Helendorf River Inn Suites & Conference Center

My husband & I stayed here recently for a much needed getaway. We have stayed here several times before & each time, it becomes better & better. From the courteous staff (thank you Lynn!), to the suite, which overlooks the river, to the in-​room jacuzzi (which always feels wonderful), to the fireplace which adds the perfect touch to a romantic setting, it was wonderful!!! No doubt we are «frequent visitors» here & will continue to be. The suites are due to be renovated beginning this week & we can’t wait to see the «new» look when we return on April. Stay on the top floors for the best views of the city at night & the view of the river. The only issue we encountered wad problems with the wi-​fi. We contacted the front desk & this had been an issue recently that was unresolved. Wood was provided, but we did take fire logs to start the fires with ease. The kitchenette had everything needed. Definitely recommend staying here! Thank you Helendorf for another wonderful weekend full of new memories!

My husband and I stayed here for a quick weekend «staycation». We booked the large suite (which you can see in the pictures – the room with the tub, then the kitchen and sitting. It comes with a separate bedroom with said oversized tub (which fit the both of us fine) and a separate kitchen and living room with fireplace. Wood, newspaper kindling and matches are provided, and a good part of the after-​dinner fun was soaking in the tub and then watching my husband trying unsuccessfully to light a fire for a couple of hours while relaxing in the provided robes :) We took a walk around the night of our arrival as well as the next morning, tremendously enjoying the German Alpine look to the town and scouting where to eat. It reminded us of when we lived in St. Augustine with the alleyways and shops in the historic district. From the balcony, we could envision future stays with the promise of tubing the river with convenient steps on the property to offload for a drink or bathroom break in your room before resuming floating down the river. Breakfast is a bit more than the typical continental by providing a variety of yogurts and pastries, but we had a bigger German-​style breakfast elsewhere. The staff were very nice, prompt, courteous, and accommodating, and we look forward to future stays.

Disappointing experience overall. This is a motel, not an Inn. For the price we paid, I expected more. We had a riverfront balcony room but there wasn’t really a view of the river from our balcony. There was a large cockroach in the room but maybe that’s just what you get when you’re right by the river? The location is central if you plan to spend time in Helen.

supreme location… very small rooms… the corridor on first level is disgusting… excellent managers… terrible pillows and mattress’…clearly the proprieters know nothing about cleanliness.

My mother, grandmother and I are currently staying in a corner patio river room with our dogs. You absolutely cannot get a better or more convenient view, because you walk outside the patio door and you are right on the river. You have a front row seat to watch all the tubing, and it’s just so relaxing to sit out there after a long day of walking around the village. Now, it wasn’t a perfect stay: the guests before us were rude enough to smoke in this non-​smoking room, so my asthmatic mother is very uncomfortable because the smell lingers for quite some time. Catherine, one of the managers, immediately had an entire crew of housekeepers come and re-​clean the entire room, which was greatly appreciated (although it’s hard to combat smokers). I will say that the beds are not the most comfortable. It’s a very hard mattress, so none of us really slept. However, I really like that the room is not carpeted, because it’s much cleaner. I’m terrified of spiders, and I didn’t see any, which is a fête in a near-​wooded area like this. We had 3 complaints: the smoking, the beds and the attitude of one of the cleaning staff. But I am giving them a whole-​hearted 5 stars because of the incredible hospitality and professionalism with which the managers, Lisa and Catherine, and the wonderful DJ at the front desk, handled everything. They were so incredibly attentive to our issues, and they addressed our situation immediately with heartfelt concern. We couldn’t have been treated better by them than if we were staying at The Ritz. Because of them, we will be back often. Bottom-​line: the rooms need some TLC, but everything is clean, the view is excellent, and the managers and front desk are superb.

Excellent location. It was at the end of the shopping on the strip, with restaurants in both directions. It is a 2 minute walk to the strip, but set back far enough for peace and quiet.
We stayed in a large sweet, overlooking the river. The room was outdated, but comfortable. They told us they renovated their regular rooms 6 months ago, and plan to do the suites in November, 2015. There is an old fireplace that made the room smell like soot. The kitchen was very poorly stocked.
Couch, bed and chairs were comfortable (although I travel with a memory foam mattress topper, so I can’t speak to the mattress).
There were 2 sink and mirrors, one in the bathroom which was accessible from the hallway as well as the master suite, and one separate in the master suite near the jacuzzi tub. This was VERY convenient. The shower was good and hot, although the hot & cold were backwards.
The balcony has a great view of the river and the people tubing going by.
The «cold» breakfast was very sub par. They ran out of cereal, coffee, milk and bananas. Some items were replaced after numerous complaints.
We would stay there again based solely on location and privacy, but we would bring our own breakfast items since there is a refrigerator and a microwave.

