Grand Ballroom - Omni Grove Park Inn

I think $70 for a buffet is crazy! On top of that we got an automatic 20% gratuity ---for a buffet. Really?

Was expecting to have views from the eating area but this was not the case. Food was good but not worth almost $500 for 5 adults and a child. I was expected to be wowed.

This was a very expensive buffet which we booked to ensure a nice meal on Christmas day. The food was very good, and the staff very attentive, but the grand ballroom is huge and was completely full. We did not enjoy eating with hundreds of people in a single room. We had no idea that the room would not be divided into smaller sections.

Tables were placed too closely and 8 diners were jammed together at tables designed to sit 6 comfortably. It was very difficult to eat, let alone enjoy the food and dining experience.

Very disappointed as this former holiday tradition has now become a volume-based operation and the food, service, and comfort levels are indicative of the unfortunate changes.

I will not be returning next year.

Christmas lunch

I little slow received our drinks and refills, but the staff was very busy. Food was excellent with the exception of the crab legs. The crab meat was too soft, we were unable to get the meat out of the shell without it falling apart. Overall a really good experience. We will be back.

My family has been going to the buffet on Christmas for years but this year was the worst and the last time we will go. The room was barely decorated, the food was salty and average, and the meat (especially crab) was not good. The room was packed too tight and everyone’s chairs were bumped frequently by the staff. Not worth the money.

Unfortunately it was somewhat disorganized getting in. One line to pay and then another wait for table. Having a 6 year old pay for a buffet they don't eat is ridiculous. Adult price was high based on $30 to park. Probably will not be able to afford to go back again. Also it was a hassle to add 1 to our tabke and then we ended up with 2 empty seats.

Christmas day buffet was amazing, wish I had two stomachs.

Food quality was the worst I have experienced. Would never go back. Simply can not describe how poor the food was.

I was looking forward to a great dinner and found it totally mediocre. The Turkey was dry and salty, the gravy was cold, the stuffing was tasteless, and the coffee was cold. Even the desert I had, the bread pudding was burnt on the bottom.

Our Thanksgiving meal was great! The food was wonderful and our waiter was delightful!

A little pricey between dinner and parking but the selection was amazing, service was great and the food was so good!

We were in the Ballroom for the Thanksgiving buffet. The price was $70 per person. I felt like I was just at a fancy wedding. Lots of variety for food choices however we really wanted the turkey but it was inedible. It was so salty we couldn’t eat it. Very disappointed that on Thanksgiving the turkey was the one thing that was terrible. Nice live music but overall we probably won’t be back next year.

Thanksgiving meal was exceptional! It was just too crowded—had to wait to get the car parked, to be checked in, to pay, to get seated, etc. They seemed to have overbooked and it made the experience less enjoyable.

Haven't been in awhile since Omni took over. Would grade it a little below previous experience

Service charge or “tip” was included in the price. Service was great but prefer tipping based on service than standard fees.

I truly do not understand how anyone could leave anything less than outstanding for this venue. I will never cook Thanksgiving dinner again! This was phenomenal and my entire family enjoyed the experience. Desserts were decadent, food was wonderful, and the live stringband just added to the ambiance. Highly recommend!!!!

Thanksgiving buffet food was just mediocre and lines for food were long. Start time delayed by almost a half hour, hot chocolate was an additional $15! Ambience of hotel was great, but could have decorated buffet room more.

Private note sent to Management about service experience.

Our server, Mary, was wonderful! She found the perfect balance between offering great service and not being intrusive while doing so. The meal was very well-prepared and the whole experience a memorable one! Thank you to all the staff who worked during their holiday to make it truly memorable for guests like us.

