Terrace Hotel renovation reaches finish line in time for spring conference season
About 200 people gathered for the ribbon cutting of a $3.2-million renovation of the Terrace Hotel at Lake Junaluska, the anchor lodging facility of the conference and retreat center.
It’s rare that a hotel renovation would attract such pomp and circumstance, but Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center is more than a hotel: it’s an economic engine for Haywood County.
“There are probably millions of people who have come to Haywood County over the past 100 years who would not have come if it weren’t for Lake Junaluska,” said Jack Ewing, executive director of Lake Junaluska. “We are an integral part of the economic development of Haywood County.”
Lake Junaluska has evolved from its humble beginnings of little more than a revival tent in a farm field 100 years ago to a full-service retreat campus. A long-range master plan aims to modernize and improve the buildings and grounds over the next decade — an overdue initiative to reverse the dated feel of some of the facilities.
The Terrace is no longer a cog in the conference center operations of Lake Junaluska, but is now billed as a hotel in a resort setting catering to the general public year-round.
“It is open for business for people who simply want to come stay in a beautiful place overlooking this marvelous lake and mountain scenery,” Ewing said.
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While the lobby, reception areas and rooms got a top-to-bottom makeover — they were stripped and gutted — the panoramic views were good to go as is.
Ultimately, the Terrace renovations dovetail with Lake Junaluska’s mission of Christian hospitality, transformation and renewal.
