We booked through Expedia, and got the exact same rate that AAA and the hotel itself had for 1 night friday night stay. I book through Expedia because they have always taken good care of me when there is a problem. They guarantee your trips. We got there about 9pm and were ready to check in, get settled, and walk around downtown Gatlinburg and see the Christmas lights. The hotel, or I should say the lobby and 2 front buildings are within walking distance to the downtown area and aquarium. Well I checked in, and asked if we had a riverfront room.The hostess said,"No, you booked through expedia." I asked her what that meant. She stated that I should never book with Expedia, I should book through the hotel directly. She said that the hotel is allowed to only book certain rooms for Expedia customers and is not allowed to move them anywhere else in the facility even if it is available.(this has not been the case in my previous experiences with Expedia). I asked if I could pay to upgrade, since the hotel was obviously not full (like 5 cars in the parking lot) and she said no. I said so I am offering to pay more money and I still cant move. She said no. She got all my information, got me checked in, and then showed me where our room was. We didn't even know the hotel had this many buildings. All the pics and the website do not advertise this. We were 7 buildings back next to a "mountain view" It was a giant mountain ledge 30 feet from our Window so we were looking at the boulders. It was dark with no street lights, and there were 2 other cars in that building. We were 2 females traveling together for a girls weekend, and we didn't want to get out of the car. It was not a safe environment. I called expedia, explained the situation, and they were able to call the front desk and speak with her and she convinced her to cancel us. Expedia then found us a Fairfield Inn Marriot that was stunning, clean, well lit, and the same price. That, my dear, is why I always use Expedia!!! While we were on hold with Expedia, we went in the room, and checked it out in case they wouldn't cancel us. It was gross. Very old, very basic, old style TV, and we had like a 3x3 window of downtown area. It was ridiculous. It was clean, but I paid the exact same amount and got the Marriott. If you think you have to stay in this hotel, Book through the hotel, and make sure you ask for a River view room. That way you will be close to civilization. We won't ever be coming back to this hotel again, and I will make sure all of my friends who go to Gatlinburg for the weekend do not either. The staff could use a good inservice from a company like Disney for customer service and personality.
- River Terrace Resort
- River Terrace Gatlinburg
- River Terrace Hotel
