PARK CITY, Utah—Gemstone Hotels and Resorts, a full-service hotel management company, announced the company has been awarded the management partner designation for Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort, located in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. The resort is projected to open in the summer of 2015 adjacent to Dollywood theme park and Dollywood’s Splash Country water park.
The 300-room resort hotel is part of a ten-year capital investment plan that includes more than $300 million in future development for Dolly Parton’s Dollywood properties.
“We conducted a vigorous search to find the right management partner to help us fulfill Dolly’s dream of a developing a resort that gives families a place to reconnect and enjoy this beautiful part of our country,” said Craig Ross, president, The Dollywood Company. “Gemstone’s experience in creating and managing ‘one-of-a-kind’ hotels and resorts, along with their respectful, thoughtful approach to our company’s culture and Dolly’s dream, set them apart from the others.”
The hotel features a flexible room inventory with design elements that families and others will find unique and fun. The overall layout of the resort makes use of porches. Growing up in the area, Parton’s family and friends would gather to tell stories, make music and create lifelong family memories on the front porch of their humble, country home.
According to Jeff McIntyre, principal of Gemstone, the hotel’s ample grounds will give rise to all manner of Smoky Mountain-style, family friendly activities, including tire swings, fire pits, hammock,s and a pool complex. The resort’s event lawn will be used for weddings and receptions, as well as family entertainment and arts and crafts festivals featuring Dollywood’s artists and craftspeople.
