The Park Vista - a DoubleTree by Hilton in Gatlinburg, TN

I love the building and have stated several times , I just wish the house keeping management loved the building too because it and the rate call for much better 225 a night is Hilton rates in southern Florida and they are much cleaner, as far as this area goes the price isn’t far from Embassy but the housekeeping is closer to a motel 6. This is a local landmark and the rates are 3 star prices. The unique building is awesome. Don’t listen AI generated things saying you can walk anywhere tho the driveway up has no room to walk and is extremely steep, that isn’t safe at all

The views from the hotel are absolutely stunning. We wanted to stay slightly out of the town, but with easy access to enjoy restaurants and entertainment if we chose to, and this hotel was the perfect location. We stayed on the 14th floor in a mountain facing room and the views did not disappoint. The sunset and sunrises are just simply spectacular, we were also lucky to see bears strolling through the grounds! The hotel is a little dated, but the staff are great and the room was clean and absolutely fine. The location and breathtakingly beautiful views are THE reason to stay here.

Our visit to the Park Vista Hotel in Gatlinburg Tenn. should have been a great time for our Anniversary Weekend, but it was not up to Hilton Double Tree Standards. I attempted to book it thru Hilton Honors 7 days in advance, as I am a “Gold” member to get points, but the site indicated that nothing was available. Therefore, I booked it thru Booking.com and got the same King city view $40 less than on the Hilton site. That didn’t seem right. Upon arrival, I explained I booked thru Booking,com and the front desk clerk seemed disgusted with me because of that. Then the front desk clerk made a big deal about many bears breaking into cars. That was the 1st we have heard about this issue in Gatlinburg. They charge $15 per day to self-park a car in an outside parking lot. Wonder if that is used to pay for “Bear” security service in the lot. I asked to be sure I was getting a King city view but was assigned a side view without a full city view. The room, 1309 was rather small, had frayed carpet and had badly worn wood furniture which was dusty. The balcony had a large pool of water on it. We thought it was from rain but it was actually from the AC affluents dripping from upstairs AC units. This had been going on for a while and they still rented it. We turned on the TV which was difficult to navigate and the hotel displayed a large bear warning stating that there are about 25 bear car break ins in the area often. The bed was good but the sofa was way too big for this small room. No light on the desk. No phone power ports. The room entry doors are undersized (32”) and the bathroom is a “Micro” bath. No ADA compliance here. The room had a small ice bucket but no glasses. Frig has missing racks. Trash cans had no plastic liners. Microwave was in the hall near the elevators. On day one, I stopped by the empty hotel bar to inquire about a happy hour. The foreign bar tender seemed “tired” & she could not clearly explain what offerings were available On day one we wanted to place an order at the restaurant and pick it up as a carry out. That’s apparently not allowed. Only room service with a 20% surcharge + tip. We found that the pool snack bar would sell us a pizza to go. On day two, we ordered breakfast off the menu at the restaurant. 10 minutes to be waited on. Foreign waiter screwed up our order and the bill. Pathetic. On day two, we stopped by the empty hotel bar to order a drink. We were refused service because my 70-year-old wife did not have her ID with her. I had my ID at age 74 but we left. The bartenders said it was because of Tenn. law. We had just spent the entire day all over the town, had drinks and were not ID’ed once. I did not see the famous Double Tree chocolate cookies anywhere. I asked the front desk and they apparently hide them under the front desk. However, no signage to indicate that. Cheap out. The center of hotel “atrium” with glass elevators is great as well as the pool area. Free “Red” town shuttle was also nice. The hotel looks great up on the hill but many disappointments when you get there. This is just a poorly managed & maintained Double Tree which could do so much better. Hilton should investigate how this place is operated.

A hidden gem/paradise. Off the beaten path, 5 minutes or so (not down in the middle of the city). Quiet rooms, large property, well maintained . Pool great for families . Yes, rooms were a little dated but clean. The showers are updated. The staff was super , always greeted with a smile and kind voice. A special shout out for, Ronnie. He took great care of us, answering all our questions with patience and was very sincere. We did not have to drive our car anywhere. The trolley system was very accommodating, prompt and all of the drivers we had through out our stay were pleasant, patient and helpful with guidance.