Grand Bohemian Lodge, a Biltmore Village landmark, reopens after Hurricane Helene
By Felicia Sonmez
May 8, 2025 at 2:16 PM EDT
Asheville’s Historic Biltmore Village celebrated some good news Thursday: The reopening of the Grand Bohemian Lodge.
The 104-room hotel had been closed ever since Hurricane Helene hit in late September. The recovery involved dozens of construction workers, artisans and more. It comes as the first few Biltmore Village retailers are reopening as well.
During a visit by BPR to the property in late April, dozens of construction workers and engineers filled the building’s courtyard and lobby.
Flanked by marble statues, rustic chandeliers and a stuffed deer head on the courtyard wall, they were putting the finishing touches on the building’s renovation after Helene. The hotel sits just down the block from the gates of the Biltmore Estate.
The stone fireplace in the lobby of the Grand Bohemian Lodge in Asheville, on Thursday, May 8, 2025. (4032x3024, AR: 1.3333333333333333)
Matthew Lehman, the hotel’s general manager, said the hotel had “what feels like an army of craftsmen hard at work.”
“We have guests who have booked rooms in this property, and we have to be ready to welcome them,” he said in an interview last month.
The interview took place in an office area that provided a bit of a respite from all the construction. The area is accessible through a side door and winding hallways off the main lobby.
“We’ve got a team in the lobby right now making decorative moldings and wood panels from hand,” he said. “We’ve got this great little secret door off the lobby, but we have to build a secret door like they did a couple hundred years ago to make it look like it’s just part of the paneling. It’s not something you can just go to a big box retailer and find.”
In September, the historic deluge from Hurricane Helene caused the nearby Swannanoa River to overrun its banks. The floodwaters submerged much of the hotel and the low-lying Biltmore Village neighborhood it belongs to.
“It was deep. It was fast-moving,” Lehman said. “It brought a lot of debris with it and left a lot more behind. So, the cleanup job was not inconsequential.”
In the months since, the hotel’s owners took the opportunity to reimagine the property, overhauling its rustic lobby and completely renovating three floors of rooms.
The Grand Bohemian Lodge is a local landmark that looks much older than it actually is. Lehman explained that the hotel is only about 15 years old — and that, “in a terrific bit of irony,” its creation came after the last big flood of the area.
“The property that was here before was a gas station,” he said. “Our company bought the property and reimagined this miniature city block as a hotel.”
A band performs during a reception for the Grand Bohemian Lodge's reopening Thursday, May 8, 2025. (4032x3024, AR: 1.3333333333333333)
At the time of BPR’s visit, the hotel’s employees were in the middle of a three-day orientation session to prepare to reopen. Lehman said about 80% of the original staff will return, “which is really exciting.”
“We have people working with us who are opening this hotel for the third time, because they opened it 15 years ago, they reopened it after COVID, and now they’re reopening it again. And that kind of commitment from our team is really — it’s heartwarming and it’s special,” he said.
Even though the hotel is ready for business, most of Biltmore Village remains in the midst of recovery. The Grand Bohemian had a reception Thursday morning to celebrate the reopening, but a larger welcome-back party for the entire neighborhood likely won’t take place until later this year.
“We’ve been working on a block party to celebrate,” he said. “You know, once we get a bit of a critical mass of open businesses, we want to host an event just to remind everyone, ‘The Village is back, and quite frankly, get your butt back down here.’”
The 104-room hotel had been closed ever since Hurricane Helene hit in late September. The recovery involved dozens of construction workers, artisans and more. It comes as the first few Biltmore Village retailers are reopening as well.
During a visit by BPR to the property in late April, dozens of construction workers and engineers filled the building’s courtyard and lobby.
Flanked by marble statues, rustic chandeliers and a stuffed deer head on the courtyard wall, they were putting the finishing touches on the building’s renovation after Helene. The hotel sits just down the block from the gates of the Biltmore Estate.
The stone fireplace in the lobby of the Grand Bohemian Lodge in Asheville, on Thursday, May 8, 2025. (4032x3024, AR: 1.3333333333333333)
Matthew Lehman, the hotel’s general manager, said the hotel had “what feels like an army of craftsmen hard at work.”
“We have guests who have booked rooms in this property, and we have to be ready to welcome them,” he said in an interview last month.
The interview took place in an office area that provided a bit of a respite from all the construction. The area is accessible through a side door and winding hallways off the main lobby.
“We’ve got a team in the lobby right now making decorative moldings and wood panels from hand,” he said. “We’ve got this great little secret door off the lobby, but we have to build a secret door like they did a couple hundred years ago to make it look like it’s just part of the paneling. It’s not something you can just go to a big box retailer and find.”
In September, the historic deluge from Hurricane Helene caused the nearby Swannanoa River to overrun its banks. The floodwaters submerged much of the hotel and the low-lying Biltmore Village neighborhood it belongs to.
“It was deep. It was fast-moving,” Lehman said. “It brought a lot of debris with it and left a lot more behind. So, the cleanup job was not inconsequential.”
In the months since, the hotel’s owners took the opportunity to reimagine the property, overhauling its rustic lobby and completely renovating three floors of rooms.
The Grand Bohemian Lodge is a local landmark that looks much older than it actually is. Lehman explained that the hotel is only about 15 years old — and that, “in a terrific bit of irony,” its creation came after the last big flood of the area.
“The property that was here before was a gas station,” he said. “Our company bought the property and reimagined this miniature city block as a hotel.”
A band performs during a reception for the Grand Bohemian Lodge's reopening Thursday, May 8, 2025. (4032x3024, AR: 1.3333333333333333)
At the time of BPR’s visit, the hotel’s employees were in the middle of a three-day orientation session to prepare to reopen. Lehman said about 80% of the original staff will return, “which is really exciting.”
“We have people working with us who are opening this hotel for the third time, because they opened it 15 years ago, they reopened it after COVID, and now they’re reopening it again. And that kind of commitment from our team is really — it’s heartwarming and it’s special,” he said.
Even though the hotel is ready for business, most of Biltmore Village remains in the midst of recovery. The Grand Bohemian had a reception Thursday morning to celebrate the reopening, but a larger welcome-back party for the entire neighborhood likely won’t take place until later this year.
“We’ve been working on a block party to celebrate,” he said. “You know, once we get a bit of a critical mass of open businesses, we want to host an event just to remind everyone, ‘The Village is back, and quite frankly, get your butt back down here.’”