Cambria Hotel Pigeon Forge — Hotel in Pigeon Forge

This was the WORST stay at a hotel I have EVER had!!! I normally stay up the hill at the Staybridge and believe me, next time even if they are booked I WILL NOT stay here! I only stayed because it had just opened and the DOS at the Staybridge recommended it. So lets start at the beginning, I got to the hotel and started to check in- I get ready to insert my card and notice it says $273.00 however my room is only $123, so I ask why it is SO expensive and they tell me that its due to incidentals that they are going to hold $150. Here is the thing- I managed and IHG hotel for 3 years and I was a DOS prior to being a GM. I have never had a hotel hold $150.00 unless it was a resort. This by no means was a resort style hotel. Second- I know that when a hold is placed on your card sometimes it takes a VERY long time depending on the financial institution to drop off. I am not fixing to let an establishment hold $150 and not be able to access that money for a month, because YES I have had instances during my time as a manager where a hold did not come off for an entire month from somebodys account, even after the hotel "released" it. The holds are a nightmare for people and I as a guest myself now, being on the other end of it can see their frustration. So, I sat there for a moment and stated well I wonder if the Staybridge had a cancellation, and the white lady (dont know her name, but she was on her cell phone the whole time) said well even if they did we would still charge you for one night stay because of your last minute cancellation. I didnt say anything at the time, but what a horrible way to build clientele when you have just opened and you have zero cars in your parking lot pretty much. That was very off putting. So finally they agreed to let me pay for my room in full without holding $150.00. They give me a key and said that I was on the first floor room 101, I know for a fact when the DOS at the Staybridge made my reservation that he communicated to this hotel properly what I prefer in my stays. Because when I stay at their hotel they always have my preferences correct. So I get to the room- it is a handicap accessible room, I am not handicap and I do not want to take a room from somebody who might need it that is handicap. I am also facing the back parking lot, not the front parking lot as I prefer. I call back up to the front desk. The switches my room to the 3rd floor. I tried to use one of the keys and it didnt work good thing the 2nd one did. So upon entering the room everything looked really nice! Loved the motorized blinds and the fact the rooms had hardwood floors. I went in the bathroom and there was drops of dried pee on the toilet and something in the trash can. I bring cleaning supplies with me so I just cleaned the bathroom myself but you better believe I took a picture of this and I have it. That was the only cleanliness issue I experienced. So I took a shower and got my things repacked for the following morning to leave out. At 1:00AM the fire alarm goes off. Again I ran a hotel we had a faulty panel sometimes and also with running a hydraulic elevator the mechanical room can set these things off. That part didnt bother me at all. What WAS concerning was the young lady at the front desk. Now, she was so sweet and kind but she did not know what to do! She stood at the front desk with her ears plugged, and rightfully so it was loud, but also you are the employee. We are wondering if there is a real fire and what is going on - she had NO idea what to tell anybody. The phone was ringing off the hook and she was not answering it to calm anybody. There were handicap people on the first floor that didnt know if they should get their partner out of bed or not because they were either in wheelchairs or walkers. Anytime somebody asked her something she would just shrug her shoulders like, an I dont know gesture. Finally the fire department gets there, they are asking her where things are like the mechanical room and she didnt know. She didnt know where the elevator room was either the held the equipment. Now saying all of this the GM needs to do a better job training the staff, and maybe the GM did train the staff and the young lady just couldnt recall things because she was scared, I am not sure. But as a GM you should have regular training sessions with your staff so that in the instance of an emergency they know how to respond. They need to have a go-to book upfront to reference as well with things such as , how to restart the elevator if the system is stuck, how to shut off the water in case of pipe issues, how to reset a door lock to the room if the lock stops working and peoples things are inside, if the fire alarm goes off to immediately let the alarm company know you are not sure if it is a false alarm or not and have them send the fire truck. Then start by contacting each room via phone and letting them know they need to come down and calming the guests, etc. I think that with a little bit of proper training the situation would have been easier on other guests and the employee but it was definitely hard to watch her struggle. Hopefully this helps you all with recognizing area where you...

