The Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina, is a historic luxury resort hotel and spa built in 1913 by millionaire Edwin Wiley Grove, who made his fortune off Grove’s Tasteless Chill Tonic. The hotel features The Great Hall, which has two elevators hidden in giant stone fireplaces, and has hosted famous guests such as F. Scott Fitzgerald and several US presidents. The hotel is also known for its ghostly guest, the Pink Lady, who reportedly fell to her death in the 1920s.
Located in the United States (USA) in Asheville, North Carolina, the Grove Park Inn is a popular resort hotel and spa that serves as a luxury retreat and a treasured historic landmark of the United States. The inn was built in 1913, under the funding and oversight of millionaire Edwin Wiley (EW) Grove, who made a fortune off his syrupy drink called Grove’s Tasteless Chill Tonic. In 1973, the hotel was added to the National Register of Historic Places, which, along with the profits it makes from tourism and guests, has ensured the historic site’s survival.
Prior to building the Grove Park Inn, EW Groves built a fortune off sales of his creation, Grove’s Tasteless Chill Tonic. The syrupy tonic contained quinine, an ingredient used in the tonic today, which was then widely used as a treatment for malaria and feverish symptoms. Grove in fact marketed its drink to cure and ward off disease, and it was widely used for this purpose. Grove’s tonic was so popular that it rivaled the sales of Coca-Cola and other popular soft drinks of the time.
In 1913, EW Grove selected the Blue Ridge Mountains as the site for the hotel he envisioned building. He specifically settled on Sunset Mountain. Once the design and terrain were decided upon, Grove wasted no time in building its resort: It took Grove’s 400-man crew just 12 months to complete the build. This included the time required to extract the granite boulders from the mountainside and haul them up to the construction site. Groves was able to expedite construction by paying his workers hefty wages.
One of the structure’s most historic and notable features is The Great Hall, a cavernous room spanning 120 feet in diameter, with vaulted ceilings rising 24 feet off the ground. Two giant stone fireplaces, each measuring 14 feet, add an aesthetic touch. In addition to providing warmth, these fireplaces serve a unique purpose: Hidden within each fireplace are elevators that still operate today, taking guests from the lobby to the level where their room is located.
The inn was hailed as a triumph upon its opening, proclaimed by popular speaker and presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan as “built for the ages.” It has hosted many famous guests and dignitaries over the years, including American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald, who lived in room 441 for two summers from 1935-1936. Several US presidents have stayed at the premises, from the 27th president, William Howard Taft, to the 44th president, Barack Obama. Other famous faces who have graced the halls of the Grove Park Inn include Will Rogers, Harry Houdini and Eleanor Roosevelt.
The Grove Park Inn also has a tradition of being a hotel with ghostly guests. One ghost in particular, nicknamed the Pink Lady, has become part of the legend of the Grove Park Inn. According to the story, a lady, in the 1920’s, was staying at the hotel and due to some mishap she fell on one of the walls of the inn and plummeted to her death. Since that time, numerous sightings of the lady in pink by staff and guests have only added to the legend.
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