Wish i could have stayed longer. Stopped here overnight to break up a long drive. Was so blown away by the charm of the town and hotel. Very pleasant surprise. The restaurant looked gorgeous but i arrived too late, it was closed. Yes, it's old, but that adds to its character. It's comfortable. Hope i can come back. read more

The Gin Hotel, Ascend Hotel Collection - Hotels Near Me - Lexington, Virginia

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It's a dump. The carpeting has spots all over it. There's no mini-fridge. There isn't a full length mirror in the room. Stay somewhere else even if you have to pay more. read more

Love this hotel. The room was spotless! So much character. Understand that this is a vintage hotel, with a lot of charm (the oldest elevator in the US!). So it's slightly quirky. The location right on Main Street in the heart of Lexington can't be beat. It's a 2 minute walk to W&L. I would discount some of the negative reviews -- some have dinged the hotel for changing its name, which isn't fair, and others for the price. The Gin is a mid price hotel for Lexington. Lexington is an expensive place to stay, and the Gin's prices are not unusual. For example, the Holiday Inn Express was more expensive the weekend we stayed. read more

The Gin Hotel, Ascend Hotel Collection - Hotels Near Me - Lexington, Virginia

No outlets in the room, paper thin walls, tiny furniture, hard bed... pretty awful stay actually.

A historic boutique property with a great location which has fallen into neglect. Upon arrival the electric charger didn't work (I mentioned to them in a previous stay this was an issue, assured me they would have it repaired). The room smelled so musty; it had to have been from the stained and worn out carpets. The walls were for thin in our room, I could clearly understand every word spoken in the adjacent room. All appointments in the room were dated and worn; the linens were especially in need of updating. With only one working elevator and a massive fan blowing in the main floors, it is possible there was a recent flooding issue however nothing was being done to mask it or attempt to make the guest experience altered from seeing it. Ascend hotels typically offers a higher quality boutique experience but this was not what the Gin Hotel is serving any longer. read more

I rarely write a bad review. But I cannot write a good review for this hotel. IT IS TERRIBLE. No service whatsoever. One guy at the front desk and that's it for the entire hotel. Our A/C barely works: it's been on 66 for almost four hours and it's somewhere in the mid-70s in the room. The curtains are terrible -- ready made with no returns which means that light will pour in from the sides tomorrow morning. The lighting is bad. Two wall sconces flank the bed but they are on one switch.. That means that if one person wants to read in bed, all lights in the room have to be on. WHY? because there is one switch for the overhead light in the entry and the two wall sconces. I wanted to move the desk lamp to my bedside table so that I could read without disturbing my partner but can't do that because there is no outlet anywhere on the bed wall or the side wall on my side of the bed. The sink doesn't drain. The only ice machine for all of the rooms is on the 4th floor. So if you are on any other floor, you have to go to the 4th floor for ice. Honestly, I could go on but I won't. If you are coming to charming Lexington, do not stay at The Gin. read more

I stayed here for one night prior to going to Natural Bridge for the next 2 nights. It is an older building, formerly called the Rkbert E Lee until the owners chose political correctness. I had a room on the 2nd floor with a king bed. The amenities were decent, but no refrigerator in the room ( and this was one time I brought along items needed to be chilled!). The parking is outdoors behind the hotel. It is in walking distance of VMI, W&L University, and delightful and historic downtown Lexington. I probably won't return here though and will check out places that didn't feel compelled to change their name read more

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Great location for our stay. It is situated right on Main Street with easy access to nearby shops, restaurants and tourist attractions. It is walking distance to Washington & Lee and VMI but we chose to drive and THEN tour both schools. Hotel staff are extremely polite and the free breakfast is outstanding. Just a few nitpicks I guess: Mattresses and pillows are not comfortable TV is strangely SMALL (ABC, A & E, Comedy Channel and ESPN were blacked out for some reason. There is no mini fridge, microwave or coffee bar in the rooms. No trays for the bar soap (small nitpick I know but come on....), we used a folded up washcloth. Rooms are very bare, one picture. Also, if you just happen to have a room next to a Housecleaning closet.... fair warning! They start work at approx 6:15 am and they let the door slam. If they go in? SLAM. When they go back out? SLAM. After 5 or 6 times in a row it gets annoying. Especially because it makes the walls and bed shake. Bathroom sink was clogged, ick. Even with these nitpicks I would recommend this hotel and will stay here again. read more