I have a lot to share. I have lived in this area over by Jefferson City (45 minutes away). So I know my way around. We thought this location would give me and my Husband more options for entertainment and food. I don’t know exactly what we expected but because we are from Florida $100 a night for a brand new (Oct 2024) hotel shocked us. (In a good way) We came to visit my great grandfather who has stage 4 lung cancer. For starters this did not include any breakfast (we aren’t breakfast people so we didn’t care, but for the ones who do it is $9.99 extra at this time for each adult). In addition the internet is VERY spotty, and not under any security so any person just hanging the parking lot could likely access and hop on the network (business men beware) we would watch Netflix and every single day have to reset the TV due to connectivity issues. Room service is slightly a joke, whether they ever actually changed our sheets or not is beyond me, for being built in October, we had maintenance come and re-fasten our toilet seat, the shower floor isn’t exactly “clean” and unless you’re over 5’7” you’re not going to be able to grab the shower head and move it, we were disappointed with housekeeping as we had left a generous tip on day one (which isn’t required) and certain things were still not done, it should be fresh towels at least every other day but we physically had to ask, our mat on the floor for the shower that you step out onto has never been changed. We asked multiple times for changed glasses and plastic insert for the ice container and this never happened until our second to last day (we had a week reservation). Mind you we leave on Saturday and you need to physically tell them if you want something done to your room…. (So everyday is a call or stop to the front desk) The views were amazing with the mountains and if you wanted to sleep in, the black out shades can’t be beat. I would just expect a little more in regard to room cleaning (if they aren’t busy they can accommodate when you ask) we had towels on the floor and they would change those but not the towel we put our feet on when stepping out of the shower!…. Elevators are slow to come but you are on vacation so 🤷‍♀️…. It’s not a bad hotel or location but they could definitely do with some basic upgrades. Up until our last two days we didn’t experience anything loud until the kids started arriving for Memorial Day. Walls are very thin, you can hear everything even across the hall and through your entry door. It’s ridiculous. I would not recommend coming during any holiday as you will not...

Cambria... relatively new to the Choice lineup, this hotel opened its doors October 2024. The exterior is crisp, and in a perfect location offering splendid views of the hustle and bustle below, and mountains in the distance. Close to everything, yet far enough away for solace. The brick parking lot was refreshing to see, against the contrasting colors of the building.

Upon walking in, you can tell they've adopted a sleek, European "minimalist" approach, with a flair for mid-century modern. Nicely done, with pleasing colors. It was clean and fresh.

Check-in was a breeze, and was acknowledged for my Choice status. I received the full rundown of features and amenities. Service was stellar.

As my girlfriend and I were walking to our room, I took in the ambiance leading to it. Clean elevator that talks to you... warm earth tones mixed with rich jewel tones in the hallways. Again, nicely done.

Upon entering the room, it was bright and crisp, almost to the point of being sterile (which is not a bad thing, considering hotels)... it screamed "clean". Again, adopting the minimalist approach in decor, it was very functional. Outlets everywhere, USB ports, no shortage of places to plug in. Absolutely wonderful. There is accent lighting in the tray ceiling, and under the bed. It even has power blinds!!! Soft-touch closures on all drawers and doors.

The king size bed was very comfortable. The big screen TV was placed perfectly. The bathroom was well equipped, and even had a garment steamer. Top notch. Nice, big walk-in shower with fabulous water pressure.

The next morning, we ventured down to the in-house bar/restaurant. Limited menu, but nice choices. We both had the scrambled egg bowl, with potatoes, sausage, peppers and onions. Nice presentation, temperature and flavor. Service was on point, with a cheerful smile.

We were approached by the General Manager, Melanie, and we all had a lovely chat. That alone, made me feel good about the choice I made in hotels.

All in all, it was a pleasurable experience and I would recommend this establishment to anyone who is looking for an excellent quality stay slightly off the beaten path. I will certainly...