Clifton Inn LLC Reviews

Finding the right wedding venue is a really tough decision. But the moment I stepped foot at The Clifton, I knew it was the one. The property is absolutely stunning - they have rooms your guests can stay in on your wedding weekend, making getting ready and hanging out so much fun. The staff goes ABOVE AND BEYOND to make you feel at home. Phyllis and Barbara are so responsive, easy/fun to work with and just unbelievable people. After months and months of planning, when we showed up it was completely stress free. The service the Clifton staff provides is unparalleled. From the signature cocktails, to the plated dinner service and bartending - it was a dream come true. Every single guest could not believe their eyes when they stepped foot on the property. We had our ceremony on the front lawn, cocktail hour on the croquet lawn and back patio and our reception in the tent. Everything was 10/10. I can't wait to come back and spend a night at The Clifton to celebrate our anniversary already!

The Clifton is the BEST place to stay in central Virginia (and a secret hidden wedding venue that, mark my words, will blow up in the next few years). We held our wedding here early October 2022 and were absolutely blown away by not just the scenic views and excellent renovation work, but the incredible hospitality and attention to detail shown by the staff. We trusted the Clifton with hosting our entire family and many friends, most of which were traveling great distances, and every single guest raved about their stay.

The restaurant is a true gastronomic feat with very locally sourced food prepared artfully - our uncle and aunt also work in the industry and we could not pull them away from the kitchen staff, they were so impressed.

Phyllis and Barbara were exceptional and helped us think through our entire weekend and anticipated our every need. They were also incredibly kind to our (many) four-legged friends that joined us for the weekend’s festivities, and I’m happy to report the dogs had just as great of a time as the humans.

We also managed to have the least stressful wedding day imaginable… wholeheartedly thanks to Phyllis and Barbara.

We were impressed every minute of our stay and we can’t wait to come back. Thank you to the entire Clifton staff for all that you do!!

I hosted a brunch for my bridal party here the day before my wedding. The rear sun porch was the perfect private dining space for our group. The team at Clifton went out of their way to make us feel welcome, and the food they served was amazing. An excellent choice for private dining or a small event!

My daughter’s wedding was a great success at Clifton Inn. The property is the perfect mix of luxury, comfort, convenience, and services. From arrival to departure our wedding party and guests were impressed with all Clifton offers. We opted for the exclusivity package giving us the entire property to ourselves for the day of till late the next morning.
The staff was very accommodating especially Barbara Shifflett and Phyllis Case. Our wedding party and family enjoyed the pool and grounds to socialize in a casual manner through the weekend. We made use of the secret garden for first look photos, front lawn for the ceremony, croquette lawn for cocktail hour, and court tent for reception. We extended the celebration with an after party in the Manor House terrace. So many places to spread out as the day progressed and the big event approached. Very satisfied with food and beverage choices from breakfast fare to reception menu and late night snacks! Accommodations are comfortable and each one with a unique decor. No cookie cutter rooms here. Perfect for relaxing and pre wedding preparations.
This is a magical place for a wedding. So much in one place makes wedding planning and execution a breeze. Bravo Clifton Inn and the entire staff.

With so many amazing options in the Charlottesville area, I really think the Clifton was the best of the best. The Clifton had everything we wanted in a venue. We were initially drawn to the Clifton due to its sheer beauty and secluded location. We loved having our friends and family stay on site to really have a full wedding weekend. I loved the idea of a hotel wedding for that reason but did not want a typical hotel ballroom or venue, so the size and the beauty of the Clifton was absolutely perfect. The exclusivity was a huge positive since there was no one else on the property before and during the wedding which was very important to us. The onsite catering was another huge plus, and we had the hardest time deciding what food we wanted because everything we tried was truly amazing. We had our ceremony on the beautiful front lawn and our reception in the court tent. The tent was so easy to customize and was so much more than a typical tent reception.

