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The Concierge

Reni N. Hamner
Club Floor Concierge
The Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa
Asheville, N.C.


What service can you provide to groups that they normally might not receive?

Our property features one of the finest spas in North America, with seven pools and five fireside lounges. With advance booking, we can provide day passes and/or treatment options for groups and individuals.

What are your group restaurant recommendations?
The Market Place is always one of my first recommendations; good American continental cuisine prepared with fresh, local, seasonal ingredients in a romantic setting and nice atmosphere. Another one of my favorites is Vincenzo; wonderful Italian cuisine upstairs with a live music bar downstairs.

What are your bar or nightclub recommendations?
Our very own Elaine’ s Dueling Piano Bar with a nonstop rock ’n’ roll sing-along party show. Dueling piano players might be mistaken as comedians who sing your favorites by request. Other great places in town would be Tressa’s for blues and jazz and Jack of the Wood, an Irish Pub which offers great shows, great beer, good food, and best of all, a non-smoking environment.

Vinzenco’s is a live music bar downstairs in one of Asheville’s finest Italian restaurants. Sante is a wonderful little wine bar in the Grove Arcade; it features a rotating wine list and excellent appetizers. All clubs are within easy walking distance of many of downtown Asheville’s unique sites and sounds.

Can you recommend a good place to take a stroll?
The options are virtually limitless. Bordering on our property is a neighborhood with rich architectural variance. The mountainous terrain here can make for strenuous strolls, but the requisite views are well worth the effort. The downtown area also provides good strolling zones. Only a 20-minute drive away, The North Carolina Arboretum offers great options for nature exploration, including a Segway tour. For those who long for a little more adventure, western North Carolina has some of the best hiking trails in the U.S. These range from many easy treks off the Blue Ridge Parkway to a trail rated the most difficult hike east of the Mississippi River.

Are there any quirky places we should check out?
The Haunted Asheville Tour is always a good option. Asheville also has five microbreweries in downtown alone, and there is a BrewsCruise tasting tour available, also.

If we only have an hour or two, what should we definitely check out nearby?
The Grove Arcade. This is a recently renovated building in the heart of downtown Asheville. The Arcade was completed in 1929, and was, for many years, the center of downtown commerce. It now features 11 restaurants, several specialty shops, arts and crafts galleries, and luxury apartments upstairs. Unique architecture, great shops, excellent restaurants, and a premier wine bar are also in Asheville.

The Blue Ridge Parkway is minutes from downtown Asheville. You can drive for as long as you want to and find the most breathtaking views at every turn.

What is an unusual request from a group?
We have had requests for last-minute speakers, comedians and magicians, due to a scheduled speaker’s plane delay or illness.

A party of 12 wants to have dinner right away. What restaurant can accommodate last-minute requests of this size?
The Market Place, Vinzenco’s and La Catterina Trattoria. All have private dining rooms.

What’s a unique event that has taken place at your property? The Great Gatsby Party, where everyone had a Roaring ’20s good time. Everything was themed to the event, including music, decor and food. Boas and top hats were handed out to our guests.