Zelda Dearest

Zelda Dearest opened in Asheville's South Slope in October 2023, converting four historic homes — three individually listed on the National Register — into a twenty-room boutique hotel themed around Zelda Fitzgerald. It is the first property in Hatteras Sky's planned Fitzgerald Estate portfolio and has since joined Small Luxury Hotels of the World.

The place

The hotel occupies four adjoining historic houses in the South Slope, the brewery-district pocket just south of downtown Asheville that has become the city's densest concentration of independent restaurants and taprooms. It is a walkable, low-key setting rather than a resort compound — guests are meant to head out into the neighborhood, not stay contained on-site.

The concept

Zelda Dearest is the debut property in Hatteras Sky's planned Fitzgerald Estate portfolio, built around the real link between Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald and Asheville, where Zelda spent her final years. Three of the four restored turn-of-the-century homes are individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places; Lark Hotels operates the finished property and Small Luxury Hotels of the World has admitted it to its collection. Nashville-based Anderson Design Studio handled the interiors, built around soft pink tones, Art Deco curves and jewel-toned accents, with each of the twenty rooms styled to a distinct personality rather than a repeated template.

Dining & wellness

F&B is overseen by local chef Jacob Sessoms, whose parlor bar concept was built directly around the Fitzgeralds' courtship — described by the team as an attempt to translate Zelda's prose into a drinks program. Outdoor space includes a garden, a game lawn, fire pits and an event patio used for weddings, supplementing rather than replacing the neighborhood's restaurant density just outside the door.