We had so many people coming up to us all day complementing everything about the venue and there was nothing we would have changed. The staff was incredibly friendly and responsive to everything we needed and made the entire weekend so much less stressful. We are so excited to be able to go back and celebrate anniversaries by going back and staying at the Clifton!

We held our wedding weekend at The Clifton Inn in Charlottesville, VA Nov. 6-8, 2020 and we couldn't be more pleased with our entire experience! Phyllis (Events Manager) and the entire team at The Clifton were wonderful to work with and went above and beyond for us throughout the entire planning process. When we first called The Clifton about our wedding, Phyllis was warm and extremely transparent about what the hotel could offer and what they couldn't along with an extremely straightforward pricing structure for the exclusive buyout weekend we had in mind -- after more than a dozen prospective venue calls you realize just how rare this is when you call a hotel about a wedding! She worked closely with our equally outstanding wedding planner, Kennon Ibbeken, to ensure the hotel team and our vendors were all on the same page for the logistics. As with all weddings, we ran into hiccups here and there, and Phyllis/The Clifton team were flexible in helping us come up with solutions that met our needs. Additionally, the Chef and catering team delivered a wedding reception meal that was every bit as delicious and beautifully presented as the 5-star tasting. The premises are picturesque and every guest will feel like their particular accommodations are both comfortable and unique. Over the course of planning our wedding (which we did in just 11 weeks!) we felt that every member of their team -- Phyllis, Ann, Liz, Jesse, Emily, Luda, Casey, and many more! -- were personally invested in us having a memorable, beautiful, COVID-19 safe, and relaxing experience. They certainly delivered!

I cannot rave enough about how amazing the staff at The Clifton Inn were for my entire wedding process. My newly husband and I planned for a wedding in Paris, France for over a year and half and cancelled due to COVID. We first stayed at The Clifton for what would have been our wedding weekend in May 2020 and fell in love with the beautiful venue, delicious food and wonderful staff. The staff members knew we had to cancel our wedding and they surprised us with a bottle of champagne in our rooms with a note written in french. We decided to book this venue with for our September 12th wedding date and worked very closely with Phyllis who went above and beyond in helping us make our wedding day special and easy. Phyllis was very attentive to all our questions and needs, assisted in all the setup of the venue and worked very closely with us during our rehearsal for the big day! Also a huge shoutout to Stephanie, Maggie and Liz who also went above and beyond with accommodating our guests to their needs, always being cheerful and accommodating as well as providing everyone a great experience for not only our wedding but our weekend getaway there. The view of the Blue ridge mountains were spectacular to have as a backdrop for our ceremony, the infinity pool with the cabanas was a great place to relax and looked beautiful for where our cocktail hour was located. All the rooms were unique and upgraded. I cant wait to go back soon!

We were originally supposed to get married at the Clifton on 5/23/20. And then ... COVID-19 happened. The health of our guests, even two months from now, seemed too at-risk to proceed as planned. The Clifton could not have been more gracious, flexible, and understanding. They allowed us to move our date with no penalty. We'll be forever grateful to them for their team's support and generosity and CANNOT wait to celebrate - safely - on this gorgeous property.

We had the absolutely most magical wedding weekend at The Clifton! Brianna, Maggie, and all of the staff were so accommodating and truly tailored our weekend to our needs. They eased the planning process and made a lot of magic happen! Brianna was so sweet to work with and I felt like she listened to our vision. She was present the weekend of and she ensured everything was in working order. When we ordered a box of sparklers that showed up empty the day before the wedding, she personally pulled strings to find sparklers for our exit! This meant so much as those last minute details can make or break a bride! We are so grateful to have had such a beautiful venue and professional team. Our guests loved the accommodations and thought everything was more than perfect. We cannot wait to return for anniversaries and special events!

