Review of the New Embassy Suites Gatlinburg
We stayed at the new Embassy Suites in Gatlinburg just a few weeks after it opened.
Despite some minor issues, we loved the spacious suites, fantastic pool area, and complimentary perks like breakfast and evening reception.
As usual, our stay was paid for by us and is our own opinion.
Overview
Location
Embassy Suites is located just off Historic Nature Trail (Airport Rd) in Gatlinburg.
It’s about a 10 to 15-minute walk from the parkway, a bit over a half mile. It’s slightly uphill when walking back to the hotel
If you don’t feel like walking, a trolley route runs past the hotel.
Prices and Booking
Over the summer, prices vary between a low of around $170 to a high of $400 for several nights in July.
Check prices now on Expedia
This price includes a large room (compared to many other Gatlinburg hotels), an evening snack and drink reception, and a very good breakfast.
As a Hilton brand hotel, it’s also bookable with Hilton points. It’s the best value in points for Gatlinburg that we’ve found, with rooms some nights under 50,000 points per night.
Resort Feel
The hotel is set away from the road on a big property. It has more of a resort feel than most other hotels in Gatlinburg (similar to Margaritaville Gatlinburg).
Le Conte Creek runs next to the hotel, between it and the adjacent Hampton Inn.
Check-In
We arrived to check in to some chaos, with firetrucks outside the building, apparently there for a false fire alarm.
We woke up the next morning at 6 a.m. to another fire alarm. With everyone out of bed already, we were up for the day. We never heard what the cause was.
The lobby stairs lead down to the breakfast/bar area.
Rooms
We booked a 1-bedroom 2-queen room. No upgrades were offered for having Hilton Diamond status, and the front desk was busy enough dealing with the fire alarm.
Our large one-bedroom suite included a separate living area with a sofa, table, and chairs, a mini bar, and a TV.
The suite is about twice the size of a regular hotel room, which is a big difference for a family of four.
Pool Area
The hotel has a huge pool and outdoor area with plenty of seating.
The outdoor pool has a large slide, too, though our kids were disappointed to learn that the outdoor pool and lazy river were still closed on our April visit.
We will be returning soon to try both of those out.
A large indoor pool is also available, with a big hot tub just outside the building.
The large outdoor firepits have plenty of seating and were great for warming up on the cold night we were here.
Dining
Evening Reception
One of our favorite things about Embassy Suites hotels is the evening reception, which has complimentary drinks and snacks during the evening.
We arrived just before the evening reception closed.
While many Embassy Suites don’t have a limit on the reception, there was a sign advertising a two-drink maximum here.
There was also a snack bar with chips, dip, and veggies.
With more dinner items available to order from the kitchen.
Ice Cream & Coffee Shop
There’s also a coffee and ice cream shop on the ground floor, which we didn’t try
Breakfast
Our other favorite part of Embassy Suites is the free breakfast, which is usually much better quality than somewhere like a Hampton Inn.
This location has a large breakfast area, including made-to-order omelets
Gym
The gym is also large and better than a typical hotel gym, with a Peloton, 2 ellipticals, and 3 treadmills.
The weight side is also well equipped, with a cable machine and dumbbells up to 75lbs.
Conclusion
While the location isn’t right on the parkway, Embassy Suites is one of the nicest hotels in Gatlinburg.
Its large rooms, very nice pool, lazy river, and free breakfast make it one of our new favorites.
If the best location is a top priority, consider our other favorite, Margaritaville (see our review). They both have great pools and are newer hotels.
Otherwise, Embassy Suites is a solid choice. We’ll be returning for another stay soon. Just hopefully not with a 6AM fire alarm wakeup!