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Stayed here for a weekend trip to Lexington. Bottom line: decent stay, but not worth the price (a little over $220 for king suite). Pros: reception was very polite and helpful getting checked in (and they let us check in several hours early!), the room itself was fairly spacious, the shower was cool, and the Juniper lounge had great food and drinks. Cons: when we checked in, it smelled like they had just cleaned the floors with dirty water (yuck!), the bed/pillows left a little to be desired, and the building is old so it was pretty noisy. Overall, it wasn't bad but we weren't blown away. I may stay again but would be inclined to try another local place. read more

I was traveling back from Charlottesville, VA to West Virginia and an hour in, it was late, dark, and we were tired. I did a search for hotels in the area and came across Robert E. Lee hotel. I phoned in, a polite guy answered and told me there was availability and the rate for a king room was $159 for the night. Great, we headed to the hotel. I'm a total sucker for unique hotels that are well designed. Everything is beautiful in this hotel. I will say the beds are a bit firm and the television is pretty small for today's standard. I wish they had a little nicer brand of soaps and shampoo but I'm nitpicking. Some locally sourced soaps & shampoos would add that extra little touch a hotel like this would seem to have. I do wish they had a hook on the shower or something because it's just an open space and nowhere for a towel right by the shower. Again nitpicking. Overall I loved the hotel. We went to the restaurant for our free appetizer and ordered the shrimp & mussels but it wasn't very flavorful and it wasn't spicy like the description said. It wasn't terrible but have had better. The bartender was very friendly. When I checked out the next morning, we had asked the lady at the desk if we could apply the AAA discount because when I checked in, the guy asked if I dad it and I didn't realize my friend I was traveling with had it so I told him no. The lady told me that the guy who checked us in had already given me a discount and I told her I had just called before arriving to ask for room availability and rate and was told $159 and when I arrived there and checked in he asked if I were a AAA member as though there would be an additional discount if I indeed were. The lady made up reasons as to why we couldn't add our AAA discount on before checking out that morning. That would be the only real inconvenience from the stay. Other than that, I do highly recommend this hotel and I would return again if I'm ever in that area again. read more

The Gin Hotel, Ascend Hotel Collection - Lobby - Hotels Near Me - Lexington, Virginia

This is a very nice, beautifully remodeled hotel. We had a lovely room with a large bathroom and walk-in shower. Convenient to everything in the cute little downtown area, though Sundays are a bit sleepy with not much open. Complimentary breakfast in the morning included cereals, eggs, sausage, coffee and juice. Very nice semi-rooftop patio for dining. Wouldn't hesitate to stay again! read more

Had a wonderful lunch in the dining room of this charming hotel. The food was superb and was accompanied with excellent service. The hotel is right in the heart of town and within walking distance of almost all the attractions in town. I will be returning! read more

I used "Hotwire" to bid on a hotel in Lexington and ended up at The Gin. I wasn't sure at first, as some of the reviews were not amazing, but I could not have been happier. An historic building in the heart of Downtown Lexington (a quiet and sweet town), it was incredibly classy and we loved the details that were preserved. The rooms were simple but with 9' high ceilings, comfortable beds, and great views of the streets of Lexington with its cute shops and Lexington Brick. Going back to the reviews I realized that the "negatives" listed were things like 'The TV was too small', and it is true that with only a regular sized TV it's not the typical massive hotel room tv, but if you are going to sit in your hotel and watch TV while in Lexington, don't bother going to Lexington, or at least don't stay at The Gin. We didn't turn the TV on once so it wasn't an issue for us. There is no fridge or microwave in the room (there is a microwave in the breakfast area). The parking was the other thing mentioned, but it was totally fine. Some people said it was "a block away" but it is directly behind the hotel, you just have to go around the block to enter from the back due to the one-way street the hotel is on. You unload at the front doors, then park your car in the back. You can then walk up through the exit to the front doors of the hotel and it was very convenient and easy. The breakfasts were simple but great with the best coffee I found in Lexington. The Juniper Lounge (although closed on Tuesdays) had excellent food with good prices and an awesome second floor patio overlooking historic downtown. Would most definitely stay here again and would say not to be discouraged by any reviews that are coming from people expecting a uniform and boring "Best Western" experience. Also I should mention that although it's right downtown, there is no 'seediness', just lovely quiet streets at night. Very safe and quiet. read more