May 28, 2017 my husband and I had a petite Sunday afternoon wedding at the Clifton Inn. I can not say enough good things about this venue. Fontini, especially is a wedding essential for this Inn! I was seriously regretting our decision to marry there as halfway thru our planning the event coordinator was no longer employed at The Clifton. Come to find out she had told us a few things that were not correct, however, from the day they hired Fontini she was on top of it! She made our day stress-free, despite me changing the ceremony location the morning of our 1p wedding! The food was unbelievable. 9 months later I still get cravings for the delicious food we had that day. The ceremony and reception sites were prettier than I had envisioned. After getting ready in the breathtaking Carriage House, my father and I had a special first look in the secret garden. After our ceremony we had a wonderful lunch reception on the terrace with corn hole, bubbles, and jump ropes for the kids. Again I can not speak highly enough of this venue, especially Fontini!

It was amazing! The staff was so tentative and flexible that when it rained the easily flipped my cocktail hour and my ceremony so that I could still get married outside when it stopped. I can't say enough about Fotini and her staff!

The Clifton Inn is breathtaking, nostalgic and the perfect back-drop to the start of any romantic fairytale. Absolutely everyone we dealt with was of the highest caliber of kindness, professionalism and perfectionism. Speaking of fairytale, we were treated like we were nothing less than the highest of royalty. It was all laid out so perfectly and they made great use out of every inch of that place! Highly recommend.

My husband and I were married at the Clifton in July 2016. Overall the event planner Claire was very responsive and helpful throughout the process. The staff was very accommodating the weekend of the wedding and really went above and beyond to make our day go smoothly. The food at the reception was great and a lot of our guests commented on it. I really recommend having your wedding here, we were very happy with the end result.

We recently had an entire wedding weekend, family dinner in the wine cellar, rehearsal dinner on the back porch, ceremony on the front lawn and reception in the tent. The weather was imperfect, but the venue was really gorgeous.
The staff at Clifton did a really wonderful job. It was not a small event and every thing really went very smoothly. The food was
delicious and the presentation was original and beautiful. We could not have been happier with what they did for us. We had some rearranging due to weather and they were incredibly flexible as they hustled to make the changes necessary to accommodate us.
We were thrilled with the weekend.

We could not have been happier with our experience getting married at the Clifton Inn! Claire and her team pulled off a flawless weekend for us.

We rented out the property for our December wedding weekend, and found that the convenience of having all of our immediate family on-site was completely worth it. This made things especially easy on our aging grandparents (and a sick bridesmaid!). The setting was intimate and the staff made sure everyone was well taken care of. The remaining guests stayed at a nearby hotel, and the Clifton had ample parking for anyone who wanted to swing by and say hello throughout the weekend. The groom even hosted his bachelor party in the Clifton's wine cellar, which is one of the property's unique spaces for a small gathering.

We benefited immensely from the Clifton putting up its holiday decorations the week before the wedding. This saved us a significant amount of money we may have otherwise needed to spend on flowers throughout the property (and is a great reason to consider a December wedding at the Clifton!). The Clifton worked so well with all of our vendors that we never even noticed a few of them come and go!

We used Claire, the Clifton's in-house wedding specialist, as our exclusive "day of" planner. We had previously met with Claire, who guided us through a tour and tasting session. Even though she was new, she knew everything about the property and made excellent wine-pairing selections for our dinner. As far as we could tell, it seemed like she had worked there for years.

The catering quality and selection was exceptional. I guess that is what you should expect from one of Charlottesville's perennial top places to eat though!

Finally, we hosted a Sunday morning goodbye brunch at the Clifton as a way to ensure we could thank everyone for traveling to our wedding.

You absolutely cannot go wrong by choosing to have your wedding festivities here; a top notch venue with even higher caliber staff!

What a perfect venue. The location is private and so beautiful. It has a magical feel. We wanted a place for the weekend for my daughter's wedding and family reunion. Everyone had a fabulous time. The food, oh the food! It was all so delicious from the cocktail hour to the day after brunch. All of our guests said it was the best wedding they have ever attended. Chelsea the wedding coordinator went above and beyond to make this day memorable. She was even in on the surprise for my daughter's bridal shower! If you want a private location where it's only you and your guests then this is the place to be.

I am writing this reveiw as the Mother of the Bride. My daughter and I worked together on this from the start. We engaged wedding planners, Simply Chic Events, after we booked the Inn. WISE move for us. There is a LOT to do when planning a wedding, and "our's" was good sized.
The staff changed over during the course of our planning. Happily, for the better!
Ben, the GM, Chelsea, the wedding coordinator, and absolotely everyone else we came in contact with, were superb. We were treated royally throughout. All of our guests were blown away. We had the rehearsal dinner there, with cocktails beforehand at the pool. Ceremony on the front lawn. Cocktails on the side and croquet lawns. Dinner & dancing down on the tent pad. To reach it, you walk down a path and suddenly the tent appears! All lit up! It was magical!
I feel like we used almost every inch of the place over the course of the weekend. The staff was so accomodating, we felt so special. The food was plentiful and superb!
Our every need and whim was met.
I have one regret...no more daughters... or we could do it all again!

Absolutely fantastic. Couldn't ask for a more stress free and fun wedding. The venue was stunning. The staff were exceptionally warm and inviting, greeting me and my finance by our first names; and the food was world class. They made you feel like you were the only ones at the Inn to be attended to. My wedding day was perfect. Thank you Clifton.

The Clifton Inn made our wedding a dream and personal to us. Every step of the planning process was easy - the event coordinator (Kaitlyn) was very responsive and fun to work with. In general, the Inn was incredibly flexible and willing to meet our special requests (e.g. certain food and drink). I also felt we were getting a good value, particularly considering the quality of the food, and were not being overcharged for anything simply because it was a wedding or because it was specially arranged for us. The food the entire weekend, but most importantly the reception dinner, was incredible (many of our guests complimented it!); definitely not your typical bland wedding fare. The staff is all very kind, personable, and professional. The day-of was seamless, even as the staff calmly and quickly rearranged the setup due to rain. The Inn is elegant but welcoming and made us feel like our wedding was important to them, not "just another wedding".

We enjoyed a stay at the Inn prior to our wedding and it will now always be extra special to us. We definitely plan to go back, as do some of our wedding guests because they were so impressed by everything!

We were very pleased with our recent wedding at Clifton. We rented it out for the whole weekend, and it was gorgeous! Everyone commented how lovely the rooms were--and the Carriage House, where we stayed, was amazing! We ate multiple meals catered by Clifton, and they were all delicious. My aunt from England even commented that their tea was some of the best she'd ever had--and this was coming from a woman who has tea on a regular basis! Now, I know that every bride is trying to stick to a budget, so I will comment on that, because we feel that Clifton really respected the budgetary parameters that we discussed at the outset. Our budget had to be stretched to make Clifton work, but to their credit, they were very flexible. We picked a weekend in their low season, when they had a deal that the rooms were free for a night. They've had this deal for the past 2 years, so hopefully they'll continue to offer it, because it is a real bargain! Their website will always have their current promotions, so it's worth a look. Even if that promotion disappears or isn't right for you, they may have something else. We also made some other adjustments, like having a reception lunch instead of a dinner. This worked out great--I would heartily recommend this option, with the caveat that lunch portions are smaller, so keep that in mind as you build the meal. If you want a place where your whole family and bridal party can relax together, Clifton is an excellent choice. It is incredibly elegant, but the staff was very gracious and gladly welcomed our down-to-earth family, which included several small children and a dog. Kaitlyn, the wedding coordinator, joined the staff about halfway through our wedding planning process. What a gem! She was very responsive and detail-oriented. I should mention that we got passed around a bit in the beginning before they got Kaitlyn, and we weren't really impressed with her predecessor. But, things immediately improved with Kaitlyn.

Not only was the Clifton's food amazing, but the venue and service was perfect. If you have alot of family coming from out of town, the Clifton is the perfect place for your wedding. All of my wedding party and several of my family members from out of town stayed at the Clifton and we were able to celebrate the entire weekend, rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, wedding ceremony and reception, and day after brunch in one place. The service was excellent and they were really willing to work with me through the whole process to ensure that my wedding weekend was perfect! The price may be more than some other venues, but the quality of what you get is definitely worth it!

Absolutely top notch. From soup to nuts, Clifton handled our wedding with kid gloves and incredible hospitality. Defne was more than an onsite wedding coordinator, she was undoubtedly part of our wedding. The food was great, the service was on point, and the venue is just breathtaking.

We want to get married there again & again!

We are so happy we chose to have our June 7 wedding at the Clifton Inn. The venue was beautiful and the service was first class. Clifton was in between wedding coordinators when we got married, so the inn’s general manager, Niall Reid, personally coordinated our wedding and did a phenomenal job.

We rented the entire property so that we would have exclusive use of the inn and its grounds from Friday night through Sunday morning. This allowed us to have our wedding party and close family friends stay with us onsite for the whole weekend and it really made the weekend special. We started the weekend with a poolside rehearsal dinner and ended it with a post-wedding Sunday brunch on Clifton’s back terrace. From start to finish, Niall and his team made sure everything ran like clockwork.

Clifton is not set up like your typical wedding venue – there’s no large banquet hall – so if you have more than 100 people and want dinner to be served in the house, as we did, your guests will likely be split among the dining room, veranda, and back terrace. We loved this setup, but it can be a little quirky and pose some challenges for things like speeches. We loved that we were able to use the whole beautiful property – with our ceremony on the croquet lawn (which was very hot in the summer sun, but still beautiful), cocktails on the front lawn, dinner in the main house and on the back terrace, and dancing on the back lawn. Each location was uniquely beautiful and Clifton’s landscaping was absolutely stunning. Clifton also provided all the food for our rehearsal dinner, wedding reception, and Sunday brunch and everything was delicious.

We cannot say enough good things about Niall and his team. Everyone from the receptionists to the wait-staff to the bartenders was exceptionally professional and made our guests feel incredibly welcome. All in all, we were thrilled with our Clifton wedding and can’t wait to return to the inn for special occasions in the future.

The Clifton Inn was the most magical and stress-free venue for our wedding. Kaitlyn Hoy was our wedding planner, and she took care of everything. We arrived, dropped off the decorations, and when I showed up at the ceremony it was perfect. The food was beyond delicious (go with the family-style meal. It's fun for the guests and lets everyone try all of the fantastic dishes), and the setting was beautiful and romantic. If I could do the whole thing over, I would pick the Clifton Inn every time.

Our wedding on July 1 at the Clifton was nothing short of magical. We planned for the ceremony on the Croquet Lawn, but the weather didn't cooperate and we had the ceremony and reception on the deck. It turned out beautifully!

The service staff are top notch, every single one. Our guests raved about the rooms (family in the Midwest and Northeast said they would travel back just to stay at the Clifton again!), they raved about the bartending, how amazing the grounds are....the praise continued all weekend. I really encourage you to see all the spaces during your stay. Beautiful and tranquil! The property is meticulously maintained.

Special thanks to Patty and George for their incredible service, and to the amazing executive chef who listened with great detail about special dietary needs and got everything perfect. We all felt like royalty.

Like any major event, it helps to stay on top of planning with your sales team and really know and articulate your needs and your vision throughout the process. We will absolutely go back for an anniversary...or just because!

I highly recommend the Clifton for an amazing getaway, or any milestone event.

I chose the Clifton Inn as my venue from afar, since I was living in France at the time, but I'm really pleased with my choice. The wedding coordinator there, Kaitlyn, was excellent and always answered all of my 1.2 million questions quickly and thoroughly.

We took advantage of the Winter Wedding Special where we got all 17 rooms for both Friday and Saturday nights for the price of 1 night, at a very attractive rate which saved us a considerable amount of money. If they keep this promotion in the future, it's definitely worth considering and having a lovely winter wedding like ours!

The food was excellent (we chose Family Style dinner for the wedding in order to have three choices of main dish instead of just one choice if we had gone with a plated, served dinner). The waitstaff was great too, especially a server named Anthony who did not work at the wedding Saturday night but served several of my family members and friends on Friday night. They were really impressed by him.

The rooms were also great, albeit a bit drafty. We were married in January during a pretty unusual cold snap in the region, so that's probably why. The only issue that arose concerning the rooms was a hot water problem in one of the main house rooms that my aunt and uncle were in, and Clifton actually ended up comping their room, which was appreciated.

The only disappointment we had was that we were told that the DJ had to be finished by 11 PM due to noise ordinances and there really wasn't any way around it, but in the end we used the Clifton speaker system and our iPod to play a playlist from 11 PM until about 2 AM. So it was a workaround, but we would have preferred for the DJ to stay of course.

All in all, it was a magical evening and we got nothing but compliments from everyone!

The Clifton Inn is a beautiful and perfect venue. We encountered some issues with the reservation desk, but management (Nial) did everything he could to fix it. Having Melissa there as a wedding planner is also well worth money. You get the Inn for the weekend, which allows you to host a ceremony at 2 pm or 4 pm (versus 6 pm at a vineyard - believe me, I was in grad school with an almost two year engagement and visited every possible site outside of private homes).

By far the best food in Charlottesville (although our rehearsal dinner catered by Orzo Kitchen is a very very close second).
And, they allowed me to exchange the dessert bar for a credit to use toward my wedding cake. The cake was gorgeous, custom made and tasted delicious!

And, at the end of the day, a far better value then any of the vineyards, especially considering that they allow you to use multiple wines, beer, and liquor (the vineyards won't let you bring in liquor).

They recommend the Carriage House for the bride, but I would recommend the suite above the kitchen (large bathroom and you can get downstairs without being seen if you are having your ceremony there).

And, if you have a complex set up for the Inn (you are required to guarantee that the Inn will be rented and most brides put their bridal party in the Inn), be prepared to be proactive and on the phone with Melissa or Eric (reservation desk) often. We had a partially subsidized set-up with different rates for each room (the groom's father agreed to help us by doing a partial subsidy) and Clifton's system was not prepared to handle this. I do believe that we were unique in our issues though, and at the end of the day, Clifton was gorgeous, the food was perfect, and the day was as smooth as can be.

Final note - the current planner/contact is Melissa McCombs.

For a smaller wedding on a modest budget, there is so much included in the wedding package(s) they offer, though they also have had gorgeous larger weddings. We are having ours at Christmas, and the decor/style of the Inn is perfect. We feel like we are getting a great experience for our investment, as it is going to be both our ceremony and reception venue, and they were able to work with us to make each part of the night fit in the right places. Kara and Brianna also make great recommendations for other vendors or services. Super excited about having our wedding there!

When I first visited The Clifton Inn I feel in love with the beauty of the Inn. It captures historic antique meets modern pieces beautifully. I had a winter weekday destination wedding and was on a tight budget. Clifton Inn was able to work with me to have a reasonably priced wedding.

During my first visit I met with one of their sales employees, Brigette. I had met with another wedding venue that day and Bri was so friendly, sincere, and enthusiastic. Bri had great ideas for our big day and we were able to ask her questions. After meeting my sister and I contacted her through email and phone to ask other various questions.

My second trip to The Clifton Inn my now husband and I booked for the venue. We didn't book or reserve any rooms yet because we were not worried about any events going on. Sadly, there was a wedding on Saturday that we didn't find out till later on so our guests could not stay there Saturday- Monday. We did reserve a few rooms Sunday night. Some of my friends had a tough time making the reservations when they called. One time someone said "we don't have a wedding for that day." However, they were finally able to book those rooms.

