Low rates aren't the only factor to look for when booking travel on a budget. Hotel perks like free breakfast, snacks, and Wi-Fi all do their parts to contribute to your bottom line. Here are the best cheap hotels in Pigeon Forge, based on nightly rates, freebies, location, and quality.
With some of the best river views and access in town, The Inn On The River is a country-style budget pick that's as Southern as sweet tea. Free coffee, tea, iced water, and hot chocolate are available in the lobby 24 hours a day and a free Southern-style breakfast (eggs, sausage, grits, house-made biscuits and gravy) is served daily. Some of the 114 rooms have gas fireplaces and whirlpool tubs, and all feature maple-wood furniture, Keurig coffeemakers, mini-fridges, and 36-inch LED flat-screen TVs. Three acres of riverfront hotel grounds include an outdoor patio, picnic benches, and charcoal grills, as well as a short walking trail along the river. The outdoor heated pool has a sundeck overlooking the river, while the indoor pool and hot tub are in a bright space with floor-to-ceiling windows. All in all, it's the top value hotel in the area.
The 137-room Courtyard Marriott Pigeon Forge is impressively sleek for a chain hotel. Its guest rooms feature nature-inspired accent walls, plush Serta beds (same as Inn on the River), and spacious and modern bathrooms. The TVs are bigger here than the ones at Inn on the River; Courtyard's flat-screen TVs are 46-inch Smart LCD TVs with Netflix and Hulu. Rooms also have mini-fridges, coffeemakers, and microwaves (which are on request at Inn on the River). The heated indoor pool is open around the clock, and its lazy river is one of the most extensive in the area. Courtyard Marriott may lack Inn on the River's Southern charm and free breakfast, but it does offer the same free parking and property-wide Wi-Fi.
Clarion Inn Dollywood Area lacks Inn on the River's hospitality and Courtyard Marriott's newness, but it is ideally located -- just a block off the main Parkway and the trolley stop -- for tourists to explore Pigeon Forge and the surrounding area. There's plenty of action for kids, including a game room and multiple pool activities, although the tiny outdoor pool is no more than a landing zone for the waterslide. A sitting area around a large stone fireplace has a piano for guests to play, an activity most popular during the daily afternoon "meet and greet," when free snacks, coffee, and tea are served. The large rooms aren't nearly as modern as Courtyard's, but they're still much better than many others in this range; all have microwaves, mini-fridges, and Keurig coffeemakers. Like Inn on the River and Courtyard Marriott, parking, Wi-Fi, and daily breakfast are all free.
Three pools and an ideal spot on the parkway in Pigeon Forge work in this Best Western's favor. (Both Dollywood and The Dixie Stampede are minutes away.) There is a free hot breakfast but no restaurant or bar on-site. The rooms are large, especially for this price range, but bland and in need of some updates. Each room has a flat-screen TV with free HBO, microwave, mini-fridge, and coffeemaker.
An exceptional Riverfront area and a central location make the 201-room Econo Lodge Riverside a great value. There are plenty of restaurants, shops, and attractions within walking distance, some right across the road. Pleasant rooms offer flat-screen TVs, microwaves, coffeemakers, and mini-fridges, while some have balconies and sofa beds. The heated indoor pool, children’s pool, and hot tub are a plus, as is the free hot breakfast, which receives good reviews. Barbecue grills, a fire pit, and a picnic pavilion plus swimming and fishing are available at the Riverwalk behind the hotel, and there is a game room on-site. However, there is no fitness center and the breakfast area can get crowded. Wi-Fi is free throughout.
This simple, family-oriented inn is located at the entrance to the Foothills Parkway leading to Gatlinburg and Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Its 116 rooms come with flat-screen TVs, coffeemakers, and mini-fridges, and the hotel has a small pool, plus a separate kids' pool. Wild Bear Inn and Courtyard Marriott are the only hotels on this list where breakfasts aren't free, but Wild Bear's on-site rustic-style Wild Bear Pancake House is well-priced, and our photographer praised it for serving the "largest pancakes I've ever seen."