WILDERNESS AT THE SMOKIES -Sevierville (WOULD NOT RECOMMEND): We have stayed here 3 times and will not be back. If you want a full review of this place, look under Wilderness at the Smokies 24'. The water parks are a lot of fun which is why we wanted to stay as well as they have an arcade and a lot of restaurants. However, the people are just plain rude. We were overcharged over $200 and the woman acted like I was unreasonable for wanting the rates I was quoted. After we checked out, I was charged for room service for places we did not even go and I didn't even charge anything to the room. The people above us were SO loud, well into the night. We got no sleep, and nothing was done about it. It sounded like an earthquake, no joke. The lifeguards whistle for every little thing, so all you hear is constant whistling, even when the person they're whistling at is right beside them. Someone pooped in the wave pool and all they did was get it out and then let people back in. The waterparks are insanely busy no matter when you go, so you will constantly deal with people cutting lines, waiting in long lines, being crammed into the hot tubs/lazy rivers, etc. For over $300 a night, just not worth it to me.
WESTGATE RESORTS-Gatlinburg (Highly recommend):
We loved our stay here! We came in January of 24' and we had booked just a simple hotel room, and it was only about $120ish per night, which is a freaking steal for what you get. When we got there, not only was the place absolutely freaking beautiful and you felt like you were in such a luxurious mountain chalet, but the people were all so incredibly nice. From the men opening the doors for us, to the people checking us in, the security, the guy who gave information...they were all so nice. They upgraded us to a suite at no charge. We had a full kitchen, a living room, a bedroom with a king sized bed, a full bathroom with a washer and dryer. We were at the top of a pretty steep drive, so the views were amazing and because it was snowy outside, they had plowed the roads super early, so you didn't have to worry about getting out. There is an indoor waterpark with a lazy river, hot tubs, pools, kiddy area, and a water slide. The waterpark is not included but we paid only $80 for 3 people for 2 day passes. It is right at the entrance of Gatlinburg so it's close to everything and easy access to PF, but not within walking distance to the main strip.
SIDNEY JAMES MOUNTAIN LODGE-Gatlinburg (Would Recommend): We have stayed her 3 or 4 times and had great experiences every time. This hotel is a bit older and has more of a retro feel to it, so it's not everyone's cup of tea. But the rooms are decent enough, they overlook the river, and it is not a super long walk to the main strip if you don't want to pay for parking. The thing that drew us in was the pool. There is an indoor and outdoor pool, hot tub, kiddie pool, and the indoor pool has a little grotto/cave thing where you can swim up under it. There is also a pool side cafe where you can get food. For the price, highly recommend! Also, staff has always been super nice and due to it's location, bears are pretty frequent-that may be a positive or negative depending on who you are.
SLEEP INN-Gatlinburg (Would Recommend): We have only stayed at this hotel once but we had a great experience when we did. It is a pretty cheap little motel in Gatlinburg but the rooms were pretty nice for the price. There is an indoor pool, hot tub and a lazy river also. You could walk to the main strip from this motel, but it's a bit more of a walk. If you need a cheap hotel that isn't run down or crappy, this one was a pretty good deal.
HILTON-Gatlinburg (Would Recommend): We have stayed in this hotel twice and both experiences were great. This hotel is on the pricier side, so it may not be an option for everyone. The rooms were great and really cozy but no balcony (we really love having an outdoor space). The hotel is very nice though and is very close to the main strip, so you don't have to pay for parking if you want to just walk around. There is an indoor pool and an outdoor hot tub with seating and fire pits. You have a view of the SkyLift so it was nice to just sit in the hot tub at night and look at the lights from the bridge up there.
GLENSTONE LODGE-Gatlinburg (Would neither recommend nor not recommend): This hotel was good and bad for us. The hotel itself was really nice and the pool was so awesome! The pool was the reason we came to this one. The location is very close to the main strip so it is also a good place if you want to just walk and avoid parking prices. When we went to check in, the woman told us because the card we had was not an actual credit card and was just a debit card, she couldn't use it. She just said sorry, handed the card back and walked away. She was not going to help us or refund us or anything. Thankfully, another guy came to help us and he tried to show the woman what to do if that happened again, and she could not have cared less to learn. There is no private outside area and it was super loud so you heard everyone walking by. Parking was hard to find and we would have to park really far away from our room and walk to it. I like being able to see my car in big busy places like this. The pool was so awesome, but the hot tub stayed packed, so we did not get to get in. The room was just fine, no real complaints there, but they were not as nice as the lobby and pool area.
THE WALDEN TRADEMARK COLLECTION BY WYNDHAM-Pigeon Forge (Would not recommend):
We stayed in this hotel for just one night and the reason I would not recommend this hotel is because it was so expensive for what you get. The price was up there close to the Hilton for the night we stayed. Using hotels.com, I had about $80 to put towards a hotel, and I still paid about $130 for one night. The room was okay but definitely not nice enough to be that expensive. There was a pool, slide and hot tub though and the location was good. But Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge have soooo many options for hotels. Finding a decent hotel with a pool and hot tub for a decent price is not hard at all. There's no reason to pay high prices unless you're getting a super nice room and lots of great ammenities.
VACATION LODGE-Pigeon Forge (Would Recommend): If you want just a cheap option to stay at that has an outdoor pool, indoor pool and a hot tub, then I would recommend this one. From the outside, it looks like just a cheap little motel that probably wouldn't be that nice, but we were pleasantly surprised. We actually booked this room because we were getting into the area really late and we didn't want to pay high prices for a resort that we wouldn't get to use the amenities that night. The rooms were great, the pool was great, and they even had a really good breakfast. They actually cooked breakfast instead of just a simple packaged continental breakfast. The location was also really good, right in the middle of Pigeon Forge. The balcony did not offer much privacy though. You had no blocking from the balconies right beside you, so you could see everyone who was outside.
Westgate Resort
Hilton Hotel hot tub
Sleep Inn pool and lazy river
Sidney James Mountain Lodge pool
The Walden outdoor "pool"
Glenstone Lodge pool
Wilderness at the Smokes wave pool
Vacation Lodge
