TN Gatlinburg Park Vista Hotel

[frantichomecook]

Stayed for two nights in August, 2008. We were thrilled to climb a steep drive and come out to the hotel parking lot. The view is amazing and the hotel is removed from the noise of downtown.

Check in was easy and quick. We weren't impressed with the friendliness or helpfulness of the several front desk staff we encountered during our stay. We encountered several of the cleaning staff and they were very friendly.

The lobby is nice with a lodge feel and sweeping lights as you look up in to the core of the round hotel. Looking down into the lobby from any hallway will give you vertigo, but the kids loved it!

The hotel is showing its age. Some broken windows were evident in the pool area. Saw quite a few cobwebs in out of reach corners. The windows at the restaurant were dirty.

The kids loved the 3 tiered pool area and video games. There is also a small playground area.

Each room has a balcony. You can opt for "city view" or "mountain view". We chose mountain view and it was absolutely lovely. The view would have been more peaceful but for a very loud air conditioning unit about 10 stories down. The city view is away from this unit and gives a quieter view which is very nice at night with the town lights.

We had 2 queen beds, one of which was slightly worn and uncomfortable. The other was UNUSABLE as it sagged horribly in the middle and had broken springs. The hotel was full due to a convention so we piled onto the floor rather than sleep on that bed.

Ate breakfast buffet ($6.99 w/coupon at front desk/adults, $2.99/kids). Good food and filling. Chef making omelets was very nice and chatted with our kids.

If Park Vista could address a few issues, this would be a top notch hotel and a definite recommendation.

[frantichomecook]

First of all, the view from this hotel is fantastic!

The interior atrium of the hotel is lovely with a lodge/mission motif. Soaring center atrium has lights suspended over 15 floors. The week we were there, a conference was coming into town so it was packed. Dogs are apparently welcomed at the hotel but the walls seem to be soundproof as we rarely heard barking.

Each room has a balcony although it's unfurnished and shallow (we fit one desk chair sideways.) When you book, you have a choice of "city view" overlooking Gatlinburg which is nice at night, or "mountain view" which is beautiful during the day. The hotel sits at the top of a steep drive and seems to be in a world unto itself. From our balcony, we had stunning views but it was quite noisy due to the very loud humming of the air conditioner unit 10 stories below.

A trolley runs between the hotel and downtown Gatlinburg but be prepared to stretch the 5 minute drive to about 30 minutes due to all the schedule and stops.

We had breakfast in the hotel restaurant and found it to be a good value. The chef on duty was very pleasant and interacted with our kids. Staff at the front desk were another story. They were terse and unhelpful when checking in or responding to questions.

The pool area is fun for the kids and their is a small playground. Some of the areas are showing some wear and tear.

One big problem was that one of our queen beds was unusable because it sagged so much in the middle.

PROS:

View, view, view!

Great location

Nice lobby

Clean rooms

Kid friendly pool area

CONS:

Unfriendly front desk staff

Older furnishings show wear

[mama steph]

I stayed at this hotel for 3 nights in July 2009. The hotel staff was very friendly. Obviously the view from this hotel is the best part. I had a king room and the bed was great and the room very spacious. There was a loveseat, coffee table and desk in addition to the bed and still had large open area. The view from the room and balcony were amazing but as pp stated, there was a large ac unit below that was very loud and made sitting on the balcony less enjoyable. They have a nice bar/lounge downstairs and i sat there one evening and enjoyed my book while having a drink on one of the plush leather couches.

The hotel is not new and is starting to show it's age. Just inside and outside my door were 2 huge stains that appeared to be cherry koolaid. That being said, I would stay here again in a heartbeat.