River Lodge South Pigeon Forge

I had to stay there for three months because they made us sign a contract saying our money would stay with them. It’s a disgraceful place, run by a Pakistani, and he’s turned the hotel into Pakistan. He said he was watching the camera and wrote a fine accordingly. There are insects everywhere. We told them there was a bug nest on the curtain, but even though this is a motel, they said a bug nest wasn’t an insect and told us to wash the curtains. DEFINITELY DO NOT GO. IT’S A DISGRACEFUL PLACE.

We’d stayed here a couple of times before without problems, but this visit was completely different. At midnight we woke up to bedbugs, and my friend had several bites on her. No one was at the office when we went down, but eventually the maintenance man came, confirmed they were bedbugs, and moved us to another room. At checkout, we asked what would happen. They said a company had come, found only one bug, and that it was the one we’d caught in a bag, and claimed everything was taken care of. They didn’t seem to account for the others on the mattress. The maintenance man had said the owner would speak with us and compensate us for that night, but that never happened. They avoided us and won’t answer our calls. If you’re considering staying here because it’s a bargain, DON’T DO IT, or you could bring home more than a bargain.

The rooms were small, old, smelly, dirty, and full of cockroaches, flies, and other bugs. When I asked to change rooms, they rudely brushed the request aside. The unfriendly staff and owner refusing to listen were the last straw. This was a terrible experience and the worst place I’ve encountered in my life. Don’t buy the 2-star rating, its actual rating should be negative. The positive reviews from before? The owners probably paid someone to write them. This place is a total nightmare. WARNING WARNING WARNING!!

The staff are so nice, and I love the cozy rooms and the view from the little balcony. But a few days after I got home, we realized we’d brought bed bugs back with us. I’m certain they came from this motel. I don’t leave home often, and I couldn’t have picked up bugs to this extent from anyone on the trolley or at Dollywood. I hope they check for them soon so nobody else has this problem. Bed bugs are the worst.