Please read this section carefully. By renting Smoky Mountain Tower, you are agreeing to these conditions, as well as information and instructions listed on the ”During Your Stay” page. Your rental payment legally binds you to acceptance and adherence of the policies listed below.
Reservations
Payment
Additional Charges
Cancellation
Communication
Arrival
Departure
Weather
Directions, Construction & Traffic
The Really Fine Print
Reservations: You may generally book reservations up to one year in advance. See our Rates page for discounts, minimums, deposits, etc. We require a minimum stay of two nights, except during periods around Thanksgiving and Christmas, when our minimum is four nights. We generally do not accept reservations for arrivals on Easter, Independence Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day or New Year’s Day. You must designate one person in your party (at least 25 years old) as the primary renter. You cannot change dates within 14 days of arrival. However, you may add nights to your stay, as long as the cabin is available.
Payment of any fees: For payment, we accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover credit cards. A debit card may also be used, as long as it has the Visa or MasterCard logo on it On rare occasions, we may also accept certain official/cashiers bank checks, or money orders. Sorry, we cannot accept personal checks. For reservations made less than 30 days prior to arrival, we can only accept full payment by a credit card, and your card will be charged immediately. Policies and rates are set at time of booking.
When paying by credit card and making your reservation more than 30 days in advance, we require a $150 deposit to confirm your booking. The remainder of your balance is due by 30 days before your arrival date.
Because your credit card acts as your security deposit, we must have at least some portion of your final payment made between 30 and 45 days before your arrival. If you wish to make additional payments before the final payment, please contact us for instructions. If full balances are paid earlier than 45 days before arrival, there will be a $5.00 charge automatically made to your credit card every 80 days between your final payment date and your arrival date, in order to keep your credit card available to us as your security deposit. This charge will not be refunded.
When paying by any other method, you must pay the entire rental fee and tax in full at time of booking, plus an additional $500 security deposit. The cabin will be inspected after you leave. If there are no damages, your security deposit will be refunded to you within four weeks of your departure.
Additional Charges: We will maintain access to your credit card for a minimum of 30 days after your stay. We will charge your card or use your security deposit to cover the following:
- Late departure (unless approved prior to arrival) – a minimum of one night’s rental and tax
- Loss of keys – $75.00 minimum (whatever it costs for us to change all affected locks)
- Loss of Clubhouse Guest Pass – $50.00
- Excessive cleaning – normal cleaning takes up to four hours. If the cabin requires excessive cleaning because of the condition in which you left it, we will bill you at the rate of $50.00 per hour. Use of a foreign substance (such as bubble-bath) in the hot tub requires significant extra cleaning time and/or repairs, and can cost you $500.00 or more.
- Damages can vary widely and will be billed at our cost. These can include theft of our property or the cost of broken items (other than normal wear and tear). A significant “breakage” item is the hot tub cover, which costs $400.00 to replace. There are instructions in the cabin to prevent this damage.
- Smoky Mountain Tower is smoke-free and pet-free. If we find that you have smoked or brought a pet inside Smoky Mountain Tower, there is an automatic $500 charge, in addition to any extra cleaning fees as listed above.
We will provide details of any charges made against your credit card. If you have paid a cash security deposit, we will refund it, less applicable charges, approximately four weeks after your departure.
Cancellation: Only the primary renter (see above) may notify us (either verbally or in writing) of a request to cancel. A $75.00 fee will be charged if you cancel a confirmed reservation. If you cancel more than 30 days prior to your arrival date, we will refund your deposit, less $75.00. If you cancel 30 days or less prior to your arrival date, your reservation is non-refundable. Any money you have paid, less $75.00, may be used for a new reservation, one time only, up to one year from the original arrival date, as long as you have made all payments on time. The then-current rates will be charged. If you have not made your final payment at least 30 days before arrival, we may not extend the privilege listed above of using your deposit for a new reservation. Sorry, but we cannot offer refunds for no shows, second cancellations, bad weather, late arrival or early departure. If you are concerned about the possibility of cancellation, we encourage you to purchase trip cancellation/interruption insurance, which is available from a variety of sources, including our reservation site.
Communication: When making your reservation, you are required to provide us with an accurate mailing address, phone number and e-mail address. You agree that we may use any of these means to contact you with information about your reservation, as well as future information regarding requests for comments and guest surveys, and general information about Smoky Mountain Tower. We will only contact you about Smoky Mountain Tower, and will not sell or give your information out for any other reason.
If you do not wish to receive communication from us after your stay, you are required to notify us in writing at Dave@SmokyMountainTower.com before your departure from the cabin. By adding a comment to the guest book in the cabin, you give us permission to use your comment in any way we see fit, including testimonials on our Web site and on third-party Web sites where we advertise. We will not use your last name or home city (we may use your first name and home state unless you notify us not to). Again, you must notify us before your departure from the cabin if you do not want us to use your guest book comments.
Arrival: Please plan to arrive at our cabin no earlier than 4:00 pm. This ensures it is cleaned after any previous rental and all ready for you. If you arrive early, please enjoy the many attractions, dining and shopping opportunities that Gatlinburg has to offer. We will send you complete directions and key retrieval procedures by e-mail prior to your arrival.
Departure: While we hate to see you go, we must insist on a 10:00 am check-out time. This allows proper cleaning time for the next guests. Please follow the departure procedures e-mailed to you prior to your arrival. We may charge a minimum fee of one night’s rental for departures after 10:00 am (unless you have arranged for late check-out prior to your arrival). We can’t make refunds for early departures.
Weather: Weather changes quickly in the mountains. We encourage you to check an online weather site a few days before your planned travel. For road conditions, call 1-877-244-0065 from outside Tennessee, or 511 within Tennessee. In winter, though we have many beautiful days, there is always the possibility of snow and ice. We suggest you come prepared with extra food and a bag of ice melt. Sevier County normally requires tire chains or four-wheel drive from December 15 to March 15 in order to be permitted on the mountain. During periods of snow and ice, we reserve the right to cancel or transfer your reservation. We strongly recommend that you plan to arrive during daylight hours, as the road up the mountain is very steep and winding.
Directions, Construction & Traffic: Prior to your arrival, we will send complete directions to our cabin, along with a link to the Directions section on our Web site for more information. The Gatlinburg area is growing rapidly and you should plan for possible delays, especially during peak seasons.
The Really Fine Print: Prices, amenities, specials, seasons, minimums and/or everything we’ve said above are all subject to change without notice, especially prior to rental confirmation. If there is a price change, we will honor the price of your confirmed bookings. Floor plans are for comparison purposes and should be considered to be approximate. We hope you have a wonderful and safe vacation, but by renting our cabin you agree to all of the above conditions, as well as those listed in “During Your Stay.” By renting and/or staying in our cabin, you acknowledge that there are potential dangers that can be life-threatening in and around our cabin. You agree that you will not hold us responsible for anything that happens to you, any members of your party, or to any of you and your party’s personal property during your stay.