Holiday Inn Club Vacations Smoky Mountain Resort

A mountain-style decor typical of the area runs throughout the hotel. It's tastefully done with stone tile floors and wooden ceilings. The lobby is an interesting, vaguely hexagonal shape, with a large stone hearth in the center of the room. Distressed leather chairs and an iron chandelier sporting bear head carvings add to the lodge ambience. Families and couples stay year-round, along with conventioneers who come mostly during the winter months.

Gatlinburg is a resort town in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park area, known for its mountain views, hiking, fishing, rafting, and skiing. The Holiday Inn is conveniently located near the center of town but off the main road, away from heavy tourist traffic. Other hotels, restaurants, and lots of activities are all within walking distance. It's also right down the street from the Gatlinburg Convention Center. The entrance to the national park, Ober Gatlinburg Tram, the Space Needle, and Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies are all within walking distance too. Dollywood theme park is about a 25-minute drive, and Knoxville is an hour's drive. Expect at least a three-and-a-half-hour drive to Nashville.

All 109 rooms are either one- or two-bedroom condos with full kitchens. The mostly contemporary furnishings have country-home decor touches, including floral print curtains and ladder-back chairs with woven rush seats. Gas fireplaces are set in rough stone hearths, with flat-screen TV's mounted above them. Kitchens are fully stocked with cookware and utensils, as well as dishwashers, stovetops, and refrigerators. Some of the private balconies have views of a creek, while others have views of the parking lot. The bathrooms are large with shower/whirlpool tub combos, and the two-bedroom condos have separate in-room whirlpools.

The activities this hotel offers, both on- and off-site, set it apart from others in the area. Activities include a free, one-and-a-half-hour kids' fishing trip, a free bird show in the lobby, and for a fee, a morning hayride through Cades Cove in the Smoky Mountains, poolside tie-dye T-shirt making, and a tubing adventure that includes lunch. There are also free moonshine tastings, and on some days, snow cones are served poolside. The outdoor pool has a large sundeck with umbrella-covered tables and lounge chairs, a hot tub, and a fire pit. An adjacent indoor pool is on the small side, but is in a large, bright room with a hot tub. In 2016, the hotel opened a small indoor water park, with twisty slides, water squirters, and bucket dumps. A small game room has a pool table, air hockey, and arcade games. The fitness center has treadmills, stationary bikes, elliptical machines, and yoga mats. There's also an outdoor picnic area with multiple charcoal grills, covered picnic tables, and yard games.