Smoky Mountain ResortRental Guest Reviews

Best two day mini vacation ever!!

I was so very impressed with this resort that I will never want to stay anywhere else again! All the other places from now on will have a tough act to follow with this resort. The staff were as friendly could be and so very helpful. The lady at the front desk was from Mississippi (cannot remember her name but she was a newer employee), she actually took us to a room to show us around before we decided to stay. We looked at a one bedroom villa, we had our children with us and decided that they would want to have their own room with a bed instead of a pull-out sofa bed and she went back downstairs and got another key in order to show us another room in the freezing cold! She was superb! This other gentleman from New York gave me 25 cents to help with my bill from the Marketplace (our junk food run). He was so very nice to do that instead of me having to use my credit card! I also could not figure out the dryer one night late and called for assistance. The security officer there came up with another man and they fixed the dryer and helped me to understand exactly what I needed to do when I had to use the dryer again! The rooms were very clean and spacious! The beds were excellent, better than ours at home!! Loved it and will be back!! Thank you so much for your kind hospitality!! My children, ages 13 and 14, said this was the best mini vacation ever!! LOL

This is NOT a Hotel it is a Time Share!

By listing this time share club with other hotels is a true disservice. The first issue is that they do not have daily housekeeping. This was never made clear. The time share does supply towels and sheets, however these are not changed or cleaned during your stay. You are expected to wash and dry these items yourself. Second is there is no restaurant or room service available on site. There is a refrigerator and appliances to cook with but no food service. While this may appeal to families and others, it does not appeal to many other travelers. Again, this shortfall was not made clear. Third is the poor repair of room items and the lack of service and responsiveness to these shortfalls. I chose this “hotel” even though it was expensive for Gatlinburg, because it was highly rated and had an in-room whirlpool tub. The first day I was there the tub did not work. I went down to the front desk and told them. They wrote a note to maintenance to fix it. It was not fixed. The next morning I went to the front desk to complain that it wasn’t fixed. There was no desk clerk, just a security guard. He wrote another note. Again it was not fixed. That afternoon, I went back to the front desk for a third time to tell them about the non-working tub and was told they did not see any notes or maintenance tickets but would get it repaired. When I returned that evening it still did not work. I went to the time share hot tub near the pool that night at 11PM as the rules state that after 11PM, it is for adults only. There was a family there with a very loud, active, young child. When the security guard came by, I thought he was going to tell them they had to leave but he said since they were there the whole week they could stay. The second day of my stay, there was a large convention in town. 20,000 teenagers came to town with most of the time-share rooms being booked for these teenagers. Many rooms had 5 or more in a room. Although they were well behaved, teenagers tend to be loud. I know the convention was not the responsibility of the Time-share but they did have a responsibility to let me know when I booked my room that they would be there. I paid an extra $5 per day prior to check in to allow me to cancel any part of my vacation without notice. Because of the poor experience, I checked out a day early. When I went to check out, again there was no clerk, just a security guard who would not confirm that I would not be charged for the cancelled day. I asked him to leave a message for the manager to call me during the day. I know you will be surprised but I did not receive a call. That evening I called the hotel General Manager, Mr. Ward who listened to what I said but did not even apologize. All he kept saying was he was not going to comp me for the room. I never asked to be comped, all I wanted was an acknowledgment of the poor service and an apology. That never came. I have a 94 year old mother who I take care of. Between my full-time day job and my all night second job of “nursing” it was difficult to get away for a couple of days. I was looking forward to a quiet 3 day retreat of hot tubs and room service and just plain relaxing. Boy was I disappointed. I strongly suggest that due to high prices, lack of amenities, poor repair, total lack of responsibility and horrible customer service, you do not consider either staying at or purchasing this time share.

Cuddling good stay

Great building design makes it real easy to get to your room. My wife and I have limited mobility and it was not a factor at all! Wonderful view, great gas fireplace made for an inviting romantic getaway. We asked about walking to a restaurant (since we have trouble with distances) and the wonderful staff said "Just call and we'll come get ya'"...that's awesome service!!! Gatlinburg is not real busy in February so we were able to park close but I will never forget this kindness. And we were a little sore and tired when returning so a great quiet (some sound like motor boats; not this baby) hot tub was the perfect end to a perfect day.

