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The New Inn on Biltmore Estate is Now Open and Receiving Guests.

The Biltmore Estate's luxury inn, the Inn on Biltmore Estate, The New Inn on Biltmore Estate is Now Open and Receiving Guests. The much ballyhooed $31 million luxury inn will allow Biltmore House guests to stay on the estate grounds overnight as guests of the Biltmore Estate.

Biltmore Estate was established as a country retreat by George Vanderbilt in 1895. It remains privately owned by Vanderbilt's heirs as a for-profit enterprise and welcomes 850,000 guests to the property each year. William A.V. Cecil, Jr., CEO of The Biltmore Company, said, "We are pleased to announce this exciting new area of growth for Biltmore Estate. My great-grandfather enjoyed entertaining guests here a century ago. Now, we'll be able to offer many of the same amenities-including an inviting place to stay the night."

However, there will be a charge for this privilege. The 213-room upscale hotel will be charging $139 to $289 for single and double rooms. For those guests wishing to indulge themselves, suites can be leased for $500 to $2,000 a night. The 165,000 square-foot building contains a 150-seat restaurant, a paneled library, massive lobby that contains a bar area, an exterior swimming pool and fitness room.

The Inn on Biltmore Estate is located on a hill above Biltmore Estate Winery and affords spectacular mountain vistas from porches, balconies and guest areas. The overall focus for the inn is to replicate the graciousness of America's resorts at the turn-of-the-century, offering guests the opportunity to experience the same hospitality George Vanderbilt extended to his family and friends when they visited Biltmore Estate in the 1890s.

The Biltmore Estate is offering a new Explore Biltmore Program, that allows guests to experience different aspects of the estate through horse and carriage rides, mountain biking on bike trails, hiking on nature trails, horseback riding and river rafting. Cecil added, "For years, we've heard from guests they wanted to stay on the Estate, and now they will have the opportunity to do so. This decision clearly leads us into the new millennium, making Biltmore Estate a more complete destination. With the addition of the inn, our guests will be able to enjoy the Estate for several days at a time."

The Biltmore Inn will serve afternoon tea each day, and Thursday through Sunday a pianist will be performing in the lobby on a grand piano. Fluffy white robes and slippers will also be provided for guests staying at this new luxury resort hotel.

The design of the property is reminiscent of other Estate structures, incorporating materials such as fieldstone and stucco. Walnut floors in the primary dining room were milled from trees cut on the estate. The inn also features a slate-like roof, similar to the roof of the Biltmore House. The intention of the design team is to create an inn with a sensitivity to the historic significance of the Biltmore Estate by creating a structure in keeping with the spirit of gracious resort inns in America at the turn-of-the-century.

Guests staying at the Inn on Biltmore Estate will find that the Biltmore Company has achieved all of their design objectives in this exquisite luxury hotel situated on the 5,000-acre Biltmore Estate.