Courtyard by Marriott Gatlinburg Downtown

We stayed here in March 2026, and my husband’s birthday weekend was a real disappointment. Construction next door meant stomping, banging, and power tools woke us up, even on Sunday. I wouldn’t stay until that work is finished. We paid extra for a balcony room but got an accessible room with the bed practically on the floor. When I called downstairs, there was no option to move. I also paid extra to include breakfast, but my eggs weren’t prepared properly. The interior looks nice, though the quality still feels like a motel. I’m surprised the reviews were so good. I’m crossing this place off my list and won’t return to Gatlinburg.

This place was awful for what we paid, and it made a vacation I’d been looking forward to stressful. We had no hair conditioner, and my room’s fridge didn’t work at all. It was actually warm, even though the front desk confirmed the fridges run on a two-hour timer. I lost about $20 worth of food, and nobody compensated us. I’d booked a king bed and sofa bed, but got downgraded to just a king. The bed was extremely low, had a flimsy thin mattress with no box spring, and there was no AC. When I asked the front desk for an upgrade or another room and offered to pay extra, the employee was rude and made me feel unwelcome. Her first suggestion was to cancel the reservation, and she said no other rooms were available. On the second morning, the front desk called to move us to another room. The mattress there was much more comfortable, and it wasn’t hot and stuffy like the first room. But the new room had no balcony, and they didn’t refund the difference. We were desperate for working AC.

The location was great, and we could easily walk everywhere. Parking was $15 a day. We were given an accessible room with a king bed even though we hadn’t selected an accessible room. The next day they moved us to another room with the same bed size, without changing the price. The fitness center couldn’t be used because the heater was blasting the whole time. Breakfast wasn’t included, and the bistro was overpriced. I’d go out for breakfast instead.

I hate being surprised by a special parking charge. This year they added a $25 per night fee. Be upfront about the cost and include it in the room price. Guests drive here, it’s not downtown Manhattan with a transit system. Just one of my pet peeves.