Margaritaville Island Hotel — Hotel in Pigeon Forge

Updated to 3 stars: after speaking with senior management of the property when checking out I am comforted to know a few factors contributed to the state of the room and this experience appears to be a one off confluence of events - a packed holiday/event weekend, their maintenance team being out of house and housekeeping having a comms issue when it comes to room upkeep and us booking through the overall margaritaville website vs through the property directly which affected our expectations. While I’m not a local resident I was still invited back sometime in the future so I will revisit this review and property in the coming months. I fully expect a better experience and urge others to give this place a shot for their next vacation.

Original review: In short - I've docked stars because it is too expensive for what you get, the parking situation is not ideal in any way, and the room was not well maintained or in good repair. Too expensive for what you get - we booked through the hotel and spent $600 a night for a 'two bedroom suite'. Unfortunately only one of the rooms was a bedroom - really gorgeous too with an en-suite shower/bathroom. But the second 'bedroom' was a glorified closet with two twin beds, a tv. The bathroom for that 'room' is through the living room around the corner. I would have been fine if they had marketed it what it is - a suite for a family with parents and two kids, not two bedrooms like I expected. It’s also more upsetting considering we had to provide details of our stay and we told them it was for 4 adults and one baby. There are no excuses. Worst of all besides the obvious disrepair of the whole suite was that one of the twin beds was broken so badly we pulled the mattress into the floor to sleep on it. In the morning the front desk wanted to know why we didn’t call them when we realized - I’m not sure why it’s on us to have strangers come up to our room late at night to fix something that shouldn’t be broken. Regardless the next day they repaired it (broken slats and frame - and to be honest the frame is still broken but the pieces are jammed into the space so tight the bed doesn't move) but when I checked under the bed to try and find one of my belongings I found trash and old food and candy. I can't imagine any decent maintenance team would take that time to fix a bed and wouldn’t make a call to housekeeping to just vacuum the crumbs that can attract bugs and rodents. It just grosses me out on every level. Lastly is the parking - their self parking is down by the general parking for The Island and the hotel does not offer a small golf cart shuttle or anything similar for handicapped persons or special needs. You can pay extra for valet but their valet doesn't operate 24/7 so at night you can collect your keys from the night attendant and walk through the dark across the bridge to the valet lot and access your car that way. Overall for $600 a night I expect a hotel maintenance team that has the skills to run a magic eraser along a base board. Or use a furniture marker to fix up dings. Or beds that aren't broken upon check in. I’m also grossed out that all the laminate in the room is sticky to step on and the room attendants never gave us any coffee pods for the coffee machine. The only positives were the service we did receive from the front desk and all the food vendors on site. Also it's convenient to be near so much shopping and entertainment. If that's your thing make sure you're ok with the rest. TL/dr: this is NOT a resort but it is an overpriced run down hotel with a great location and friendly front of house staff. I’m never coming back and...

The Margaritaville Island Hotel is a great central location for many great activities in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. Centrally located at The Island it is a great place for couples and families to enjoy quick access to restaurants, shopping, and activities while never being far from the hotel.

The check-in process was quick and easy. Valet parking was available, and we definitely recommend it for any guest. The staff was courteous and polite. The hotel itself appeared to be in great shape and well-kept.

We stayed in a River View King room with Hot Tub, room R279. The room was spacious and well-appointed. We had daily housekeeping service and overall found the room to be clean and comfortable. Of note, there is virtually no storage in this room, and that may be a concern for anyone who likes to unpack upon arrival. The storage in the main area of the room was three small desk drawers and a small closet. Without a table or couch, we could also only have one suitcase open at a time. We found the lack of storage to be annoying, but not enough for us to not stay here again. There were only two of us, any more than that, and it would be a real issue. The bathroom was bright and clean. The amenities provided were shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotion, makeup remover wipes, and soap. There were a few peculiarities in the bathroom; the shower had a comfortable seat and two rain heads. The rain heads, however, could not be used at the same time; you have to choose to have the water above you or from the side as a mounted shower head. The handle to select temperature was also confusing. The base plate on the shower wall indicated turning the handle left to right to increase temperature, and the handle indicated turning the handle right to left to increase temperature. The base plate in our bathroom was correct. There is a barn door that opens to the bedroom and creates a window from the room into the hot tub portion of the room. The only issue with this is that the toilet is exposed within the bathroom, and if the sliding door is open, the toilet (and anyone using it) is also exposed.

The rooftop pool and hot tub were good size. We also enjoyed sitting up there and looking out over the Great Smokies as well as The Island. The fountains were down for replacement and repair during our entire stay, but we did enjoy watching the fountains being replaced and worked on while we were at The Island.

This was a great location for us. Our minor quibbles were far outweighed by the location and the staff. We look forward to...

This year, we had the pleasure of staying at the Margaritaville Hotel in Pigeon Forge. We usually spend our annual vacation in a cabin in Gatlinburg. The valet service was incredibly convenient, prompt, and professional. The hotel offered the added convenience of a Starbucks coffee shop in the lobby, as well as Finns Bar and Grill. The food at Finns was delicious, and the service was excellent. We had reserved a presidential suite by the fountain. Our room was conveniently located near the elevator, eliminating long walks and the need to transport luggage. We greatly appreciated the absence of stairs in our accommodations this year. The suite was quite spacious. It included two separate bathrooms, one of which featured a jacuzzi tub and two full-length robes. The suite also offered a dinette set, a living room with a fold-out sofa, a bedroom, a balcony, a microwave, a refrigerator, and a coffee maker. The shower at this hotel had wonderful water pressure. We are accustomed to low water pressure from well water in our mountain cabins. However, the bathroom lighting was quite poor. The balcony, with its two chairs and table, was impeccably clean, free of any litter or cigarette butts. We thoroughly enjoyed the relaxing and tranquil fountain view from the balcony. I was very pleased to find a full-length mirror in the room. The suite's two adjustable thermostats allowed us to maintain a comfortable temperature, contributing to a most pleasant stay. The television offered cable, HBO, and Disney channels. The bed was outfitted with plush feather pillows and a coordinating down feather comforter. We enjoyed a restful sleep. I was pleasantly surprised by the level of noise emanating from The Island. Adding electrical outlets and USB ports next to the bed would be a beneficial improvement to the hotel. I would also recommend that housekeeping dust the lampshades on both sides of the bed. The rooftop pool bar was our favorite spot. I was slightly disappointed that neither hotel bar offered espresso martinis, but their margaritas and tropical drinks were delightful. The service at both hotel bars was exceptional. We thoroughly enjoyed all the amenities offered by the Pigeon Forge hotel. It provided a delightful combination of amusement rides, moonshine tastings, live music, dancing fountains, restaurants, and ample shopping opportunities, all conveniently located in one place. The island was constructing Jurassic Adventure, and we were very impressed watching the dinosaurs being installed. We certainly plan to...