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An Elegant Choice in Lexington - nice rooms, great breakfast Very nice, well maintained traditional hotel in the center of historic Lexington and within walking distance of VMI, Washington and Lee, and the shops in this historic southern city. It is an elegant alternative to the cookie-cutter hotel chains. The rooms were very nice and the staff greets you with southern hospitality. Included breakfast was excellent. The town is charming and it was a treat to visit both college campuses -- the contrast between a military academy and a small liberal arts college is pretty striking. We were in Lexington for a wedding and parking was a bit of an issue with overflow in a garage about two blocks away. Tip: There is temporary parking on the street in front of the hotel so you can check in and unload luggage. Then drive around the back to a small parking lot, which accommodates most guests. read more

Top notch renovated hotel in downtown Lexington. Great service with a very accommodating staff. All the rooms have been renovated but not lost their early 1920's charm. Room rates are very favorable even on big event weekends and includes a delicious breakfast. read more

Heading south and needed a place to stay for the night. We had a problem with our online booking but the front desk was very pleasant and changed our booking, honoring the price for our stay. This hotel has nice features and details. I'm a bit of a clean freak so I did find so things not as clean as I would like, but nothing that would stop me staying again. We ate at the hotel restaurant and enjoyed our meal, a nice beak from road food. Here's where some of the euhh was, the booths were worn and ours had the back panel coming off. Tables miss-matched, small things, big impact. Overall we were happy, friendly staff nice rooms and a nice price point. read more

Was so excited to stay here at the original Robert E Lee hotel in downtown Lexington, close to VMI and all of the local history that goes with the town. Well, by the time we got here, they changed the name of it to "The Gin". Wow, seriously?! You changed the name from one of the most famous men in US History to the gin??? A not so famous liquor?! Unbelievable... so it is a decent looking hotel for its age, room was decorated nicely as well, with 2 small bottles of water for us. A small set of toiletries in bathroom and 3 towel, 2 wash clothes, 2 hand towels, blow dryer and an iron. We were there for a family wedding and entire hotel was booked for those guests. We stayed Thursday til Sunday. Longer story short, I was greatly disappointed. No ice machine except for the one at the bar, which closes at 9:00. We never got any more water, no soda machine to get more either, had to go next door to coffee shop to buy more water. No maid service at all after you check in supposedly due to Covid. Funny I was recently at a very small town Econolodge and we got maid service daily with fresh towels and water. We had to ask for new towels the 3rd day we were there. One tiny trash can in entire king size room was full and overflowing as well. It was not as clean as it should have been, I'm not really fussy, but when I can see what looks like soda splashed on walls here and there it needs cleaned off and it would take less than a minute. The price of the room the first night wasn't unreasonable but it doubled the next two nights, yes weekend, but I would've liked clean towels and an acknowledgment when we walked in and right past the front desk attendant and manager. Most of the time they never even looked up from their phones! We should've stayed at the Hampton Inn around the corner but I wanted the experience of a nostalgic hotel with the historic name in a historic building with the great service we were looking forward to, but never got. Sad.... read more

An adequate utilitarian hotel, nothing special. The bed was comfortable and the water didn't smell so I'm not sorry we stayed hear, but I don't envision ever coming back. Coming out of the elevator we were hit by the odor of cleaning products, which only got stronger once we opened the room door. We left the window opened all (December) night for fresh air. Visually, the first thing both of us noticed about the room is the threadbare carpet. It's brown, so you can't tell if it's dirty, but the wear pattern show's that it old. The walls are bare except for the smallest TV you've seen in a hotel room since 1974.  The hotel's website advertises "gorgeous Blue Ridge Mountain Views out of every window" but all we could see was the white-painted brick wall of the building ten feet across the alley. The room walls are paper-thin. We could hear every word of every person in the halfway and of the guests in the adjoining rooms.  Although we couldn't hear their words, we were also entertained with the vigorous rhythmic creaking of the bed in the room above ours. To our relief and amusement it only lasted about 30 seconds before they (he, at least) finished. There's a free breakfast buffet which was was out of eggs and coffee so it was probably fairly good but I can't say for sure. read more

