what we were hoping it would be when compared to the cost.

Starting with the positive:

The staff is amazing! Every person we spoke to was extremely pleasant and very helpful. They are the reason that the rating is as high as it is.

Everything is spotless clean. The room, the lobby, the hallways, everything.

The beds are fantastically comfortable.

The Skyline and William & Henry are wonderful. The drinks, the food, and the staff are all top notch.

Now, some things that could use improvement:

The phone didn't work in our room. The charge light was on, but there was no dial tone at any point. We mentioned it to the front desk and their suggestion was to use the speakerphone. (We did try that, but it did not work) We didn't push for the phone to be fixed because we could just call from our mobile, but with the cost for the room, I would expect the phone to work when we first try to use it.

The shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel are bolted to the wall. I understand this in a cheap hotel where you need to be conscious of the people staying there. However, I highly doubt that The Virginian attracts riff-raff that steal shampoo, conditioner, or shower gel. This wouldn't have been an issue except for the fact that the gel was separated into three layers and we had no way to mix it. Not a big deal, of course, just a weird inconvenience to see.

No pillow menu. The pillows are okay, but they were far too soft for my liking. It would have been nice to have the option to switch to a firmer pillow.

The tv is too low on the wall. For sitting in the chair, the television is fine, but for laying in bed and watching, it is so low that you have to crick your neck at an uncomfortable position in order to see the screen.

Everything is a la carte. Even a Days Inn for $60 a night has a continental breakfast included. While The Virginian has a much nicer breakfast, charging $10 a day for it is a bit much especially when we need to pay $10 a night for parking, too. I understand this is a standard operating procedure, it was still disconcerting and unexpected.

I don't understand what the deal with coffee creamers is. The first day we were there, we had four creamers. Two of them were bad. No big deal, it happens. We called the front desk and asked for more, which they were extremely fast about getting to us, but again, they only brough up 4 creamers. The next morning when we left, we swung by the front desk to ask for more coffee, creamers, and sweeteners. When we got back to our room, again, only 4 creamers. We went to the front desk and asked for more creamers again. The clerk brought us 2 more creamers. I don't know why creamers are so hard to get. Finally, Saturday night we went to the bar and asked for cream. They gave us an entire take-out cup of cream and we FINALLY had enough. (But we did run out of 0 calorie...

The hidden gem of Virginia wedding venues!

Madi Eades, the catering manger at The Virginian Hotel, won Lynchburg's 2019 Millennials on the Move, and we have no doubt that by the end of 2020 she will receive statewide recognition for our planning skills. As a fellow event planner, we had high expectations for what we needed our reception venue to accomplish, and they exceeded it. We booked The Virginian for our wedding reception 1 year and 3 months before our original wedding date set for June 2020, and Madi was extremely responsive every step of the way. When covid hit and we didn't know what to do, Madi was our most supportive vendor and she gave us a variety of options. They were never greedy and knew that covid was an unforeseen circumstance beyond anyone's control. She helped us move our wedding to a Monday in July and didn't charge us any fees to move our date or have event staff there on a weekday. They happily included extra servers so that our buffet would be served and meet all covid safety regulations. They knew the safety of our family and friends came first, and they did not financially punish us when we chose to reduce our guest list from 150 to 37. All of the staff wore masks, refilled hand sanitizer stations, and did everything they could to make it as safe as possible.

This is NOT a nickel and dime you venue. EVERYTHING is included in your package such as the dance floor, tables, cushioned chairs, linens, beautiful china, glassware, flatware, lounge seating, and more because they are focused on giving their couples an incredible experience and not finding 100 ways to monetize.

We received raving reviews from guests about the food, and at the tasting Madi let us work with the chef to customize everything to our exact liking. Too many times when we're hungry have we said to each other "I really wish we could eat our wedding food again". We didn't have alcohol, and they made the best lavender lemonade Arnold Palmers we have ever tasted!

The rooms are luxurious and everything you want in a getting ready suite. Our guests were shocked at how nice their rooms were for such an affordable rate. Best sleep we have gotten in years.

We could write a whole essay about why you should pick The Virginian for your wedding reception. Our entrance down the grand marble staircase, the gorgeous chandeliers, the black and white tile floored library, but if nothing else it is because Madi personally made sure that EVERY request we had, no matter how big or small, was taken care of without us ever noticing. She is someone that you can TRUST to handle your wedding, and when a pandemic hits and crumbles your plans, trust is the most valuable attribute of all.

Thank you to Madi and The Virginian Staff for making our reception an actual...

I unfortunately had a very frustrating and disappointing experience while at The Virginian. In anticipation for a college graduation in Lynchburg I had booked an Airbnb in advance due to the fact that this week is busy which means hotel room prices are high due to high demand. 1 week before graduation I learned that I had access to a special room rate discount at the Virginian. I promptly took advantage of this and booked a room online may 7th-may 9th and received a confirmation email and confirmation number from the Virginian with the receipt of what the 2 night stay would amount to (around 420 dollars after tax). I then adjusted my itinerary accordingly and canceled the air bnb I had previously booked. Later that day I received a call from The Virginian stating that the special rate only applied to may 7th and that I would have to pay around 1000 dollars (normal rate) for the 2nd night due to a mistake on their part. I explained my situation and was told there was nothing they could do and that they would not be honoring my confirmation email and number due to a mistake on their part. This was very frustrating since I had already canceled my airbnb and most places in Lynchburg were booked. Then over the next day I had several phone calls with various management individuals (who I will say were professional) where we basically played “let’s make a deal”. I was offered the room at 1000 dollars, then offered a free night in July, then offered the room for 800 dollars, and then finally I was offered both nights for 561 ish dollars (including tax). I was told that the GM was unable to go lower and that it was surprising he was even willing to go that low in the first place. Given my tight situation I accepted however when I checked in several days later the front office worker, “Laura”, made very dismissive, rude, and unprofessional comments when I politely raised a logistical concern to her regarding my stay which was like rubbing salt in the wounds considering all that had happened. It was also quite shocking since I was previously under the impression The Virginian held their staff to a high professional standard. This whole situation has been very disappointing and made what was suppose to be a time of celebration very stressful. It’s clear based on my experience that The Virginian, a Hilton brand hotel, doesn’t feel that they have to honor hotel confirmations and is perfectly willing to have patrons inconvenienced due to their mistakes as long as it protects their bottom line. I will also be sure to contact their corporate office regarding this. As someone who travels to Lynchburg frequently, I will never choose The Virginian, or likely any Hilton brand...