We visited Asheville and bypassed North Carolina's chain hotels for this quirky, local gem

When preparing for a recent weekend getaway to Asheville, North Carolina, a relative who lives in nearby Hendersonville suggested we check out a new boutique hotel called Zelda Dearest.

You can't visit an eclectic, artsy mountain town like Asheville and stay in a vanilla chain hotel with mass-produced synthetic charm, after all. Instead, we opted for one of the three lovingly restored historic homes that line Biltmore Ave. just outside of downtown Asheville.

The homes, all surrounded by new development, were saved from certain demolition by Atlanta-based commercial real estate firm Hatteras Sky and rebranded as a "love letter" to Asheville from one of its heroines, Zelda Fitzgerald. The property, under the management of Lark Hotels, opened in October 2023 after nearly five years of renovations.

Fitzgerald's presence and legacy are felt throughout the property. From the original bold and colorful artwork lining the walls to the art deco vibe and wonderfully charming uses of shades of purples, blush pinks and blacks throughout, the world's original flapper — and wife of author F. Scott Fitzgerald — now has a permanent home perched atop a tree-lined hillside just outside of town.

Zelda Fitzgerald led a seemingly glamorous life

Fitzgerald's story is an interesting one, which made for what seemed like a somewhat odd choice for a boutique hotel's muse. At the end of a seemingly glamorous life traversing the world, writing, dancing and painting, Fitzgerald died alone in 1948. She was reportedly sedated and awaiting electroshock therapy in an Asheville mental institution when the building caught fire.

She had been in and out of institutions most of her adult life after a schizophrenia diagnosis. The legend that floats among many Ashevillians is that F. Scott drove her crazy and had her institutionalized. The truth, however, we will never know.

Hatteras Sky chose to model this property after her style and her character, rather than the darkness that often shadowed her troubled life and untimely death. The property exudes her love of art and ballet and all things shiny and decorative, and it makes for a wonderful respite that almost feels like a sleepover at her house might have felt.

Incorporating Fitzgerald's style created something 'singular, irreplaceable and unique'

Amy Michaelson Kelly, principal at Hatteras Sky, said theming the property after Zelda was the idea of her partner Jason Cordon, who said the Fitzgerald name itself has a brand, so why not celebrate that?

"Independent hotels are businesses, and they have no brand. That’s why they are independent," Kelly said. "Jason wanted to have a brand that people know that isn’t hospitality and establish a unique local connection that no hotel is offering. He did some research on Zelda, that she died in Asheville and they had traveled there and stayed in hotels. They never owned a home, but stayed in hotels or with other people. We wanted Zelda Dearest to feel very residential."

She added visitors to Asheville might rather stay in a property that is "singular, irreplaceable and unique," so preserving the homes creates a much different experience than a box hotel.

Access to the property is granted through the front door of each of the homes, which are named after one of Fitzgerald's sisters: Rosalind, Marjorie and Tilde. While the homes were given back their historic beauty on the outside, the interiors and 20 guest rooms maintain their quirkiness with slanted walls and unorthodox floor plans but feel new in the most respectful ways.

Kelly added they didn't want the homes to feel like a bed and breakfast with creaky floors and musty smells, so much of the interiors were gutted, while decorative features were saved and reused. And Hatteras Sky did all of this with the permission of and assistance from the Fitzgerald estate.

"We did our research and went to New York to have tea at the Plaza Hotel with the granddaughter, Eleanor 'Bobbie' Lanahan," Kelly said. "We hashed out what our plan would be. She has been involved. We'd send her designs and she would make notes of things she liked and didn't like. Zelda was ahead of her time and she liked smart design that wasn't overly frilly."

Lanahan commented in an email that she was thrilled to have a hotel named after her grandmother — and Zelda would have been, too.

"Asheville is one of the loveliest places on the planet and my grandmother was at home in the surrounding mountains where she found inspiration and tranquility. I hope the hotel will give the same respite and rejuvenation to all its guests," she wrote.

Sticking to a 'vision' instead of 'taking the easy way out'

Neal Reed, director of operations for New Morning Ltd., also owns the historic Fine Arts Theater just a few blocks away from Zelda Dearest. He's an Asheville native who has watched many historic homes be demolished in the wake of development.

"Growing up and seeing these historic properties fall to development is heartbreaking," he said. "It is sometimes a difficult balancing act between progress and the past. Homes such as these were in such bad repair, if they had been anywhere else, they would have been torn down long ago. It’s great to see those homes preserved. I admire the dedication it took from owners and developers to have a vision instead of the easy way out."

Jessie Landl, executive director of The Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe County, said the home at 137 Biltmore, known as the Mears house, dates back to 1885 on the National Register of Historic Places, but could be even older. The other two homes also date back to the late 1800s.

"I think adaptive reuse is one of the most important tools in preservation," Landl said. "Whether I agree with the end use or not, and I don’t disagree with this use, but the truth is, these buildings were at risk and someone had the forethought to put preservation easements on them."

The result of the hard work is a beautiful, unique hotel experience

Thanks to a beautiful combination of history and luxury, a stay at Zelda Dearest is not only comfortable, it's unique. Several rooms even have small libraries with many of both Fitzgeralds' books on display.

The main floor of the Rosalind house, which was a short brick pathway walk from our room in the Tilde house, housed breakfast and coffee each morning and converted into Wine & Roses, a boutique bar with a speakeasy vibe, in the evenings.

Staff is on hand if you need them, but disappear when you don't, further enhancing the feel that you are a guest in someone's home, versus staying in a hotel. Rates at Zelda Dearest start at $350 per night.

For more information, visit www.zeldadearest.com.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Zelda Dearest might be Asheville, North Carolina's coolest getaway