Surprise

The name--the Grand Bohemian Hotel--caught our attention; the description: "the authentic Old World, rustic ambiance of this Tudor inspired...boutique hotel" warranted a visit.

The stacked stone entryway spoke to the days when lighting was limited to candle power.

"As you enter the lobby, you will be overwhelmed with the antique and art collection. Sit in antique Chinese chairs, hand-carved in 1888.

"The interior of the Grand Bohemian Asheville is central European in its essence, borrowing from Austrian country styles" (southerntravelnews.com/NewsRelease.aspx?NewsId=832).

The open fireplace hinted at a time when a hunting lodge's fireplace provided not only warmth but also a place for cooking food.

The columns in the lobby are originally from a palace in India.

Even though the hotel seemed to hint at historical events that had taken place inside its walls or meetings that had taken place in the dark corners of what is now the Hotel's Red Stag Restaurant, there were no references to such events or meetings as I read about the Hotel.

The missing history of the hotel that resembles a turn-of-the-century, grand European hunting lodge is because it was built...

in 2009.