We stayed the night here and used the Groupon discount. Our total came to about $ 150. The inn itself is so charming. The way the inn is laid out makes you feel like you’re far away from the hustle and bustle of all the people on main street.
The inn itself is pretty old, and that is obvious. However, the rooms themselves are well equipped with fridge, microwave, blow dryer and other conveniences. The room was very spacious, and we were each able to have our own queen bed. Score!
The bathroom looked like it had been redone recently and was in very good condition.
The best part was the balcony overlooking the Chattahoochee river. It was so beautiful and a great place to relax, unwind, and have some beer.
The customer service was also impressive. The lady who checked us in and the housekeeper were both very kind.

Great location and friendly staff. Nice to have the balconies over looking the creek. The rooms were clean, but a bit dated. Need aired out as there is a smell when you first enter. However, once you are in the room it is fine. Rooms are very quiet and we didn’t hear any other guests or outside noise.

Absolutely love this hotel. Great location– walking distance of everything in Helen. Beautiful of the river and very cozy. Hotel is clean– love the mini kitchen, even has a stove.

Very clean, great service. Had a room with the patio on the river. One thing is across the river there’s a little bit of business so it caused some noise early. Enjoyed the stay other than that!

Clean room with balcony overlooking the river. Friendly staff. Free wifi and breakfast (coffee, juice, bagel, yogurt). The location of this hotel is amazing bcz is located in the heart of Helen with walking distance to shops, restaurants and market

Our motorcycle group spent our Fall ride in this beautiful spot. We called weeks in advance to hold 15 rooms. Katherine was wonderfull in helping me secure these spots. Asking all the right questions. She reserved standard rooms, all on the same floor with a common area balcony for us to gather. All rooms were clean, wonderful bedding, nice tvs, fridge, microwave and coffeemakers.
Everyone raved at our choice and we will be back next year.
Bathrooms here need to updated, but Katherine tells me they are next on the list.
Continental breakfast is a lot of carbs, no protein, ran out of coffee.
Could never get hooked up to the free wifi

We stayed here on Friday nite of Labor Day weekend. I would say that our room was more than adequate, newly renovated, micro, fridge, coffee, big TV in room. Wood beamed ceilings. Noticed that most of the recent reviews are 5 stars – either the stars are for the apparently much-​needed renovations or the reviewers’ expectations of hotels are very low. P. S. Had a challenge writing this review because the free Wi-​fi kept crashing even tho I had not moved from my spot on the Newly-​mattressed bed!

The best and only hotel I stay in when I come to Helen. 5 of the past 6 years I’ve visited this town I’ve stayed here. The owner Katherine is a delight and the rest of their staff know how to treat a guest. The place has definitely improved and upgraded their tv’s and bedding. A must place stay for sure. Spend the extra bucks and stay a quality place with a great view of the river!

The location is ideal!
Let me start by saying they have lots of rooms, so the chances of availability are good.
The hallway outside smelled of a dead animal and formaldehyde. In our room it smelled of mildew! Tried to air it out, with our open balcony door, the view was great, watching river tubing… the heat & humidity was high and I needed cool air– so I endured the smell for the A/​C, after a bit of «fresh air». Even had both doors open– balcony and front door for cross ventilation.
not impressed by the cleanliness of the room and bathroom.
The staff at the front desk are rarely at the desk… The breakfast was packaged danish’s, single serving cereals, juice and milk… may have had bagels too, can’t recall.
I was totally under-​whelmed by my experience at the Helendorf.
Add the smells on top and I was grossed out.
Which is a bummer because the location really was ideal.

Staff is extremely nice and helpful! Room is clean and comfortable! Located centrally in town! Within walking distance of almost everything you could possibly want to do! Would come back!

Outside hallways are quite dirty as is many places in this city. But inside our room was comfortable and clean. My advice for this hotel would be to upgrade the old linens and coffee pots. Otherwise, the view is great. It’s the best location. The bathrooms are. Great. We stayed in a king with balcony. I will stay here again.

Absolutely awesome. I made a special request mentioning that it was my fiancé’s birthday trip. They hung up decorations in the room, and even left a card signed by all the staff members!
Our room had a kitchenette, a wonderful balcony overlooking the river, and a comfy bed. The hotel could do with a bit of a face lift, but the experience wasn’t hurt by that at all. Will definitely be back!

Gabe and I stayed here Labor Day weekend. This town rocks! But more on that in another review. We requested a balcony room facing the creek below where people were floating down on tubes. That was cool. We got the 4^th floor at the end. I heard the occasional door slam but otherwise it was quiet. Bed was comfy.
I read reviews of how others were able to open the balcony doors and hear the creek below. It was too hot outside for that but I’m sure in cooler weather, that would sound nice.
Would certainly stay here again when in Helen. Perfect walking distance to everything.
Cons: wifi didn’t work too well… or not at all.

great location but this place is in major need of updating. You are definitely paying for the location, I haven’t stayed anywhere else to compare with in this town but thought it was overpriced for what it was! We didn’t have the continental breakfast but there is one they provide that was in a temporary location due to remodeling so maybe there is hope!