One of the best thanksgiving dinner ever

We went for the Thanksgiving Buffet, and I doubt we'll go back. First, let me be clear, the food and the service were both wonderful. The planning of this event, however, could not have been worse. We arrived about 45 minutes early, and found a line of nearly 100 people waiting. With no guidance or direction, we had to ask around to find that we had to wait in the huge line, pay (including a pre-determined tip), then find another counter to turn in our receipt so we could be called for dinner. During this we learned they were running over an hour behind schedule. Again, the poor staff soldiered through and did a great job, and the meal itself was wonderful. But whoever decided to take nearly 2500 reservations and run a cattle herd of a line with no assistance should be fired. There's no excuse for a Omni property to run such a shoddy, amateur operation, especially at Thanksgiving.

Overpriced, understaffed and zero coordination on a "special event". The entire grand ballroom foyer was crowded with confused families and parents with crying small children. Standing in Multiple lines that went both ways. Our "dinner" was overpriced for $150 for two adults but we are still waiting to correct improper charges of 181 on our card.
I wish I could share pictures including a grandmother sitting in the stairway with her head slung in her hands so the management can do a better job getting their act together next time

The food was delicious, but this was the biggest disaster of organization and planning on the staff's part that I have ever seen. Hour + long lines, upset people, horrible customer service, overall set up for a bad experience.

I arrived and waited over an hour to be seated after my reservation time. my handicap brother had to stand as there was no where for him to sit. I was overcharged on my credit card by 100.00 that I am now calling accounts receivable to get corrected. The food wasn't overly hot. it was luke warm. the music was loud but luckily we sat in the back. I would think those who sat near the music probably felt it was disruptive. it was pretty inside. it was only a memorable experience due to the stress and failure of a good experience. I would not recommend this dining experience. we traveled 8 hours to stand for over an hour and be overcharged on our credit card. there were elderly people in wheelchairs pressed up against the wall waiting and pregnant women standing for a great length of time. no one was even there to explain why the situation was the way it was. I feel bad that my guests of 8 had a very poor thanksgiving experience.

A reservation time is just that. It was my wedding weekend and having to wait in line behind a huge loud crowd of people. There should have been an information station or someone explaining the process. I love GPI. I lived in Asheville and worked down the road at the Red Cross, and had many blood drives there. But this was unorganized and I was upset. The cost was too high. The food was good, but not even getting a soda with out paying for it was unfortunate. The staff just keep directing us to the bar as if it would make the wait any less. The two line concept was not a good idea and confused most everyone. I will NOT be back for thanksgiving. I waited 3 months to take my bride there and I regret it.

April

Overall the idea was great - big ballroom decorated with ice sculptures, trays of tasty food, live music, and many tables scattered throughout. HOWEVER, there was not enough planning or staff to seat and serve all 2,600 people that had reservations. The line to wait in just to pay was almost 100 people long, taking an hour to get to the two cashiers available to take your money. Then there was another line - nearly 20 people long - to get to the two hostesses who were seating folks. Seemingly everyone had reservations, however there was no order as to who was in line and when they were being seated. The Grove Park Inn was totally unprepared for this many people, and reservations were a joke. Also, the amount quoted on line was $59.00 per person. What was not mentioned was the 20% resort fee and 20% gratuity plus tax, which brought the total to over $75 per person. The food was good, thank goodness we were serving ourselves buffet-style, as the wait staff was sparse. I will not go back to this Thanksgiving event and recommend to others that they do not attend either.

They oversold what could've been a lovely experience for Thanksgiving. I paid $250 for my 2 teenagers and me to eat in what was a glorified Golden Coral type experience. People with reservations (myself included) had to wait 2 hours to eat. The entire hotel was overrun. No parking and we were treated like herded cattle. Never again.

It took us 30 minutes to check in for our reservation and then another 30 minutes to be seated. There were many empty tables so we couldn't understand why the wait. The service staff did not check on us for water and coffee refills unless we flagged them down and empty plates sat on the table during the entire meal. We were very disappointed in the whole experience and for $59 per person expected better service. The food was outstanding but the wait and service was unacceptable. I would not recommend the Thanksgiving Buffet to anyone and will not go again. I also made a comment on TripAdvisor and saw that other people had the same experience that we had and were just as upset.

