Blind Tiger Asheville
Stay for all stripes
Charming Chestnut Hill
When it comes to creature comforts, Blind Tiger Asheville is a marvellous specimen. This bed and breakfast moved into an utterly charming 19th-century Queen Anne house close to Downtown and quickly embodied the Asheville spirit, with statement furnishings sourced from thrift and antique stores, local snacks stocked in the (free for guests) pantry, and an itinerary by a different notable resident in each room. With its frisson of creative energy, and laidback nature too, plus easy access to culture, food, nature and all that’s good, we’ll happily bite.
Facilities
Rooms
14, including seven suites and one standalone cottage.
Checkout
11am. Check-in is from 4pm to 6pm. Both can be flexible, subject to availability and on request, and if you’ll be checking in late, please try to let hotel staff know in advance.
More Details
Rates include a help-yourself grab-and-go breakfast, and snacks and beverages from the pantry.
Also
Room 9 is accessible and adapted, with a nearby parking space and grab bars in the bathroom. However, the main entrances to the hotel have either a gravel path or steps.
Free Internet Access
Pet Friendly
On-Site Restaurant
At the Hotel
Garden and furnished patio, parlour, lounge with a piano and workspaces, open pantry filled with local snacks and drinks, concierge, and free WiFi. In rooms: waffle bathrobes, black-out shades, and DS & Durga bath products. Some rooms have heating and air-conditioning, a mini fridge, wine glasses and a corkscrew.
Our Favourite Rooms
Each of the 14 rooms is uniquely decorated using vintage pieces (we especially love the light fixtures, colour-pop desk chairs, sculptural recliners, woven-leather headboards, and mid-century seating) and local artworks, from paintings to wicker installations – all very Asheville indeed. You could have a bright white artist loft, one of the 19th-century house’s original bedrooms with a cozy fireplace, or one with a separate sitting area, private porch or patio – there’s one to suit every personality. And for a bit more space and privacy, book Cottage 8, which stands alone in the grounds.
Packing Tips
If you forget anything, go check in the pantry – with toothbrushes, eye-masks and more, it’s not just for snack raids.
Also
Tune in — the hotel has carefully curated playlists too. And guests can tickle the ivories on the antique piano in the lounge.
Children
Small families will be comfortable here as long as they plan on exploring (there are no facilities or distractions for kids on-site), and Cypress and Five Points each have a day-bed one child can sleep on for $50 a night.
Gallery
Food & Drink
Top Table
With fill-yourself picnic baskets and blankets to borrow here, the concept of a ‘table’ expands to a rocky ridge at Beacon Heights, grassy trail on the Biltmore Estate, slope of the Blue Ridge Mountains, or by the spray of Crabtree Falls.
Dress Code
It depends on how dressed up you want to be for breakfast, but you will want to take notes from Asheville’s artistic nature, so even if you’re just wearing jammies, make sure they’re a fashion fit.
Hotel Restaurant
The hotel only serves breakfast, which is a very casual grab-and-go affair, with cookies, oatmeal, granola, yogurt, muffins with toppings, and more. The ‘go’ isn’t mandatory – you’re welcome to sit in the lounge or kick off your day by the garden’s koi pond. And if you’re peckish in the day, the pantry is filled with free snacks and drinks from expertly chosen Asheville indie suppliers (from pretzel braids to cookies, to gourmet chips, to penny candies).
Hotel Bar
There are French presses with decaff coffee, plus soft drinks aplenty in the pantry. Otherwise you’re welcome to dive into your hauls from local breweries (after all, Asheville has the most per capita in the US), uncork bottles from Metro Wines down the road (your room has glasses and a corkscrew), or pick up a bottle of spirits from Trader Joe’s on Merrimon Avenue and mix up cocktails using the fixings at the hotel.
Last Orders
Breakfast is served from 8am to 10am.
Planes
Domestic hub Asheville Regional Airport is just 20 minutes’ drive from the hotel and has connections to major cities across the country. The closest international hubs are Greenville-Spartanburg (around an hour’s drive away) and Charlotte Douglas near the capital (about two hours’ drive).
Trains
Amtrak trains traversing the south-east stop at Greenville.
Automobiles
A car won’t just come in handy, but it’ll let you experience the famously scenic (especially during fall) Blue Ridge Parkway; each room has an allocated parking space for one vehicle.
Worth Getting Out of Bed For
Here you can get your exploring tips straight from the horse’s (tiger’s?) mouth, with local guides curated by Asheville creatives and luminaries left in each room. These include the founder of the LEAF arts festival, chef Jacob Sessoms, founder of the Wild Bird Research Group, general manager of Wedge Brewing Co, and more. And there’s plenty to prowl close by: have a wizard time at the Pinball Museum, have a Rousseau moment in the botanical gardens, and tour Bonfire of the Vanities author Thomas Wolfe’s magnolia-hued Queen Anne house. Tour studios and score some original artwork (from paintings to pottery, jewelry and sculptures) at the River Arts District (RAD for short) and Downtown Art District; and find more creative souvenirs at shops such as Loft of Asheville, non-profit Ten Thousand Villages, Harvest Records, and Malaprop’s Bookstore (which also has a cute café). Sauna House’s sauna-to-cold-plunge-pool experience has proved very refreshing, as has the city’s rooftop bar tours, albeit in a different way. And, Asheville rounds off its cultural scene at the Orange Peel, an iconic venue for live music, and the riverside Salvage Station.
But as great as Asheville city is, its outdoors might have it beat, with wildflower-strewn, waterfall-revealing trails criss-crossing the Blue Ridge Mountains, climbs to scenic viewpoints at Chimney Rock Park, Wai Mauna SUP Tours along the French Broad River, and other ways to turn the wilds into your playground. While the Biltmore Estate (America’s largest home, built by phenomenally wealthy George Vanderbilt) might be best known for its grand residence and important artworks, its grounds are perfect for a ramble too. And the Blue Ridge Parkway is a hell of a ride, especially in fall when the foliage is aflame with color.
Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt
This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .
