New Harmony Inn Resort and Conference Center

The best part of the room was the beds and pillows, which were honestly really good. The pool house was clean, though it had no towels. We stayed in the Riverbend building, the last one from the pool area, and the room had a funky, musty or moldy smell as soon as we opened the door. It looked stuck in 1982. Maybe the bathroom had been updated years ago, but the rest hadn't. The furniture was old, its clear finish had been gone for years, and there was just one flower picture that said India near the first bed. The small TV sat in an outdated armoire, though at least there was a TV. The view was only a small tree and a brick wall, and thankfully there were no cigarette burns. The room was packed wall to wall, with a long desk, mini fridge, coffee bar, oversized armoire, small table with two chairs, recliner-style chair, two double beds, and a little nightstand, leaving only a small T-shaped bit of open floor. No yoga that morning, I guess. There were no charging ports on the lamps, just an old surge protector for charging blocks, and I was glad my phone was already charged. We arrived around 5.20pm and waited until at least 5:45p for someone to check us in. I'm handicapped and couldn't manage the stairs to the only available restroom downstairs. There was complimentary coffee, but my friend's cup tasted like it was a few days old, like cowboy coffee. The room's dated look and lack of open space made it a place I won't return to. Next time, a B&B or Airb&b for me and my group.

During the ceremony, the bride, groom, and officiant had to pause several times because of screams from another wedding happening at the same time. The planner had guaranteed there'd be no interference, but that clearly wasn't true. Multiple people thought she may have spent much of the day missing because the other wedding was larger. One planner handling two weddings at this venue seemed beyond what they could manage. I came to help with setup and have worked for a wedding planner and in the industry, but this was the most disorganized wedding manager I've seen. She also showed little empathy when problems came up. I believe most of the issues came from her and management. The reception had to move inside because of the weather forecast, which nobody could control. The bride had discussed the layout, but the head table and buffet were at the opposite ends of the room from where requested, so the couple and their families moved all the tables themselves. They'd been promised room for everything, including a dance floor, but the planner had said the long glass-topped bar could not be moved, making it impossible to fit everything. The room was dirty, with bugs and spider webs on the walls. Staff said someone would clean. It was also over 70 degrees and getting hotter. Front desk staff said the settings had been switched to heat, agreed it needed attention, and were helpful. We tried reaching the planner several times from different devices and got no answer. The groom and I went to her office, but she wasn't there. After staff tried to reach her, she showed up over an hour later and casually said the bar could be moved, she just couldn't move it herself because it was heavy. She also said nothing could be done about the heat because someone would have to be called in. We said they needed to call someone and have it fixed before the reception. It stayed at 80 degrees throughout, and she seemed not to care that the bride was crying or that the temperature kept rising, even after several conversations with her and staff. After the ceremony, staff had lit the decorative candles we'd been told could not be lit and weren't meant to be lit because they weren't in hurricane glasses. Guests had to blow them out, and wax got on all the table decor. Later the cake table caught fire, and the bride's mother and sister had to replace the linens and cover the burnt items before she got back from photos. I'm writing because I don't want a bride to go into this without knowing what might happen.

The grounds were very pretty, and the conference center looked perfect once decorated for our wedding. The main problem was communication. We weren't given complete information, including updated catering prices, and got no replies to emails about the layout or check-ins with us on the day. Guests later said the bartender wasn't very friendly, didn't know how to make a screwdriver, and poured ice during a speech. We also hadn't been told the card reader was in the kitchen across the room, so we could have warned guests to bring cash. Since the food was paid for in advance and leftovers couldn't be taken home, it would've helped to announce when people could get seconds. It wasn't a bad venue overall, but ask plenty of questions about both catering options and push for answers before booking.

The front desk staff were very nice and accommodating. Our room had nice furnishings, a comfy bed, and a balcony facing the lake, but the worn exterior was hard to ignore. The wooden railing needed repainting and didn't feel sturdy, and the balcony held water despite having a drain. The wooden furniture out there also needed repainting. The separate pool area, enclosed by glass panels, was in awful shape. Most of the insulated glass seals had failed, leaving it foggy and milky looking, which made me question how well the pool itself was maintained. The whole property had a kind of sad appearance and badly needed updating.