Mahavir Patel did the unthinkable. Aatmos, the hospitality company Mahavir owns with his brother Dev, just opened the Historic Rocky Waters Inn, a luxury hotel in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Yes, that Gatlinburg.
You may think of Gatlinburg as Pigeon Forge’s sibling — a parkway lined with neon signs. It can be an overwhelming onslaught of color, bright lights and manufactured family-friendly fun. (There’s nothing wrong with those attractions; they have their time and place.) But the Patels, who grew up in Gatlinburg, want people to see a different side of their mountain home. They want people to experience the beautiful views, the bubbling creeks, the storied arts and crafts traditions, and the epitome of Southern hospitality. They want people to experience Gatlinburg in luxury.
You’d be forgiven for thinking that’s not possible.
“There’s never been something in this category,” Patel admits of the town known for its family-oriented two- and three-star hotels. In fact, when locals heard that Aatmos intended to renovate and reimagine Rocky Waters as an adults-only luxury property, they didn’t believe it.
MAKING HISTORY
This summer, the Historic Rocky Waters Inn reopened, joining the Small Luxury Hotels of the World network, creating a historic and history-making property.
Because the Patels grew up in Gatlinburg, they knew the Rocky Waters Motor Inn, the property that stood on the land since the 1930s. They remember playing in the motor inn and the Little Pigeon River below. The Patels asked the Lawsons, the family their father bought the hotel from in 2005, to meet with the design team, share photos and help them understand the beloved hotel’s past so they could create its future.
“We’ve bought existing hotels, we’ve built new, and one thing you just can’t replace is a river,” Patel says about Rocky Waters’ location. “No matter how hard we would have tried to build it, we couldn’t have ... It’s allowed us to own a piece of Gatlinburg that was truly irreplaceable.”
The Patels wanted to honor the history and incorporate some of the parts of Gatlinburg they think get overlooked, while creating a unique high-end experience. The basic bones of the old motor court remain, but they’ve been upgraded with a sleek, modern look that makes the most of the landscape.
CONCIERGE SERVICE
Before arriving at Rocky Waters, you’ll receive a short questionnaire about your interests and preferences. Then your “innkeeper” — the team’s name for staff members — will curate your stay just for you. They’ll queue up your favorite music and have your favorite beverage waiting. When your innkeeper greets you on arrival, they’ll take your bags, park your car and share the experiences they’ve arranged for you. There’s no valet or concierge: Staff work with assigned guests, rather than on task.
While Rocky Waters is small — 36 guest rooms — Patel says the hotel has the same number of staff members as hotels with 150 rooms. That makes the difference in providing elevated service. Those 36 rooms have river-view balconies that somehow allow you to hear the sounds of water, rather than the road noise of the parkway. Some rooms have soaking tubs and fireplaces. All are stocked with high-quality teas and other beverages.
The Rocky Waters team partners with other Gatlinburg experts to offer unique experiences. Through its relationship with A Walk in the Woods, a guiding company that’s intimately familiar with the Great Smoky Mountains, the inn can arrange waterfall hikes, leisurely strolls and guided tours of the nearby Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts. A Walk in the Woods is not the only knowledgeable guide company in town. Smoky Mountain Guides, which operates The Guide Room inside the new Embassy Suites by Hilton Gatlinburg Resort, offers personalized hikes, fly fishing outings, kayaking and more. These outfitters allow you to explore the national park without crowds. (The locals know all the secret spots and shortcuts.)
You can also experience Gatlinburg’s arts and crafts traditions by driving the 8-mile Great Smoky Arts & Crafts Community loop. More than 80 artists have galleries and studios on the route. Base your stops on your interests — ceramics, stained glass, woodworking and more — or just see which places call to you. Don’t skip Cliff Dwellers, a historic artist-owned gallery and classroom space with work from more than 50 artists. The 1933 Cliff Dwellers building was moved from the parkway to the current location in the 1990s.
SIGHTS AND BITES
No luxury weekend getaway is complete without a culinary component. The Heirloom Room: Creekside Restaurant & Bar at Rocky Waters is the hotel’s on-site restaurant and bar, located where a tea room once stood. The menu is focused on Appalachian dishes, including lamb, venison, quail eggs and shrimp and grits. The majority of dishes are gluten-free. Bob Fant, general manager of Rocky Waters, says (much to our surprise) that frog legs have been the best-seller since the restaurant opened in July. The bar stocks more than 100 bourbons, including some that are hard to find, and the bartenders are focused on making bourbon and whiskey drinks that reflect Appalachia with modern twists.
In a town mostly known for pancakes, The Heirloom Room is a standout. But it is not the only luxury dining experience in the city. Red Oak Bistro & Caffe on the historic Arts & Crafts loop serves a European and Mediterranean menu with seasonal and local ingredients and an impressive wine list. The Greenbrier Restaurant is a traditional steakhouse that dry-ages its meats in-house and serves them in a dining room that feels like a treehouse, surrounded by Smoky Mountains beauty.
Soaking up both the natural beauty and the artistry of the Smoky Mountains while being tended to by a thoughtful staff is plenty to fill a weekend. But if you want to toss in one traditional Gatlinburg-style attraction, Astra Lumina at Anakeesta is an unusual experience. Take the chondola (that’s a portmanteau of “chair lift” and “gondola”) to the top of Anakeesta to walk through a 0.75-mile mountaintop nighttime light show. The immersive experience was the first “enchanted night walk” in the U.S.
As the seasons start to change this fall, Gatlinburg becomes a top leaf-peeping destination. There’s no better time to strap on your hiking books and experience Gatlinburg in a new way.
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