The next time I visited the Clifton Inn my sister and I met with the wedding coordinator Melissa. We didn't get the warm and fuzzy feeling that Bri gave us. Melissa was professional but we didn't feel as excited as before. Some of the things that Bri said was possible Melissa said they couldn't do. A few weeks later we received an email from Bri that she was no longer working for The Clifton Inn and I was really bummed out.

Over the last final weeks we contacted Melissa through phone and email. My sister who was supposed to be my planner was really busy and played phone tag with Melissa for two weeks. I was finally able to contact her and ask her the million questions I had which she was able to answer. We were able to negotiate on food as well as make decisions on beer and wine. I thought that we had decided that only beer, wine, and mimosas were to be served so when we received the bill I was not psyched that guests had ordered things that we didn't decide on. Not sure if it was because Bri didn't pass that information along or if we were not vocal enough.

The day of the wedding the Clifton Inn team was able to set up the decor that we brought as well as set out the name tags. It looked fantastic as well as the cake that I emailed a photo idea of. I had asked Melissa if she would be there the day of the wedding to keep us and the guests on time and she shared that she might only be there in the morning but her coworker Stacey would be there. We arrived on time for the brunch and sat down. The food was delicious as well as the wine they helped us select. However, we never were greeted by Melissa, Stacey, or anyone else on The Clifton team. I was really confused on who was in charge and who was going to keep us on schedule. Needless to say we were over schedule and had like twenty minutes of dancing towards the end at which we were hoping for a bit longer. I did email Melissa that evening to see where they were and she said she was there but didn't want to interrupt me when I was having conversations with our guests. I understand that but my husband and I didn't feel special or welcomed. We kinda felt like we were the poor couple that couldn't afford a wedding there. The night of the wedding I was thinking that our room would of had a note like congratulations new husband and wife or something but nope. I guess I was hoping for a more special treatment.

Overall the wedding day was beautiful and I still recommend someone to get married at The Clifton Inn because the food and service from the wait staff was awesome. The cake was also delicious and very reasonably priced. There is also a deal right now for winter weddings that I wish we could of had.

Our wedding weekend at the Clifton Inn was practically perfect. The grounds were gorgeous. The food was delicious. The accommodations were lovely. And the “Wedding Team” was on-top of its game. Everything went to plan all weekend, and our guests felt incredibly special. Clifton’s wedding director, Kaitlyn, was a delight – She was professional, responsive, and incredibly organized. (We definitely give her 5-Stars on all of the above categories!) Her team did a wonderful job of coordinating the wedding setup, ceremony, cocktail hour, reception, and breakdown. They also did a few subtle things - like leave a piece of wedding cake in our suite, so we could actually enjoy it on our wedding night - that we absolutely appreciated. Overall, we were incredibly satisfied with our experience at Clifton, and we will definitely go back to celebrate our anniversary in the future!

Our one piece of constructive feedback to Clifton is that we felt a lack of continuity during the planning process. We worked with four different contacts over fourteen months and had to communicate a lot of our wedding details to the Clifton team multiple times. This caused a few hiccups and frustrations along the way, but once Kaitlyn took over as our wedding coordinator, everything went VERY smoothly.

Amazing food, excellent service, wonderful, wonderful venue! Highly recommended.

I was married at Clifton on 8/16/2014, and the day of was seemingly perfect from an outsider looking in. We had chosen this venue based on the proximity to various family members and the closeness to various other activities in that area (UVA, Monticello, apple picking, etc.). The venue was sold to us as a place that had a lot of flexibility give the wedding party would have the entire property to ourselves (you have to rent the entire property for Fri/Sat for a Sat. wedding, including Collina Farms) and they said they would work with us to get any special requests done.