The Gin Hotel, Ascend Hotel Collection - Smallest TV you've seen in a hotel room since 1998 - Hotels Near Me - Lexington, Virginia

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While the Gin is an adorable and historic place to stay in Lexington, there were a number of unfortunate aspects to our stay. First, they didn't have any room keys during our stay. We had to be escorted to our room each time, including late at night when it was sometimes just me (30s pregnant female) and the male desk attendant. The bedside tables were covered in dust and our room didn't feel thoroughly cleaned. Our bathroom sink did not drain at all. We were still charged the resort fee even with this key situation. We won't be returning to stay at the Gin. read more

I stayed at Robert E Lee during my wedding weekend. My husband and I blocked about 25 rooms for our family and friends. The hotel itself is beautifully done. The rooms are very clean and a good size. Most of the fixtures and furniture appear to be relatively new. The shower is MASSIVE and the staff are extremely friendly. The hotel offers free WiFi, a complementary breakfast, and cable. I was a little disappointed to find that there was no mini fridge in the hotel rooms. They do have several ice stations located throughout the hotel, but a fridge would have been very helpful. The parking is pretty much nonexistent. They have a small lot located behind the hotel, but it was full majority of my stay. There is a free parking garage located a couple streets down from the hotel that has plenty of parking! If you are visiting the Lexington area and are in need of a place to stay, check out Robert E Lee. You will not be disappointed. All of our guests had a wonderful experience and enjoyed their stay! read more

My girlfriend and I decided to adventure around Lexington for the weekend and we were so happy with the accommodations at Robert E. Lee. The hotel has a great deal of history and the renovations that occurred three years back are very well done. We were very impressed with the friendly staff and the easy parking. The rooms were a good size and had a nice feel. The bathrooms are top notch and had a luxury feel. I have a hard time reading some of these negative reviews. Most people that visit Lexington aren't there to sit and watch TV in the rooms or complain about how many hangers are available. This hotel is top notch for the price and we were very impressed. I highly recommend for a date night or a weekend trip in a historical area. Make the reservation and enjoy! You won't be disappointed! read more

When you think about outstanding customer service (the kind that is so hard to find these days), you're thinking about the management at The Gin Hotel. I originally booked into their sister hotel (The Tonic) but found it wasn't yet renovated and not quite the cozy home base I was expecting. They allowed me to change to The Gin - no questions asked. Then when I left a day early (trying to beat an expected snow storm to make it home on time), they refunded me for the last night. I hadn't even requested a refund - they simply took the initiative and took care of this! Wow. The location of the hotel was ideal (literally in the middle of town), parking was convenient, the room was clean and comfortable, Aveda products in the bathroom and friendly front desk staff. I am already looking forward to my next stay. read more

I really enjoyed staying here. I felt the service was great, and the rooms were incredibly cute. The free breakfast in the morning was perfect, and the price was affordable. read more

This was a great stay. We found the hotel at the last minute after we decided to stop in Lexington for the night. The TV in the room is smaller than other hotels but it's more than adequate, there was only two hangers in the closet, and we did hear sounds from the hall. But this hotel was still a good deal. The rooms are clean, bathroom is awesome (very cool shower), staff is friendly, and breakfast was big enough. Free parking and free wifi is great (I hate being nickeled and dimed). read more

This was a great historic boutique hotel right on the main drag! Here are my highlights: 1. Very nice onsite restaurant 2. Breakfast is included- but it is basic 3. Recently renovated, nicely appointed rooms with a GREAT bathroom 4. Very Friendly staff Here are my complaints: 1. The walls are VERY thin. I could hear an entire conversation the first night I was there, LOUD and CLEAR. So I could hear my neighbors all weekend. While no one was being out of hand, if you are trying to sleep or get work done this could be pretty distracting. 2. THE PARKING. The hotel has parking, but the lot is tiny and not adequate for the number of guests, so if the lot is full you can park at the Courthouse which is a street over from the hotel. You then walk up the hill behind the hotel to get back. *HINT to the hotel* Valet may not be a bad idea!!! read more

