The Terrace at Lake Junaluska — Hotel in Waynesville

This hotel stay was, without a doubt, one of the worst experiences I’ve had — and I’ve stayed at roadside motels that were more welcoming and better run. We were at a retreat and the management was almost trying to make it so we wouldn't come back. Nickle and dimed us to death!!!

Let’s start with the food: bless their hearts, they served the same sad diced potatoes every single day like it was some kind of delicacy. And the coffee? Lord help us. Not only did it taste like it had been sitting on a burner since last Tuesday, but it had actual coffee grounds floating in the bottom. Even worse — they had the audacity to charge us a ridiculous amount just to have coffee available in the conference room. You’d think for the price, we’d at least get something drinkable. Nope.

Now let’s talk about the service — or lack thereof. The staff was downright unpleasant. Not once did we feel welcomed. When something went wrong (which was often), they’d just pass the buck and blame someone else. At one point, I asked someone with a name tag for a simple kitchen item, and I was flat-out told, “That’s not my job. You need to find your server.” Excuse me? If you’ve got a name tag on and you’re in a service role, maybe act like it.

The whole place had an air of “we don’t care” — from the unfriendly staff to the bland, recycled food. And for what they charge? It’s laughable. Honestly, the fact that this place still has two stars on Google is being mighty generous. One star is pushing it.

Now — let me be fair. The only shining light in this whole mess was Kathy Smith. She has been working there for 27 years and was the one and only person who actually made us feel seen, welcomed, and respected. Kathy, if you’re reading this — you are a gem. They need to let you teach a class on how to treat guests, because you’ve got it down to a science. If everyone there had half your heart and hospitality, this place might actually stand a chance.

Save your money. Stay anywhere else. You’d be better off pitching a tent and brewing your own coffee...

We really enjoyed our stay. My room was very clean. The breakfast was delicious. The pool was beautiful.

My deduction of stars for service though is because when we first arrived, we found the lake by total chance. We had been driving from SC to IN with a 1 year old and I went into the Lambuth inn and asked if they had any availability. The front desk said that she had a center room available but and offered to call across the lake to the Terrace for us because we wanted a lake view or else we would go down the road to a hotel I already have a creditcard with. The phone call she placed to the Terrace was very brief. "Do you have a room available? ....No, okay. I didn't think so. I said okay no thank you, and walked out. I got online and there were more rooms available BUT only with Booking.com (and various other 3rd parties). I give the hotels the benefit of a doubt that sometimes 3rd parties can mess up normal operations but it still felt like a low blow. Our room at the Terrace - booked through booking.com was on the 5th floor with a beautiful lakeside view. I'm 28 years old so I know to look at these things, but someone older and not so great renting a room over their mobile phones internet would have settled with that center room for no good reason at all. It was a LATE check in. I mean it was 6 o'clock and I asked if they had a room for THAT night. So our Lakeview room would have sat empty that night anyway.

Ssooo long story short is I guess if they only have a center room/no rooms when you book, to go ahead and check these other websites to see if you can get a Lakeview room?

The room service women were very kind and had very good hospitality. They...

We thoroughly enjoyed our time at the Terrace at Lake Junaluska, NC. It is a great place for families to get together. Since it is a conference center, there are plenty of large open spaces to get together, and the outdoor facilities are large enough with activities everyone can do to pass the time. The building seems to have been updated fairly recently, and the lobby is super-nice with a large fireplace and view of the lake. Even if your room is not on the lake side, you can easily find a rocking chair to sit in the shade and soak in the mountain lake view! The lake is beautiful, and the 3 mile path around it is great for exercise. You can also swim in the pool, rent a paddleboard/kayak/canoe, play pickleball/tennis, workout in the fitness center, buy ice cream and crepes, etc. The Terrace is one hotel in a conference center, so the amenities are a bit spread out and do require walking or a really short drive. Breakfast is on par with a Hampton Inn breakfast but including a few more hot dishes than that. People are friendly. Waynesville is about 5 minutes away and is a very cute town for walking through small artsy shops or getting a bite to eat. Cherokee is about a half hour away. The Blue Ridge Parkway with hiking is within 30 minutes. Note that with this being a conference center, there will be large group and/or youth group check-ins all at one time during the day. This can lead to general noise and activity in the hotel, but we didn't ever find it to be a problem. There are quiet hours after 10pm. If you are looking for a good place for extended family to get together with group space or the ability to enjoy individual activities, this would be a...