Mama Gertie's Hideaway Campground — Hotel in Swannanoa

We were scheduled to stay at Mama Gertties on the 12/23/2020 and experienced a family emergency that landed my 14 year old son in an emergency outpatient surgery delaying our arrival to 7 pm at mama gertties. We received a voicemail from their office confirming our arrival while in surgery and I responded to their voicemail via another voicemail detailing how we might be arriving between 6:30-7 pm that evening to which we heard no response. Even at time of reservation I had to call 3 times to get a reservation... Once another member of our party arrived at the campground at 5:30 they mentioned to them that we would be a little late and they decided to call us back and say she couldn't accommodate us past 6 pm, and telling us to make arrangements at another place for the night. I tried explaining we had called and left a vm to which she simply talked over me and stated in an upset tone that it was their policy and said I said I never left any message. I asked if an expcetion could be made and she increased her tone to cut me off to state that it was policy to which I replied you are forgetting I'm the customer and I need to be heard even if the outcome is not what I expect. By this time I'm upset about not getting a reply to my voicemail from 3 pm that would have given ample time to arrange something in lieu of this policy. This representative lacks the customer service skills to be answering or dealing with any public. A smile goes a long way even over the phone as it can be perceived and if this unqualified person would have taken the time to explain the reasons why past 6 pm it is not safe to go in the campground without an escort due to the steep terrain as we noticed while visiting our other friends whom stayed there, I would have understood! she didn't care, her reasoning was simple to her understating or capacity, "ITS OUR POLCIY!!!!! and you should have called earlier" once again insinuating we never called, I guess clients are liars and should be put in their place. What made this horrible experience worst was her lack of empathy to our situation as to at least explain why the late arrival was not possibly due to safety concerns to which I would have said ok and not have canceled my stay there for the remaining of the days. Had they returned my call I would not have had to find another place to stay at 5:45 pm with a child fresh out of surgery in 28 degree weather. Listen, acknowledge and explain, not that hard to do and a basic principle of the hospitality industry... At the end I felt if not welcomed that night I wasn't welcomed any other night so we canceled to which she said we would be charged a $25 cancelation fee and as it turns out they kept our whole $50 deposit even upon her saying it would only be $25 for same day cancelation. Again, no empathy even to our situation, forget the lack of explanation and poor customer service. They don't even honor...

This is a very nice and well kept RV Park with lots of extra features. There are a few negatives, including the steep incline of the park in general that should be taken into consideration before you choose to stay here, but in comparison to other parks I have stayed at, it is quite nice.

SITES The sites are clean and nicely kept. There are full hookups, water and electric, as well as tent sites, and cabins. The one thing that is a bit of a struggle is that the whole park is on a hill, so it can be difficult to get around unless you are comfortable with steep inclines. It does make for a great workout going up and down the hills. If you can make it up to the top, there is a pretty nice view overlooking Swannanoa. Several of the sites do also include rather dramatic humps in the parking pad, making it difficult to get into the site. On our way in with a small RV, our tires spun just trying to pull into our spot. Large RVs may have a lot of trouble moving around this RV park and getting into their site. The sites are fairly small and many are also packed quite close together. A picnic table is provided at each site as well as fire rings. Tents are not allowed at the hookup sites. You are also positioned on the side of a mountain, so the sun disappears behind it earlier than usual on most days. There are several little streams that run near the park, giving a nice backdrop of running water.

STAFF The staff was friendly and helpful upon arrival. They escorted us to our site and helped us get settled in. The staff drives around in golf carts, so there are often 2 or 3 driving by several times each day checking on things. The hill included with the gas carts can cause the carts to be a bit loud and at times can be a bit smelly.

BATHROOMS They have very nice facilities including full restrooms with flush toilets and separate shower facilities. The showers are individual locked doors giving you real privacy that is lacking in a lot of other RV parks I have stayed at. They also do a nice job keeping the restrooms clean. At times they seemed to struggle to keep the toiletries stocked however, leaving some stalls without toilet paper or paper towels, even post cleaning. Despite this, the bathrooms are still some of the nicest I have seen on the road.

EXTRAS The park also has a bonus workout room with a treadmill, weight equipment, exercise bikes, and exercise balls. Propane is also filled at the park. There is also a laundry room with nice washers and dryers.

SURROUNDING AREAS There is a full grocery Store, coffee shops, and a few restaurants in the town, only about a 5 minute drive away. Next to the park is a developing neighborhood, offering some extra...

CAMPERS BEWARE: No experience at the campground because we couldn’t make the check in window. Was traveling from MA to NC en route to TX and was looking for campgrounds around Asheville. This popped up and looked beautiful and had WiFi (traveling across the country while working, this is a priority). I booked my stay at 6:17pm, and received the confirmation email. I immediately noticed at the bottom of the confirmation that the check-in window was 1pm-5pm, which was past when I’d arrive (we were anticipating arrival around 11pm). At 6:23pm, I emailed and stated that I didn’t see the clause on the website, and asked for them to refund because I would not be able to make the checkin and I would simply stay at a different campground that could accommodate.

I understand that there are policies in place, including that reservations within 2 weeks are non-refundable and checkin is between 1-5pm and take full responsibility for missing that. Given that I emailed 6 minutes after I booked, I had hoped that they would be a little understanding of my error and offer a refund. I really wanted to stay there, but priority is given to finding a safe place to camp that could accommodate my late checkin. Ultimately, after an unpleasant email exchange, I was directed to their policies online and told that there was nothing that could be done and I would not be refunded.

For a small campground that is very busy, I was disappointed in the customer service I received. Surely a mistake could be understood and attempting to cancel within 6 minutes of booking would be something that the campground would be able to accommodate.

I won’t be back in the Asheville area, and am really disappointed that this stay didn’t work out, as the sites looked beautiful. The only thing I was more disappointed in was the lack of compassion and customer service I received. Make sure you read all the T’s and C’s before you make your reservation, because this place is less than willing to accommodate mistakes, even if you catch them...