Terrible hotel the walls are paper thin and people in next room sounds like they in the room with you. There hasn't been updated for a while. Parking sucks a small lot in the back and some hit my car. Sheets on the bed look dirty and stains on carpet. read more

This place gets high marks because they have taken an old time building and modernized it in a way that keeps the accents from its past while making it practical for today's standards. The location is outstanding for being in the center of Lexington and having the option to walk to many of the places one might find interesting. The hotel restaurant was also a pleasant surprise, yet another reminder that this little town keeps improving every year. Parking is a tight fit in the back and the space comes at a premium, so make sure you put your marker on your dashboard! The rooms have undergone massive renovations and everything is fresh, sleek and modern. Hands down my first choice for accommodations in town. read more

I have never left a yelp review before but after staying at the Robert E Lee hotel, I decided it was really necessary. I really wanted to like this hotel because it so convenient and located so close to the university, however it was just... icky. Sticky carpet and tile, no hot water in the sink, poor linens (thin duvet, low quality, no extra blankets), obvious cheaply done renovations (pocket doors with scratches, walls with stains on them) were several issues I had with the stay. Additionally, the hotel staff never came to clean the room, even though we didn't have the "do not disturb" sign on the door. I won't complain about the extremely small rooms because it is an old hotel, but you would think that they would try to make up for the smaller size with good service and quality rooms. Not sure what I expected from a hotel named after a racist traitor but it was clear this hotel didn't have any form of southern charm. read more

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The hotel staff has been great, it's in a central location, my room was not only clean, but very nice. The bathroom is fabulous with a really nice shower and great soaps and shampoos. read more

The Gin Hotel, Ascend Hotel Collection - Badass shower! - Hotels Near Me - Lexington, Virginia

It's located in the heart of Lexington. A historic building, with little renovations. If you looking to book this hotel for any type of event that needs more than 2 rooms fir more than 2 nights than this is NOT the place for you. They OVERBOOK, so you will not get the number of rooms you need, there are no mini fridges/ microwaves in the rooms, the light bulbs burn out and still smoke after removing the bulb! Oh and let's talk about the small computer size tv's , which I could over look if the tv actually worked during our stay!! They only have one - 1 dumb waiter for 5 floors. I could go on with more details but I think you get the picture, take your money elsewhere. This place needs help, it has potential. It use to be the place to stay when it was the Robert E Lee Hotel, I don't know what happened. New management maybe? read more

Excellent hotel in many ways. Just a few disappointments. Our room was higher priced, so the lack of furniture was disappointing. No dresser drawers (we were there for 5 nights); no closet, but instead an area with hangers right next to the door. There wasn't enough space for the clothes, so they got caught in the door each time we closed it. No shower door or curtain, so the bathroom floor was wet and slippery after every shower. We reported that a window curtain needed to be re-attached, but they never fixed it. Most annoying was that the hair dryer didn't work. We reported this and turned it in to them. The next day, they gave it back to us, still not working. So we put it in the trash and asked them to go buy us a new one. They did, but they apparently charged us for it, claiming they needed the old hair dryer to get a refund. From reading other reviews, I gather the hotel does certain things well, but they haven't yet learned how to respond appropriately to legitimate complaints. read more

My Husband & I were headed back home to Nebraska and used Yelp to find a non chain hotel in the Lexington area and based on previous reviews we chose this Hotel and restaurant. Turned out to be a great choice! We sat outside to eat, enjoying an excellent meal with wine. It offers a nice view of Lexington's historic Main Street. We took a nice stroll down Main Street after we ate... Beautiful night and mountain view!! The room was very clean and uniquely quaint. There is no microwave, refrigerator or coffee maker. Not a deal breaker. Staff was very attentive. Would definitely recommend this hotel and restaurant. read more

