The Washington Inn

This is not a traditional hotel - it is unattended, with keypad entry to both the front door and your room. Kim’s communication was good - on the morning of our arrival, about a week after Hurricane Helene, she texted both codes to us. She said they’d had an event cancellation due to the storm, so there would be no other guests. Our arrival, just after 4:00 check-in, was disappointing. The Inn has been renovated nicely, but the common areas were dirty. There was dust on the furniture and the floors were dirty. The shared kitchen is well equipped, but the fridge was dirty (a sign on it announced that it’s cleaned once a week). One guy was in there - we assumed he was staff. He didn’t talk to us and looked nervous. Our room upstairs was pretty clean, definitely not spotless - the tub had hair and rust stains in it. It was mostly empty, with one chair, one tiny nightstand, and a very mushy bed. We went back downstairs to explore, and as I went to look at the TV, I realized the same guy was now asleep on the couch. I called Kim to ask if anyone was working there. Her response was “It’s not that kind of hotel.” I described the scene but she had no idea who it was. She said the owner Brian was “in town” and should she send him over? Hmmm. You’ve said there are no other guests and there’s no staff onsite and yet there’s an unknown guy sleeping in a common area. So yes, please do send Brian. We later heard voices downstairs, but were hesitant about going down and possibly interrupting a confrontation. I texted to ask her if Brian planned to come talk to us. She said “if you’d like him to.“ Once again, big yes, did you really have to ask? We went down and Brian explained that this guy is in fact a landscaper that works for them, whose home was destroyed in the hurricane. He’d be given a room, and this would not happen again. We were fine with that, no one wants to be cruel here. But though we got an explanation from Brian, it was far from an apology. Kim later texted to apologize for any “inconveniences”. No one seemed to get how unsafe this creepy incident made us feel. We understand that it’s a self check-in model, but that doesn’t absolve them from the responsibility of making guests feel safe. Even hostels take security seriously. The sign on the inside of the front door imploring guests not to lock the top lock didn’t make us feel any better. Are they expecting overnight guests?! I don’t recommend this place to anyone concerned about cleanliness or security.

Our experience in Fries was wonderful! Tucked away in the mountains, the inn was a surprise. We enjoyed the view of the New River, the history of the inn and the town, the spaciousness of the inn, and the cozy bed. It was self check-in, but one of the owners stopped by to make sure everything was ok. We walked to the Fries Damn Steakhouse just a block away and had a delicious steak supper. This will be a long-held memory.

Very Spartan. For your money you get a very small room, a bed, one chair and a small night table. That's it. We question whether our room was cleaned after the previous guests. The tub drain was covered with hair. The view, however, was nice, right on the New River. Otherwise, not what we have come to expect when staying in a bed and breakfast Inn. (no breakfast here)

I loved being able to open the windows and sleep with the sound of the river. The guest rooms have beautiful views of the river and the wooded hills on the other side. The rooms come with the use of a well-equipped kitchen, spacious common areas, laundry, and a deck on the river. It was a comfortable and enjoyable place to stay.