Many of you know that Innkeeper Dave sustained a serious shoulder injury in early 2019, resulting in two surgeries and a nearly year-long recovery. Great news – our favorite engineer and DIY innkeeper is back in good form and so along with the usual freshening up of guest spaces, we’re tackling a number of projects that had to go on the backburner last year. Let’s discuss the ways we’re improving your experience when you visit the Asheville area and stay with us at the Inn on Mill Creek!
The South Lawn Boardwalk takes shape – You have even more outdoor space to explore at the Inn on Mill Creek starting this year, with a stroll on our boardwalk at the southern end of the property bordering Pisgah National Forest. The boardwalk meanders along through rhododendron and other shrubs behind the pond, where woods and wetlands meet. This special part of the property is a popular hangout for birds and butterflies, as well as frogs, squirrels and other woodland creatures, and is a great way to immerse yourself in nature. Seating will also be available for those valuable moments of quiet contemplation and reflection. There will eventually be 500-700 feet of boardwalk, with much of it being installed during the 2020 winter season by Innkeeper Dave. Keep an eye on the blog and social media for boardwalk updates!
We’re hygge-ing up the place – Hygge (pronounced hoo-ga) is a Danish word representing comfort, coziness, contentment and the savoring of simple pleasures, all combined to create a mood-elevating experience. Other countries have words meaning something similar, but many Danes will tell you that hygge is not so much a word as a way of life. A lot of guests tell us we already create an atmosphere for “hyggeligt” (hygge-like) experiences, but we’re stepping up our hygge game and making the Inn on Mill Creek a place where you can find many a “hyggestund” (hygge moment). This is an ongoing project, so if you have any suggestions, please send them to Innkeeper Brigette.
The Deck House is undergoing a transformation – When our time at the Inn on Mill Creek Bed & Breakfast began in 2007, the B&B had seven guest rooms. We’ve worked hard to optimize guest comfort in many ways, such as increasing the amount of elbow room you have while you’re here. This includes reducing the number of guest rooms over the years. Currently the Main House has three guest rooms, and the Deck House has three guest rooms plus a full kitchen and dining area. One of the improvements we’ve had planned for a while is to convert our smallest Deck House guest room into a common-area living space for guests who are staying in the two larger rooms in that building. For those of you traveling with your friends or family, or if you want more space during your stay, this will give you the flexibility of reserving the entire Deck House with the added amenities of extra living space and a kitchen. The Deck House project involves a bit of work and we will be scheduling it around reservations, so you won’t hear any work noise going on while you’re here. Bonus Deck House project – Innkeeper Dave is installing a dishwasher in the kitchen.
Room Guides are being enhanced – One of the aspects we like about being innkeepers is that we get to act as concierges for our guests. Many of you use the Inn on Mill Creek as your home base for your numerous adventures in the Asheville area, and with so much to do in the North Carolina mountains, we enjoy being that home base for you. For those of you who don’t necessarily have a set plan for your getaway, but want to explore your options, or if you’re staying with us for a specific event or activity and already thinking about what you’re going to do during your next stay, we’re adding suggested itineraries and activities to the Room Guides at the Inn. They’ll be arranged by distance from the Inn on Mill Creek, with three categories: In Our Neck of the Woods (0-20 minutes away); Branching Out (20-40 minutes away); and Out on a Limb (more than 40 minutes away). We’ll also be featuring some of them on our blog.
Getting greener – We soon will be bidding farewell to plastic bottled water and single size bath amenities. The water at the Inn on Mill Creek is mountain spring-fed water and tastes awesome, so we’ll be providing tumblers for you to use during your stay in lieu of plastic bottled water. You can use them in the room or take them with you on your daily adventures, and they’ll be available for purchase at the end of your stay if you’d like a memento from your visit. We’re also switching to dispensers in the bathrooms for our shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and lotion, so no more plastic single use bottles of those. Our bath amenities, including our popular paper-wrapped bar soaps, come from North Carolina-based Greenwich Bay Trading Co., which manufactures its own products formulated from plant-based ingredients and free from animal testing.