Dollywood's HeartSong Lodge & Resort — Hotel in Pigeon Forge

HORRIBLE HOTEL FOR FAMILIES WITH KIDS , TOO MANY RESTRICTIONS!! A GOLDEN CAGE! One of the WORST 5 stars we’ve been. My kids ages are 11 and 10, swimmers, they are 4.8ft tall and they aren’t allowed to be in the pool without an adult (4ft only!!! Water reach their chest line). The lifeguard Jerica told my 11 year old daughter that if she won’t get her parents- SHE WILL CALL SECURITY. What?!?! Who talk like that to a child??? Zero sensitivity!

The indoor pool water temp is like running faucet water. Cold! And the outdoor pool opens at 1pm (!!!) so we went to the jacuzzi which was from age 16!! I spoke with the lifeguard supervisor Taylor Christian, that told me very clearly that the kids can be in the jacuzzi with feet only for the rest of our vacation, BUT on the next day when she was off- lifeguard Jerica CALLED SECURITY ON US when the kids went in to the jacuzzi feet only. Anywhere we go in the world (Middle East, USA, Europe) the kids go with us to the hot tub/ jacuzzi, but here they’re NOT ALLOWED to be in the jacuzzi even with us in it. In our presence. I tried to offer to sign a form stating the hotel has no liability and it’s 100% my liability if “something happen”. They declined. Lifeguard supervisor Taylor Christian, told me very clearly that she will make an exception and allow my kids to be in the jacuzzi with feet only for the rest of our vacation. BUT- her lifeguards DID NOT honored that. NEITHER FRONT DESK! No one in this hotel is synchronized or respect other’s authority!!! When lifeguard Jerika called security my kids thought it is POLICE (uniform, handcuffs, gun) not something they should experience, I felt so vulnerable and shocked, why do I deserve it? Was I aggressive? Was I violent? Not something you expect to experience in a vacation that you paid nearly 450$ a night!!!!!!!

Kids activities are available according to the kids schedule, but are closed (?!)

Everywhere you go you need to use your room key and carry it with you- Enter the lobby from the outside, enter to the jacuzzi area, enter the indoor pool area, we feel in a government office!! So so difficult and a burden. TOO MANY RESTRICTIONS! The kids keep forgetting /loosing their keys and getting locked in between areas that the only way to get in is with your room key!!!

NO PRIVACY in the room, no doors. The only door is to the bathroom and the lock won’t lock (we checked other 3 rooms along with nice reception guy- Clayton, all have the same problem. The lock itself is not functional).

Bad reception to AT&T phone line. I can’t find a spot where I can make a normal phone call!

My kids are older and basically ANYWHERE they go they are told they need supervision. Even the kids lounge where there’s games and tv!! Feels like the staff (and there are many) follow you everywhere or just suddenly appear out of nowhere and make comments. No freedom. IF MY KIDS CANT EXPLORE! WE CANT RELAX AND ENJOY!!!!

So NO indoor pool without a parent, NO outdoor pool cause it’s closed till 1pm, NO jaccuzi, Ano kids lounge without us, NO kids activities. A GOLD CAGE!!!!

They wouldn’t discount our vacation or even try to make us feel better due to all of these incidents! NO COMPENSATION OR RESOLUTION WAS OFFERED !!!!! Horrible horrible customer service. Pour skill set to deal with unsatisfied customers! Very very disappointing and upsetting!

We went back to the room to search for another hotel in the area!!! We booked this vacation 3 months ago! Drove 6 hours and h-a-t-e (!) the overall experience. AND THE FACT THAT NO COMPENSATION WAS OFFERED MAKES ME SO MAD AND FRUSTRATED! I want my money back!! I’ve never treated this way.

The hotel is clean and beautiful but nothing is worth it if we can’t relax and enjoy! FEELS LIKE IM TRAPPED IN A CAGE FROM GOLD.

Finally, when my husband went to get a trolly from the lobby to load our luggages - he was told he couldn’t! That they have to come up with him or bring it up themselves! They insisted to bring it up to our room, and we waited for them 20 MINUTES!!!!

IF I COULD RATE IT 0 OR -5 I...

