Hotels near Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies, Gatlinburg

I picked this hotel based on reviews rating and pictures. I wasn't disappointed. My husband was a little apprehensive when we pulled in, a fresh coat of paint on the balcony rails would do a world of good for curbside appreance. Check in was good the front desk man on check in was not the most friendly person. Room was great, clean comfy bed fireplace and loved the balcony. Plenty of space in here the entry door could use a little TLC. Breakfast was really good 👍. Monday morning at check out this guy was great sorry I didn't get his name. Asked if we saw an bear told him we did and he showed us video of bear on the property. So if the maids don't clean your room for a bit this is a real thing. One picture showed the bear in the maid cart it was crazy. Wonderful stay would stay again, actually I already told my husband let's go back.

Next stay.

Remodel was in progress during our March 2024 stay. I don’t know if that was relevant to the blaring smoke alarm at 8am on a Monday morning but that was a very rude awakening and rough start to our trip. Pros: Nice friendly staff. Room and bathroom were very clean. Location and parking were perfect. It was worth the negatives to be this close to downtown (quick walk). Pancake restaurant next door was a plus. The pool and hot tub looked nice although we didn’t use them. Cons: Did Courtyard invent a new bed size? That felt like the smallest King bed ever. Another review mentioned this too. Very odd bed situation. Pillows were awful. 4 of 6 window panes were permanently fogged so the view that should have been amazing was 2/3 diminished. The Bistro, although staffed with helpful and friendly employees was depressing and empty. The cold food in the Bistro frig looked old and sad (yogurt parfait had separated and pooled substantial liquid in the bottom for example.). The seats were all cracked and badly worn. I was extremely hesitant to order food but the coffee ($3.50 for plain coffee) was tasty enough as it was the only option other than making your own with tap water in the room via the provided single-serve pot. Fairfield’s lobby coffee station was sorely missed during this Courtyard stay! The things that can and hopefully will be addressed during Courtyard’s remodel will allow for us to give this hotel another chance one day perhaps.

Okay there’s a bit to talk about here. Mostly good! Cons: If you are a bit of a clean nut - this place isn’t for you. The one *major* thing that bothered me was the bedding. There wasn’t a mattress cover between the sheet and the mattress and I just kept thinking about everyone who laid there before me. The carpet was in need of a steam because if you walked barefoot it made your feet turn black. I wore my flip flops the whole time. The room smelled a bit like smoke and we ended up going to get an air freshener. We did also have turn down service but they only did our bathroom and didn’t make our bed. Very funny lol but we weren’t too upset. I think the place just needs to be renovated/a deep clean and it would be perfect. I was in room 266. Also, the breakfast isn’t eggs and bacon etc. It’s biscuits and gravy which in my opinion was not the tastiest and simple things like cereal and bagels. It’s great in a pinch. Pros: That river balcony is everything. It’s such a soothing sound and you see bears almost every day. We saw 3 bears during our stay. I would come back just for that! There are two pools which are often never used. There is one that seems to be for adults which I had to myself one afternoon. The walk to town is about a mile one way - which after hiking the smokies all day is the last thing you want to do but it’s nice to be out of the crowds. Amazing breakfast and bbq spot across the street. The staff were so nice and helpful. Overall - happy with the experience but I am someone who is picky about sanitation and that’s why I docked the star. You get what you pay for. If you don’t mind an older spot that needs some love, this is a perfect place.