Always a wonderful experience!

We have stayed at the Holiday Inn Vacation Club Gatlinburg four or five times now and we love it. The staff are very friendly and accommodating and the hotel is very well maintained. We love getting the rooms on the back where you can hear the waterfalls below, but even if you get the other side you have an awesome view of downtown Gatlinburg or the Mountains. We will be back again!!

Great location

This is a great location since you can check in, park your car then walk to where you want to go. Our room was very clean and the staff was friendly. On the downside the indoor pool's chemical smell was so strong we couldn't use it and the room did not have enough hot water for two people to each take a bath or shower. We called the desk to let them know since maybe there was a problem with the room's water heater but don't know if that was the problem. Also, and I know this isn't the resort's fault, the 7AM trash collection is very loud. Overall, we would recommend this resort for it's location but if you plan to swim you may want to visit at a time of year when the outdoor pool is open.

Excellent property/Good location

My boyfriend and I stayed here for a nice weekend away. Upon arrival the staff was very friendly and accomodating in allowing us to check in early as well as proceed with the requests we had at booking. We were very pleased with the location of the property which was right off the parkway and within walking distance of all the shops and restaurants. I booked us a 1 bedroom King Villa which made us feel right at home. The room was very spacious and clean. We loved the fireplace and jet tub. I have already recommended this property to my coworkers and would def love to come back. I will see you guys again for my next trip to Gatlinburg. Until then, thank you very much and keep up the good work!!

Great Experience

Room was comfortable and had a lot of space. Everyone on staff who we ran into was very nice and helpful. Everything was in walking distance.

Great stay

Originally booked a cabin but the owner failed to meet standards. Booked the holiday inn at the last minute and they gave me the best stay I could ask for.

Great location, great 2 bedroom condo

I stayed in a 2 bedroom suite with my father for 4 nights. The suite was exactly as portrayed in the photographs on the website. It's spacious - the master bedroom has a very comfortable king bed, large flat screen TV, plenty of drawer space, full closet with safe, a jacuzzi tub, vanity, shower stall and water closet. The second bedroom has two full beds, large flat screen TV, and closet. There's a second bathroom off the hall next to the bedroom. Both bathrooms and jacuzzi had plenty of towels and lasted us the full 5 nights we were there with plenty to spare. The kitchen is very well appointed with full refrigerator, dishwasher, stove, large stackable washer/dryer in the closet in the kitchen, all small appliances you would need and dishes, silverware, pots, pans, cooking utensils - EVERYTHING you would ever need. There's a dining table that seats 6 easily. The living room was extremely comfortable and well decorated with a gas fireplace. The deck was accessed by sliding doors from both the living room and master bedroom. The staff was very friendly and said hello every time you saw them. The location was perfect. It is across the street from a very good pancake house, and is within walking distance to all the shops and restaurants in downtown Gatlinburg. There was a movie ("UP") being shown by the pool on Sunday evening. There was a bonfire in the firepit by the pool every night. There's a small game room with a pool table and I played a couple games of pool. I was not traveling with my husband, so I did not have anyone ask me to take part in the time share presentation. The parking garage was convenient and we had no trouble with getting our luggage and dad's ECV scooter from the car to the suite. There were luggage dollies by the elevator. It was a great place to stay and we had a wonderful time.

Mixed feelings for the price

We stayed in a king suite for the advertised extra space and ammenities (whirlpool tub, separate living area, full kitchen, gas fireplace). All of those were really nice, but unfortunately we could hear every door slam, people running or stomping, and trucks at all hours of the night. The bed was comfortable but given the noise we didn't sleep well. Also this was supposed to be a relaxing post-holiday getaway for us but between the noise and the (no exaggeration) 25 PHONE CALLS to recruit us for the timeshare pitch, I would not call it relaxing. There is an indoor pool and hot tub for the winter but the chlorine level in hot tub was so high our eyes were burning. Pro's: Hotel is close to but also removed from the middle of the main strip in Gatlinburg (walking distance) and there is a pancake restaurant just across the street. Cons: We usually stay in a private chalet and for the price and noise, we REALLY missed it this time.