The Gin Hotel, Ascend Hotel Collection - Hotels Near Me - Lexington, Virginia

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Before I start this review, let me just say the GM Joe is fantastic and we loved working with him. He went above and beyond our expectations to make our wedding planning process and our reception fantastic. That said, the rest of our process and the people at the front desk made this a nightmare. The room booking and block booking is handled by a third party which is nearly impossible to reach and dishonest in their practices. They lied to us about the process in which they charge guests in order to discount/comp the bride and groom's room and then in the end we never saw a discount. Our room was outrageously priced from what we expected. Additionally, we took time to prepare gifts for each of our guests and politely asked the front desk to hand them out on check in. This was wasted money and effort as no one got their check-in gift. The front desk was incredibly rude. Additionally, they told us we'd have the reception space all day and then kicked us out sharply at 8 pm, forcing us to cut our reception short. We got the bill for the reception (which was wrong and didn't reflect charges we'd already paid) on the first night of our honeymoon. read more

This refurbished hotel tried to be luxury but only makes it to quaint. The rooms are bad, (the tvs throughout the hotel are the size of your computer screen) our bathroom sink backed up with water when we ran it, the air conditioning did not work, even after we called the front desk and they tried to fix it. The bathroom also has a sliding door- not the best for privacy, especially one inch from the bed itself. The room itself was miniscule and had nothing in it. Additionally, the sound carries through the walls. Also, I used the wyfy "password" to try to use my phone but the wyfy never gave any kind of signal no matter where I was. The food at the hotel restaurant was delicious but the serving staff were not efficient. Very friendly staff (everywhere in the hotel) but there were only three tables of people and they still couldn't get the service down. The hotel is in heart of the city so location is good if you like to walk and explore shops. read more

Great location in the center of town, within walking distance of W&L and VMI. It is an old hotel but the bathroom was redone. My room was a bit small for two queen beds but the room was comfortable with good windows and lighting. read more

Great little boutique hotel in historic Lexington. Clean, fresh and centrally located, close to all things great in Lexington. Rocca's roof top bar situated over main street is a gem. read more

Great spot to stay right downtown Lexington. Nice to have an option that doesn't involve an Applebee's or "free" powdered breakfast. Really nice rooms. Great bar. Open balcony for the restaurant. What's not to like??? read more

The Gin Hotel, Ascend Hotel Collection - Hotels Near Me - Lexington, Virginia

Would give 0 stars if I could... Paid over $200 for a "luxury" suite at a downtown"boutique " hotel, to walk into a sparsely furnished room with furniture that looked like leftovers from a dollar store, no coffee maker, no fridge, no microwave. I can handle that for one night, but upon laying down in bed and looking up to see bugs and silverfish all on the ceilings and walls was more than disturbing. Told the night desk staff and she couldn't do anything but would talk to the manager. The night desk staff said the cleaning girls open the windows when they clean so that must be how the bugs got in. If that's the case, the windows must've been open all day for the amount of insects in our room. However when we spoke to the "manager" the next day she claimed her night staff said that WE opened windows and let them in. We were in the room long enough to even see if the windows would open (since most hotels have their windows sealed and locked anyway). So not only were we given a random excuse but then we were blamed by staff for the issue. 1) I paid for a suite, not to go camping in the damn woods. If I wanted to sleep with bugs I would've pitched a tent. 2) night staff was clueless and offered zero resolution. And, finally, managerial staff was abrasive and unapologetic. I honestly don't know how this place stays in business especially with the rates the charge for less than mediocre accommodations. read more

I would strongly recommend against staying at this hotel. The Georges is a much better option. First, they have serious problems with the air conditioner. The A/C and heat are controlled by the front desk. We had to call down three times because after a couple of hours with A/C the heat would come back on. It was insufferable. Second, the door locks do not work properly. I was locked out of my room and they staff could not let me in. Finally, the management is non-responsive. The manager informed me of a refund, but that has never happened. I have called and left several messages but do not get called back. read more

I really wanted to like the place, the room wasn't too bad but the shower was just odd the whole bathroom was massive and not a good use of space, no refrigerator and a little ass television, the continental breakfast was just a joke, it was not set up at the right time, you're eating in a empty banquet room read more

The Gin Hotel, Ascend Hotel Collection - Hotels Near Me - Lexington, Virginia