River Terrace Resort & Convention Center

The location made it easy to walk around, and we liked the balcony view. On the weekend, we could hear music from Jason Aldean's when it was playing loudly enough. That's about where the positives ended. We stayed seven days and were told at check-in there'd be no housekeeping the whole time, so we had to carry trash down the hall or downstairs to the bins. Starting on day two, plastic bags of towels and supplies for empty rooms were left outside rooms in different buildings, and they stayed lined up along the aisle until checkout. The carpet felt damp, and we were glad we'd brought Crocs. The phone wasn't connected or working. Our patio door didn't latch securely either. If someone had been in the next room and pushed open the adjoining door, it seemed like ours could have popped open. We told the front desk the place was falling apart and raised the door concern. We booked through GovVacationrewards. I thought WestGate resorts had bought the property and were remodeling every room, but staff at the WestGate resort up the road told us they had only bought and updated one building. So the nice photos with laminate floors don't show what you get in every building. The place must once have been a popular stay, but it badly needs remodeling.

Don't stay here in winter. Our room was freezing, even with the heat set to 80 all night. Warm air escaped through gaps around the back door and never reached the bed or the bathroom around the corner. Camping might have been warmer. At checkout, the maintenance man was very kind and understanding, and the woman at the desk apologized. She explained our cold night to the manager, but the manager didn't come out to speak with us.

I've been coming to Gatlinburg since I was a kid, and this was one of my best hotel stays. Dani greeted me at the check-in office and immediately made me feel welcome. She was really kind and professional. Scott then gave me my parking pass and walked me through how to find my room, making sure the directions were clear. He was just as welcoming and professional. Customer service this good is hard to find, and I can't thank Dani and Scott enough. I'll book this hotel again on my next visit.

Everything was grand. I could've made better use of the arrangement if I'd known beforehand about the free funds needed up front. The TV in the room at the River Terrance also needs an upgrade, and a hot breakfast would be great.