Service notes:
- they could not get the BEO (beverage + event order) correct until less than a week out from the wedding; tried to renege on a few items
-lost our handmade cake toppers (which is funny given that they were all gung-ho about using anything sentimental to us like cake cutting tools, etc.) and were very rude in the multiple attempts to work with them to try to find them
-they did not offer to wrap up our cutting cake and just chucked it
-the bartender was overworked (1 for a wedding of 125); lots of comments from guests on his attitude and service (or lack there).
-food from the day of getting ready was still in the room the day after the wedding
-nothing special welcoming the bride/groom on any of the days staying there
-met the new GM several times (starting in April), but him continuing to act like this was the first time meeting us… even on the Thursday before our wedding

Overall, since WeddingWire limits the character count, I would only book here unless you have a ton of $ to burn + a full-service planner that is on top of it, or can dedicate a lot of your time to go back and forth with them (I quit my job 2 months before the wedding for this) and if you are willing to fight for what you want and not really feel like you were special guest at all. The management is terrible (I sent them a note 11 days after our wedding and no reply)

While our wedding turned out to be wonderful, thanks largely to our planner and other vendors, we cannot recommend The Clifton to couples seeking a smooth, professional planning experience. For context, we hosted a full weekend of events at the venue, including a Thursday night dinner, a Friday-to-Sunday room buy-out, a Saturday wedding, and a Sunday brunch. Although the property itself is stunning, the mismanagement and relentless nickel-and-diming severely undermined what should have been an extraordinary celebration. Here are some of the key issues we encountered:

Abysmal Customer Service
The most disappointing aspect of The Clifton was its lackluster customer service, especially given the six-figure cost of our wedding. The general manager was consistently rude and unresponsive throughout the process, adding unnecessary stress to an already complex planning process. During the planning process the sales manager verbally assured us that the bride and groom’s stay during the wedding would be fully covered. However, after the wedding, we were charged the full amount for our stay. When we raised the issue, management not only denied their prior promises but also claimed we were entitled only to a 50% discount. Even after we accepted the 50% discount, our repeated efforts to resolve the matter and receive the refund were met with silence. The hotel ultimately stopped responding entirely, forcing us to dispute the charges with our credit card company to recover what we were rightfully owed. This level of dismissiveness and unprofessionalism was shocking for a venue of this reputation and price point.

Broken Promises on Event Size
We booked The Clifton over a year in advance, enticed by the idea of hosting our closest friends and family for an intimate weekend. When we booked, we were told that the venue was already hosting a “petite” wedding the Friday evening before our wedding. We were assured that The Clifton’s policy for a “petite” wedding meant fewer than 50 guests, and that they would never host two full-sized weddings over the same weekend . Just three weeks before our wedding, we were informed that this event had ballooned to 124 guests. The Clifton’s response? A dismissive “we have the right to do this,” despite how it had been presented to us when we booked the venue. Couples should beware—get everything explicitly written into your contract and signed. Ultimately, The Clifton comped a few of the rooms Friday night for our friends and family most affected by staying in rooms overlooking the “petite” wedding, but not without a lot of unnecessary stress, hassle and anxiety on our part shortly before our wedding.
Unacceptable Issues for the Price
For a venue of this caliber and cost, the amount of issues was astounding. Warm beer was served during the reception due to “insufficient cooler space”—a shocking oversight given the $109 per-person bar tab. Guests reported unpleasant smells, excessive bugs in their rooms, tiles coming off the floor, and a broken balcony railing at the farmhouse. During the not-so-petite Friday wedding, our guests were disturbed by loud music, despite being promised this would not happen. Additionally many of our guests mentioned that one woman on the waitstaff was consistently unpleasant and rude.
Bottom Line
The Clifton is a stunning venue, but its management is profoundly unprofessional and disorganized. If you’re accustomed to the service and professionalism of similarly-priced hotels, you will be sorely disappointed. It’s a shame that such a picturesque property is so poorly run. Look elsewhere for a wedding venue unless you want unnecessary stress during what should be one of the happiest times of your life.