Pretty good food. Very disorganized getting in. They couldn't handle the Thanksgiving surge.

My family and I had dinner at the Grove Park Inn Thanksgiving 2015. It was excellent!! The food was awesome - shrimp, crab legs, carving station, endless salads, the best mac and cheese EVER.... and probably the best bread pudding and pecan pie I have ever had. The staff were super nice and accommodating. All the guests were in festive moods and interacted happily with each other. So much food to choose from - I can't even list it all. I'm sure we will make this a yearly family tradition. I highly recommend it! Loved the live music as well.

This was our second year doing the Grove Park Thanksgiving buffet. However, last year we were in the blue ridge dining room which is much nicer. We had no service. NOBODY came to ask if we wanted drinks. My husband cleared our own plates. It was not nearly as good as last year and we will not be returning.

We had an absolutely wonderful Thanksgiving Day throughout the entire Grove Park Inn but we were expecting to be in the Blue Ridge Room instead of the ballroom. (Our error). Make sure you choose the correct room for your buffet. There is no view at all. The ambiance of the 2 buffet areas are night and day. Luckily it was a beautiful day and we were able to take the rest our wine outside to enjoy the views. We also wandered throughout the Inn and loved everything else.

Celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary at the Open Table Thanksgiving buffet. What a pleasant time, good servive and great food. Thank you for helping to create a fond memory.

Food was amazing and the Inn has much history on display. My husband and I brought my daughter and boyfriend for Thanksgiving lunch in Grand Ballroom. Enjoyed seeing all of the gingerbread houses as well. The view from the patio was breathtaking. Only downside was our table was in corner against kitchen door, so we kept getting bumped into. It was really tight squeeze. Otherwise awesome!

This review is for Thanksgiving lunch. The reservation check in needed better organization. We were given different check in information at the three areas that you need to go through to be seated. The first stop point lined you up and asked that only one person in the party wait in the line. The others should go sit in another area to be sent a text later. The second stop is where you pay and then told that the entire party must be together. We were then corralled in front of a door awaiting our name to be called. After 15 minutes of waiting a lady asked if everyone with our reservation time had been seated. We raised our hand and then were told that we were to check in at this third and final station. We then were shown to our table within 5 minutes. The location of the table was in a far corner where we had to navigate between tables and people. Half way to the table I stopped the host and told him that the table would be difficult for us to get to. He took us back to the table assignment area where we were immediately assigned a different table. Once seated we ordered a bottle of wine. We went to the wonderful buffet and served ourselves. A wait staff person swiftly came by with a glass of wine and placed it in front of my husband. We were confused since we had ordered a bottle. That mistake was later corrected. All entrees were excellent. Wine and coffee was wonderful. Live music was flawless with an excellent choice of ballroom music. The dessert table had a wonderful eye pleasing presentation, however the pastries and cakes were dry and without flavor. I noticed that most people were choosing ice cream. Overall the flavor of the food made the experience enjoyable. Our server was accomodating and pleasant. Considering the number of people served that day our experience was good and I will spend another Thanksgiving Day meal at the Omni Grove Park Inn.

While it was a little pricey, the food was plentiful and down right yummy. There is a large variety to choose from for all taste buds. We will definitely return again. The only downside was the confusion for first timers to pay first then give the receipt to the hostess. Maybe the hotel should have instruction signs next year.

Not at all impressed. We were very disappointed - food was, with one or two exceptions, not very good. Holiday decorations were pretty sparse. Service was poor - even for a buffet.

The experience was akin to eating lunch in a football stadium. Too many people, bland food and overzealous wait staff rushing you to finish in hopes of turning tables over quickly. A complete waste of nearly $200. The view at the resort, however, was breathtaking and the holiday decor was beautiful.