The Greenbrier goes modern

Peak season at The Greenbrier is May to October, with fall foliage and the holidays drawing crowds. But the resort is expanding menus, packages and spa offerings to boost offseason business.

The Greenbrier Center for Health Living is scheduled to open by January, an outgrowth of a little-known clinic that has long catered to Fortune 500 clients in need of physicals. The clinic dates to 1948, and in the 1950s, some of its doctors were designated to provide medical care for the resort's once-secret nuclear fallout shelter.

That decommissioned bunker, built to house members of Congress in case of attack, is now open to the public for tours.

Also open to Greenbrier visitors who are not staying overnight are the resort's restaurants, spa and golf courses, along with horse carriage rides and falconry lessons.

What it means to be 5-star For 2007, the editors of Mobil Travel Guide considered only 35 U.S. hotels worthy of five-star status, a rating The Greenbrier in southern West Virginia is intent on regaining in the coming years. New to the list are: The Tower Suites in Las Vegas; St. Regis Resort at Monarch Beach in Dana Point, Calif.; the Mandarin Oriental in New York; St. Regis Hotel, San Francisco; and The Hermitage Hotel in Nashville, the first five-star in Tennessee. But what does it take to get five stars? According to the Exxon Mobil Web site, "consistently superlative service and expanded amenities in a luxurious, distinctive environment." A five-star resort should have all the amenities of a four-star, plus some of the following: A well-informed staff that is "extremely well spoken, polite and clear, avoids slang and phrase-fragments" A choice of at least two complimentary newspapers 24-hour room service Cloth towels and fresh plants or flowers in public washrooms Three phones per guest room, including one in the bathroom CD player/stereo High-quality ice bucket and glasses with sterile tongs Fresh flowers in guest rooms Separate shower and tub Proactive service at pools, with towel and chair assistance and complimentary refreshments when the weather is warm. The Associated Press

Mary Tabacchi, a professor at Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration in Ithaca, N.Y., said updating historic properties can be risky.

"The property is old, and I like it because it's old," she said. "They had a client that liked the old regular things, and there's always a risk when you change that you might lose your old clientele."

But she added that "the idea of what they're doing sounds good. They were verging on being shabby chic.

"The Tavern Room had lost its luster. When the weather's not good, there's not a whole lot to do there besides going to the spa and eating, so if it's going to work anywhere, it will work there," she said. "In wintertime, I could see sitting there comfortably and doing the tasting menu" at Hemisphere.

Balancing the need to modernize with the need to retain longtime clients is the key challenge for Ratchford and designer Carleton Varney, a protege of The Greenbrier's original decorator, the legendary Dorothy Draper.

The 63 overhauled guest rooms have new furniture and bigger bathrooms, many with separate shower and soaking tub. They still have rich fabrics and floral motifs, but patterns and colors are softer.

"I get letters every day saying, 'Please don't turn the Greenbrier into a Ritz-Carlton,'" Ratchford said. "And we didn't because Carleton Varney has been the decorator here for 40 years. Carleton designed those rooms with what he thinks Dorothy would have done today."

He'll soon do the same with the Main Dining Room, where coats and ties are required. The dress code has been relaxed elsewhere to resort casual, but Ratchford said the dining room will remain formal.

The green and black chandeliers won't change, but furniture and fabrics will. Outdoor and elevated seating will be added, along with a wine and coffee bar.

"You need to have some areas that preserve the heritage and history of this place, and I think our public areas do that," Ratchford said. "Then you need to have a little bit of fun and take some risk in some of the areas you feel are required to attract new customers."

If you go The Greenbrier: 300 W. Main St., White Sulphur Springs, W.Va.; 800-453-4858. Rates begin at $382.

Art Heal, 69, a longtime visitor from West Pittson, Pa., said the new management "is right on target.

"They catered to a certain crowd, but now, sadly, that crowd is dying off, and you have a new crowd, and they have to cater to them, too. The new crowd expects things to change," said Heal, who discovered 38-80 with his son while their wives were at the spa.

"I'm personally amazed," said Chuck Heal, 37, of Lewisburg. "There was never anything wrong with The Greenbrier, but this is an improvement. This is a gem."

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