We checked in late about 11pm into room 121. Check in was fine, the gentleman who checked us in wasn't super friendly but he was quick and sufficient. I didn't realize that this hotel does not have an elevator. So if you have mobility issues request a ground floor or the super 8 in Pigeon Forge has an elevator. Luckily we were able to get a ground floor room because both my husband and I have mobility issues, him more so than I. The room was smaller than I liked, it was a two double bed room. The room was clean but the floor felt off. I think a simple swiffer mop would fix that. The room came with a working fridge, microwave, and one cup coffee maker. There were plenty of towels and wash clothes and toiletries. The bathroom is very tiny, not much bigger than a closet. So if you're grossly obese you're gonna have a hard time getting in and out. We didn't receive full house keeping because we travel with our cat but house keeping did check to see if we needed anything and brought us towels. This is the first time this has happened. I appreciate the time to check on us. The major down falls with the room could easily be fixed and only coat a few hundred dollars, the drop down ceiling in the vanity area had water damage and they were sagging, there were gouges in the bathroom and the wall opposite of the beds. Fix these small issues and the owners could easily charge almost as much as Pigeon Forge properties that are similar quality. Would I stay here again? Yes but I would need to make sure the bed is at least a queen and on the ground floor.

This is a very old hotel so don't expect luxury. The Rooms were large with great large glass windows and doors that open to a balcony to sit outside. The rooms were clean and the A/C was ICE COLD the way I like it. The hot water for the shower was was great and hot. Our room was 210 and the best in my opinion we had lots of trees off our balcony so the birds ate bread right in front of us. The pool was a very fun pool that was two levels opened until 11PM. The putt putt was free. The Breakfast buffet was $8.95 and was abundant in choice and delicious, The location was great and convenient to walk everywhere. Grocery Store was across the way. I booked this 4 hours before I showed up and got the room for $51.00 Taxes are high state and resort taxes so beware. Oh and one last thing Parking was FREE great deal in itself because parking in this town is expensive. This hotel is located two buildings down from the Gatlinburg Covention Center.

I really wanted to love this place. The location is perfect to quickly get to the attractions in Gatlinburg without fighting traffic and the views are incredible. The food from vista grille is surprisingly delicious for hotel food and the welcome cookie was so good. The front desk staff and restaurant staff are the best. So polite and friendly each and every time. But this place is busy. It is a convention center and there was an event every day during our stay. There is not ample parking to accommodate a packed hotel during peak season and daily events. Allowing guests to park in the fire lane seems like a major safety issue. The rooms are a decent size however, the beds are not great unless you like sleeping on a worn out extra firm mattress. The rooms also need a deep cleaning. I understand that there is a quick turnover between guests but these rooms haven’t had a good cleaning in years. There was hair left behind from a previous guest in the bathroom and years of dust behind the couch. For almost $300/night, I expected more.

Checked in 10/11 when we arrived at our rooms we had 4 there were 16 of us one room we could not get into. The card unlocked the door but the security bar was in place and we couldnt get in. Tried calling front desk several times with no answer. Went down to lobby to find around 20 men that did not speak English in the lobby being very loud and disruptive. They would crowd in front and put there phone in the young lady at the desks face im assuming translating it to English. When i got to speak with her she had manger on the phone so he was telling her what to do to get into the room She came upstairs and tried with a piece of copper wire that was unsuccessful. She said she was going to go get a different tool and we continued to try to get the door open knocking and yelling to see if anyone was in the room with no response. We worked for 45 minutes or so and finally got into the room, to find a lady with 2 children in the room. She was yelling at us to get out. Which only one stepped inside to try to explain why we were there. Something was very suspicious about her. So i went back downstairs to tell the young lady at the desk that we have another issue she still on the phone with the manager and said she would get a different room. Before we had asked for a different room we were told they had no vacancies they were book. But somehow had a room for us then. The young lady was still dealing with these men in the lobby. She came up and entered the room to check and be sure it was good. Shame on the manager for not coming in to assist her, she said she was the only person in property for all night. Ifeel that was a very poor manager that left her in that situation However was very concerned with her safety. And ours as well at that point. So and hour and a half had passed and it was almost midnight before we got a room. On Sunday morning we went up to the breakfast are and there were all those same men very load and rude crowding taking up all the seating and taking 3 plates of food at a time. I would not recommend this hotel to anyone. Its a beautiful facility but the management is terrible!