Best Western Plus River Escape Inn & Suites

We stayed here when we took our daughter to Western Carolina for the first week of school. THe rooms were fantastic, quite a value for what we paid and our room was right next to the river. It was only a short ride into Cullowhee. Definately will stay here again.

We had four river front rooms on a Friday and one on the following Sunday. The good news — the rooms are spacious and comfortable and you MUST pay the extra and stay on the river side. The balconies overlooking the river and mountains made the stay so peaceful. Loved sitting out there and watching the geese fly over the river. Felt like we could stay for days. The breakfast was a pretty standard hotel breakfast which was fine with us.
The not-​quite-​so-​good — Because they are in the last stages of the remodel, we had to wait until 4:30 for our room. (They were hanging drapes.) We didn’t have a toilet roll holder or towel rods either. But, no big deal. When we checked in on Sunday, the receptionist checked on our room and said we needed towels and she would bring them right up. Three hours later, my husband went to get them.
Really, the only thing that bugged me at all, though, was why they didn’t include charging stations in these newly remodeled rooms. Lots of outlets, though.

Wow, does not get much worse than this, made a reservation two weeks in advance, arrived at 5PM and was told my room was not ready but it would be shortly. I decided to leave my bags at the front desk and take my daughters to the pool to wait. We were not given a room until 7:15 PM. Upon entering the room we were greeted with a smell that I could not place, somewhat chemical, somewhat human, non the less quite unpleasant. Venturing further in I notice food remnants all over the carpet. Stick with shoes, girls, From the parking lot noise I surmised that the window was left open, possibly to counter act the Best Western signature scent, upon drawing back the curtain I found the last inhabitants half eaten sandwich jammed into the screen, reeling in horror, I slammed the window and counted to ten. My wife sat down on the bed to read, unfortunately that light did not work. When my daughter got out of the shower, we noticed that we left one of our bags at the front desk, I went down to ask the college student manning star fleet command if I had forgotten a bag, «it’s over there» was the reply in an outstanding impression of Paris Hilton after a day’s long jag. Did I mention the bed side table top was sticky? I could live with that though, I’ll be opting for a debris shelter next time I’m in Dillsboro.

We stayed here a while ago, but I’m just getting to the review. If this is your first time going to the hotel, it may be challenging to find it. It’s behind a crappy looking commercial building, down a hill, and over random railroad tracks. It’s oddly located, but I know why they put it there. It is RIGHT on the river, and absolutely gorgeous. I recommend a river room for sure.
We booked through a third-​party (
). We had a horrible experience with
. They’re the absolute worst, and no one should ever use them. Their lowest-​price guarantee is a joke because they will find a loophole to slip out of it. We paid almost 100 dollars more through them than if we had booked straight with Best Western. Stay away from
We arrived late, and Marley at he front desk checked us in. She apologized for all the trouble we were dealing with, and it wasn’t even her fault. She allowed us to pay a very small upgrade fee to a river room (totally worth it). He had a couple minor issues with our room that they took care of quickly.
How should I say this… we had very active and loud neighbors very late in the night. Was that PG enough? We just banged on the wall a couple times to shut them up.
When we were leaving the hotel the next morning we smelled marijuana in our hallway so I stopped to inform the front desk about the noise and marijuana. They thanked us for letting them know, and genuinely cared. It was Marley and another woman. I’m pretty sure Marley works 24 hours a day. In fact, they were upset we didn’t call them in the middle of the night when we were disturbed, because they really prefer to deal with it and make sure their guests are happy. They offered to move us, but i didn’t want to be a burden and promised I would call them if it happened again.
We had never stayed in the area and we asked them for somewhere to get lunch. They spent about 5 – 10 minutes with us showing us menus, telling us where they were located, and giving their personal opinions. After all… locals know best.
There was something else that happened I think that Marley helped us with. I just can’t remember. I swear every time I went by the front desk Marley was there.
Breakfast was typical, but good. Room was standard, but we had a private balcony. River view was spectacular. Service was a amazing. Price (if I had booked directly with Best Western) would have been great. If I’m ever in the area again I will certainly be staying here again. Thanks Marley.

I was in the area for an event at Western Carolina University and wanted to stay close. I really enjoyed my stay here. It was a great value for the price. I got a suite and it was spacious and clean. I liked the quiet location of the hotel next to the river. The décor and the breakfast were cozy and welcoming. I also have a thing for stained glass fixtures and this place has many. I have another trip to the area coming up in about a month and I’ll be staying here again.

This hotel is a hidden gem that I can’t believe others haven’t reviewed. I had been looking at this hotel for a while as a nice weekend getaway with my husband but ended up staying there for a business trip recently. I definitely want to take my husband back for a weekend getaway because this place was awesome. The staff were super friendly from the moment I walked in. Every person at the front desk said hello and offered assistance. The rooms were bigger than most hotel rooms and included a sitting area. They had an indoor pool and jacuzzi which I wasn’t able to take advantage of but will on my next trip. They also offer a free hot breakfast which was a nice treat in the morning. I really enjoyed my stay here quite a bit and can’t wait to return. This is a great spot for a nice, relaxing weekend getaway with your significant other.

Nice hotel, although hard to find at night. When we arrived late, I was worried that we were in a strange location — over the railroad tracks, winding though industrial looking buildings. But the next morning we were pleasantly surprised to be along the river front with a nice breakfast spread awaiting us. The room and hotel in general were clean and the staff was very nice. Not sure if I am the only person in the world that didn’t get the memo on the little square pillow trend in hotels now. After sleeping one uncomfortable night with our heads falling off the chicklet size pillows, we went to Walmart and bought 4 new pillows. Upon checkout we mentioned this and we were told that the pillows are actually folded into squares and all we had to do was shake them loose. LOL oh well, live and learn. Great hotel for the price. Will be back.

We have stayed here several times over the years while visiting family. Ask for a river view which has balconies and chairs for each room. It’s a nice way to start your day. Rooms are clean, the staff is helpful and very friendly and the kids love the pool.

I’d love to give the Best Western River Escape four stars for its clean, comfortable room (with hot tub and balcony!) and impressive breakfast, but there were a few little things that just didn’t make the grade.
1. We were given the wrong kind of room at check-​in. This was quickly remedied when we called the front desk, but it was more of a, «You’re in luck! We have one more!» instead of an apology/​admission that we reserved and were planning to pay for it all along.
2. The hot tub in the room was nice (and hilarious), but the jets didn’t work.
3. The tissue slot was empty.
4. The TV picture was just… bad.
But, like I said: those were little things, and I would definitely stay there again.

Nice hotel. Clean. Friendly staff. Comp breakfast including sausage and eggs and waffles. Coffee with flavored creamers a plus. Internet log-​on easy with no hassle. About 60 channels on cable — standard fare. Pillows could be bigger. Very nice setting. Around a hundred bucks when we stayed. Too bad we could only stay a night.

Dude, there was a hot tub in my room.
Not in the bathroom, but like, next to the sofa.
Pretty freakin’ cool.
This was a fabulous hotel for the price I paid.
I really like the Best Western chain. I’ve never been disappointed. And when you are just looking for a good place to pull off the road, trust in a brand name means a lot.
The late night desk girl was friendly & helpful. The rooms were clean and spacious and the bed was comfortable.
This particular hotel is a great location.
1^st, they are right off 74 (Great Smoky Mountain Parkway).
2^nd, It was right on a river. A fairly quick moving one too. Sitting on my balcony listening and watching the river run was very relaxing.