The Lodge At Buckberry Creek — Hotel in Gatlinburg

We dined at the restaurant for dinner to celebrate our dear friends and family member's 10 year anniversary. The ambiance was wonderful, the waiter who shared with us that he was originally from Peru was very nice. Everything was perfect... until it wasn't. After our salad plates were cleared we waited for approximately 45 minutes to an hour until we inquired about the main entrees. In this time frame my wife and I were able to call our kids at home and wish them goodnight. So as we waited for awhile, everything was still fine and we really weren't bothered that much. We sat down around 6:30pm. At about 10 minutes until 9:00pm is when a member of our party inquired about our food to the waiter. Immediately he returned from the kitchen with all of our entrees. Again, this was fine... until it wasn't. We had to go over and over again who had what entree, a member of our groups dinner was completely wrong, and all of the food was cold. After informing our waiter of the wrong meal, he informed us that the kitchen no longer had any more bison. He apologized and returned with the original plate, which also was cold. Being the military veteran in me, I ate my food without much complaint. It wasn't great, but for the sake of just getting out of there quicker, I just wanted to pay for the check and leave as soon as possible. My friends and family on the other hand couldn't stomach the cold entrees. They brought up there concerns to the manager who had come out to our table. We never saw the waiter ever again. Because we're not the types to cause conflict or to complain we were all very uncomfortable, so one person spoke for everyone in our party. He was promptly cut off by the manager Scott, who was not interested in hearing from my brother-in-law, but only wanted to speak with the person who had the wrong order (not everyone else who had a cold meal). After my friend reiterated what my brother-in-law said, Scott went back inside from the patio slamming the door. Everyone, including myself, wanted to crawl out of our skin at the uncomfortableness that was happening in front of us. Our meals were comped, but that is not what we were looking for. All of us are professionals by trade and had no issue with paying for cold food. What we had issue with was the waiter disappearing on us, the manager slamming doors, and disrespecting members of my party. Mistakes happen...to be human is to err. How we handle mistakes is what truly makes the difference. Owning up to a mistake and doing whatever to rectify the situation is usually what normal people do. Tonight mistakes were handled poorly, and I blame the leadership of this establishment. In good confidence, I would not recommend this...

The Lodge at Buckberry Creek are the reminants of a once great lodge hotel in Gatlinburg, TN that was ravaged by a fire a few years back. The only building that survived is what is offered today. As it stands, it is set up more like an AirBnB since there really are no amenities, only a room for you to stay in. The pictures online are a bit misleading because they still have pics of the old lodge posted. The views are incredible here as they are in most of Gatlinburg but that is where the novelty ends. There is barely any cell service so getting ahold of the staff in nearly impossible. They told us our first day the check in was 5pm which was pretty late for anyone traveling in to town. One thing they don't tell you about us the danger from bears. They encourage you to explore the area and hike but once you are there, they tell you to not leave the premises without an air horn and bot to leave any food in your vehicle as the bears may try to break in. Apparently this is such a common practice that they even named the bear Toby. As for the room, it seems nice at first but after you get over the view, you realize this is more like camping for beginners than it is a proper hotel. There are bees and yellow jackets everywhere including on the attached porch. As soon as I stepped out to take a picture I was accosted by an aggressive insect. We could hear the family staying above us very clearly which took away from the experience and caused us to lose sleep. The decor is very woodsy and charming and there was a basic jacuzzi tub and separate shower, as well as a fireplace and full kitchen. If it wasn't for the unhinged wildlife and paper thin walls, this spot might just be a wonderful place to stay. Unfortunately, the staff was not very helpful in accomdating our concerns so we left early. They refused us a partial refund even though they did not inform us of many of the caviots of staying at this location. We will not return to the Lodge nor can we recommend this location despite the beautiful views. Do yourself a favor and look for a different lodge until...

A friend & I spent this past week at a vacation cabin in the area and went to the restaurant at the lodge for dinner for what we thought would be a special treat! We ordered 2 appetizers (the seared tuna, and the braised lamb rib). The tuna was grayish and flavorless (not at all fresh), and the lamb rib meat was so tough that we had to ask for a steak knife to cut it. When we told our waitress, she said she'd tell the chef, but nothing happened. When our dinners arrived, they too were disappointing. The potato sides on both of our plates were cold and tasted like they were perhaps reheated leftovers from the previous day. I ordered the filet mignon with hollandaise sauce and my stomach was upset through the entire night (but maybe it was from the tuna appetizer). My friend ordered the flounder and said that it had a tough texture, not at all delicate as flounder normally is. When the bill came, we were quite surprised that we were charged for the lamb rib appetizer that we had told the waitress about, but my friend paid the bill (which came to over $100!) because she didn't want to spoil our vacation by making a fuss. As we left through the lobby, the staff asked how our meal was, and we politely told them the honest truth - that we were disappointed in the quality and taste, that we were surprised that the bill had not been adjusted and that the chef did not come to talk to us (maybe the waitress didn't actually tell him of our complaint?). We were then disappointed again when the woman we were telling this to simply said, "oh, that's a shame" and let us walk out the door with no offer whatsoever to make things right. Not only will we not return there, we will not recommend this place to others. There is one good thing we can say though - we were seated on the outdoor deck, and the view was...