The Washington Inn

This is a gem of an inn. The sound of the water pouring over the dam and the birds chirping will lull you to sleep each night. The room as basic and comfortable, there’s onsite laundry and a great kitchen. I highly recommend the Washington Inn as a great starting point for exploring the natural beauty of Grayson County!

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.

Good stay The view from our room was undersold! Great view of the river. That said, there were sizable gaps around the doors, so it was a very good thing the group there was not noisy, or I could have had a grumpy tired hubby. There also seemed to be some kind of family reunion taking place in the common areas, so we felt a little awkward about being there for a lot of our stay.

Dirty and poor security Unattended hotel, keypad entry to both front door & room. Communication was good - prior to arrival, the week after Hurricane Helene, admin texted codes & said they had an event cancellation due to the storm, so no other guests. Inn is renovated nicely but common areas were dirty. A guy was in the kitchen who we assumed was staff. He said nothing and seemed nervous. Upstairs, our room was somewhat clean, but not completely. There was hair and rust in the tub, very little furniture and a mushy bed. When we went back downstairs to explore, the same guy was now asleep on the couch! I called the admin to ask if anyone was working there but she had no idea who it was. She said the owner was “in town” and should she send him over? Well, you’ve said there’s no other guests, no staff onsite and yet there’s a guy sleeping in the common area. Do you need to ask? The owner came and explained this guy works for them, and his home was destroyed in the hurricane. He’d be given a room, and this would not happen again. It was an explanation, but not an apology. He didn’t seem at all concerned about our comfort. Admin later texted to apologize for “inconveniences”. No one seemed to get that this creepy incident made us feel unsafe. A self check-in model doesn’t absolve them of responsibility to make guests feel safe. Even hostels are concerned about security. I don’t recommend this place to anyone concerned about security or cleanliness.

Washington Inn Very quaint. Very clean. Right on the river with a very nice deck. Historic property, well maintained. Highly recommended!

Beautiful little spot right on the New River! The beds were very comfortable and the deck on the back was great to enjoy the river! It's pretty basic as far as amenities go - it was nice to have a full kitchen available. I would suggest putting in night lights in the rooms or maybe a lamp or two by the beds. We will definitely stay here again!