Asheville, N.C., in the Blue Ridge Mountains, is a tourism destination for its breathtaking scenery, but recent investments in hotels and meeting space are making it an attractive city for meeting planners. Last year the 132-room AC Hotel and 136-room Cambria Downtown Asheville debuted in the city, and two more upscale meeting hotels are scheduled to open in 2018.
The Hotel Arras will open late in the year in Asheville’s tallest building, and this summer The Foundry Hotel, a Hilton Curio Collection property, will open with 87 guest rooms and 4,000 square feet of meeting space. The $4.3 million project is situated within three original structures known as the Foundry Buildings, with the addition of two new buildings. The development of the property will ensure the original buildings are preserved in keeping with the downtown neighborhood.
The hotel has a 100-seat restaurant and a 3,500-square-foot library and lounge with fireplaces.
The Foundry Hotel is located downtown close to art galleries and more than 20 microbreweries.
Two other Asheville hotels, the Omni Grove Park Inn and the Biltmore, are expanding their existing event space by 3,200 square feet and 11,000 square feet respectively.