The Inn on Biltmore Estate

Asheville, North Carolina

Providing a seamless experience of the present and past at a national historic landmark

In 1890, George Vanderbilt purchased 120,000 acres of land in the Blue Ridge Mountains and commissioned the nation’s premier landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted, and architect Richard Morris Hunt to design and build a 250-room estate. In 1996, Vanderbilt’s great grandson and his family built The Inn on Biltmore Estate to increase tourism and allow visitors the experience of staying on the property. Design Workshop completed the site design for the inn, which embraces and integrates Olmsted’s principles of design for beauty, self-sufficiency and sustainability. The design team sited the inn using computerized visual modeling and assessments, along with careful site analysis intended to emulate the way the grand residence is situated on the land and to minimize the inn’s visual impact. Sitting high atop a hill, the inn provides guests with spectacular views of the surrounding land and offers beautiful landscaping features and amenities, including several gardens, a pool, a vineyard, converted meadows and a beautiful entry drive. An infinity-edge pool captures the reflection of the Inn and the ever-changing North Carolina sky. Since its opening, The Inn on Biltmore Estate has earned numerous accolades, including a four-diamond rating by AAA and four stars from the Mobil Travel Guide, as well as placement on the Conde Nast Travelers Gold List. The carefully designed setting, approach road, and landscape are pivotal elements in its praise.

Services Provided: Landscape Architecture, Master Planning, Site Planning

Client

Biltmore Company