Undoubtedly, HeartSong is stunning. However, the people who serve across all of the departments are what bring the resort to live. The energy, enthusiasm, and pride of those who work within the resort or on the grounds is astounding. Everyone we encountered wanted to share their favorite things about the resort with us, like a new parent eager to share their new baby with the world. From DG walking us into the lobby to share the first looks at the fireplace with us. To the Camp DW ladies offering to take our picture in front of the fire and share in our excitement. The Front Desk staff genuinely excited to have us sharing in the moment. Savanna at the Ticketing Desk who prides herself on helping families make memories that will last forever. Brandon in the janitorial department ensuring everything meets his standards. Pride, love, and care pour off of these individuals and it makes HeartSong come to life and sing. Resort Grounds Overall Impression: The reveal of HeartSong Lodge and Resort as you turn the corner is memorable. That first awe-inspiring look at this brand new resort sitting up high, but looking like it has been part of the area for years sets the tone for vacation. The grounds are exquisite, clearly cared for but not overly manicured. The setting looks right and not like a cheap approximation. The attention to detail that clearly emanates from this resort reinforces the idea that this is a special place. As the resort ages it will be interesting to watch the look change. The copper touches throughout look amazing now, and will continue to look better as they age. As the plants, trees, and shrubs grow the resort will look more lush than it already does. Interior Public Areas Overall Impression: This resort is special. The heavy wooden doors welcome you into the lobby where, in an interesting design choice (one I love), you face the rear of the most striking feature in the lobby. Only after you turn the corner and see out the beautiful floor to ceiling windows do you see the fireplace and it’s beautiful gates. It is a magnificent reveal. Often gorgeous resorts feel cold and sterile; like a living room you couldn’t go in as a child with furniture possibly covered in plastic. These places always feel empty of life, no one dares sit or linger in the common areas because it doesn’t seem like you should. Every time we crossed the lobby people were chatting and hanging out in the many seating areas, the same thing outside. This embrace of warmth and welcome helps to make this resort exceptional. Resort Amenities Overall Impression: HeartSong Lodge and Resort provides a perfect balance of relaxation and available activities. We felt free to explore the resort at our leisure and organically discover the variety of amenities available to us. The hot tub was excellent, we anticipate many more nights enjoying this amenity; hopefully in the snow this December. We were impressed that everything was up and running this far in advance of the actual opening. Front Desk Overall Impression: Coupled with the valets and door greeters the front desk provides a welcoming atmosphere once you enter the resort. The Individuals who man the front desk do so with warmth, pride, and a bubbly excitement for all that HeartSong Lodge and Resort has to offer. These ambassadors of the brand exude engagement and an eagerness to exceed expectations. Culinary/Food and Beverage Overall Impression: It must be difficult to find an open niche in an area like Pigeon Forge, there are so many options that it seems difficult to stand out from the crowd. The team at HeartSong Lodge and Resort has figured it out. We have never eaten so many meals at a resort before, but there are too many delicious and amazing menu items for us to explore. Before arriving we did not know of any of the on-site eateries would be open and planned to dine outside of the resort. We were thrilled when we discovered the open restaurants and amazed by the quality...

We stayed for preview weekend so our review ratings reflect that understanding that not everything will be “grand opening ready.” The Fire place was beautiful. The seating areas in lobby and outdoor area were really nice. They are still working on decor. Bathroom soap dispensers aren’t working yet. Our room door was very difficult to close and was actually ajar when bell services took us to our room. Maintenance was supposed to come fix but did not. The counter service area and resort store were lovely and seemed like the most complete and polished areas there. Two fire alarms with evacuation first night was certainly not ideal with young children after midnight but things happen.

Staff were very pleasant. Everyone was extremely kind, welcoming and helpful. Bell service/valet attendants were fantastic. Restaurant and front desk staff excellent as well. Had some confusing messages as resort texts told us one thing but then found that was not necessarily the case. For example multiple resort texts reviewed check out time and stated no need to stop at front desk to check out. Resort called later after check out time to ask if we had left yet as we didn’t check out at front. Another example below. However as staff are trained and get more experienced, I’m sure the wrinkles will all be ironed out.

Family suite was smaller than expected (we have been to numerous family resorts) and did not have doors to separate bedroom areas. There were tight walkways especially if you have suitcases (no under bed storage), pack and play and stroller. Only door to create privacy in entire room was for combo toilet/shower area which would be challenging for some. Need more than one small trash can in family suites. There were also no trash bags for the one small can so we couldn’t even empty ourselves. Very basic room amenities with no glassware or plastic cups. Had disposable coffee cups first day but not after. Room was clean and fresh as we were first guests in it. There were several (5+) stink bugs we removed from room but I’m guessing that was left from construction.

Staff at resort Dollywood ticket counter were pleasant but seemed very new and gave misinformation regarding festival tasting pass and time saver causing a couple of very long walks back to front of park to rectify at timesaver office and festival booth. Restaurant staff were really trying and had great attitude but management disappeared on them a couple of times creating long wait times to rectify issues. None of these things would be as problematic without young children.

Resort transportation was efficient. Drivers were overall pleasant and one was particularly engaging with guests. However the drivers struggled getting trolley into the turnabout as there was a tight turn radius.

We feel Dollywood in general was a great value overall from tickets to beverages to food. The Dollywood Heartsong Resort however seemed pretty expensive for current offerings, room size and amenities etc. Resort restaurant breakfast was reasonable though pretty small portions and very basic diner style presentation. Dinner was good but seemed pretty pricey with similar presentation and quality. We stay at resorts often and have reasonable expectations and understanding of current family resort market. At $460+ a night, we expected more. It felt like a nice new luxury Homewood Suites accommodations at full Hilton resort price.

All in all we had a lovely first Dollywood weekend. We would certainly visit Dollywood again and would even give Heartsong another try in the future if we found...