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Hi Tobie, We appreciate your feedback, though we do want to clarify a few things. The photos you attached appear to be zoomed-in shots of random parts of the cabin, which — to be honest — comes across as a bit nitpicky. It’s also clear that some of those photos were taken after the cabin had already been used, so they don’t accurately reflect how the space was presented at check-in. We understand that everyone’s expectations can differ, but our cleaning team consistently receives positive feedback, and we stand by the condition of the cabin prior to your arrival. Still, we appreciate you sharing your perspective and wish you the best in your future travels.

Wow, thank you so much for this incredible review! This genuinely made our hearts full. Modern essence with cabin feel, king beds, game room competitions, hot water, fast internet, and a spa soaking tub, you experienced everything My Happy Place was designed to deliver and described it more beautifully than we ever could ourselves. 'Leave your troubles at home and relax', that is exactly the feeling we pour into every single detail of this property and knowing two families felt that together in the mountains means everything to us. The Aaron's and Booker Family are welcome back at My Happy Place anytime, the mountains will be waiting and so will we. Warmly, Joe & Crystal

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience and we are truly sorry for what happened during your stay. There is no excuse for arriving to an uncleaned home after a 4 hour drive, you deserved better and we completely own that. The lack of communication for 3 hours while you were waiting and then cleaning the cabin yourselves is inexcusable. A cleaning emergency should never become a guest emergency. You should have been contacted immediately with a clear plan, not left wondering for hours after driving all day to get there. Since this stay we have completely rebuilt our communication and cleaning systems. Every turnover now has a dedicated inspection and photo verification process completed before check-in is ever released. If anything ever affects a guest's arrival time or experience our team is required to communicate proactively and immediately, not reactively hours later. No guest should ever spend their first night cleaning a home they paid to enjoy. Your feedback was heard, it was painful to receive, and it made us significantly better hosts for every guest who came after you. We would genuinely love the opportunity to make this right and show you the experience you deserved from the very beginning. Warmly, Joe & Crystal

Thanks for taking the time to review MyHappyPlace at The Smokies. We are sad to see that the same things that most of our guests LOVE about our property, are the ones you complain about: isolated, privacy, outdoor hot tub steps away from house, game room with 80s theme (The Ninja Turtle, Pac Man, etc). Our furniture is less than a year old and just like you mentioned, our cabin was remodeled about 6 months ago with new fixture, new kitchen, new linen and towels. Every furniture in the house can be seen in our photos as they are less than 2 months old. We continuously improve our cabin: we just finished replacing all our pots and pans for the kitchen. The cabin seats in almost 2 acres of mountain and our guests really enjoy the beauty of the surroundings. It’s not one of those cabins where you can see your neighbor from the kitchen window but at the same time is located in a Golf Course neighborhood that provides a pool and assistance as needed. Our guests enjoy walking in the trails around the property and collecting rocks with minerals in beautiful colors and just enjoying nature. I believe that’s what most people want when they visit The Smokies. I understand that is imposible for everybody to enjoy the same things and maybe MyHappyPlace was just not a good match for you. I would have loved if you would have communicated your concerns to us by replying to the email we send every guest on their first night to check that they are doing well. This is the first time we hear about your concerns. This cabin is really our Happy Place and it has been the Happy Place for many of our guests who come to relax, to connect with nature and to create beautiful memories that makes them want to return again and again.

Thank you for taking the time to share this and we are truly, deeply sorry for what you experienced during your holiday stay. What you described, a dirty home, mold, broken fixtures, missing cushions, and a game room that was barely functional, is completely unacceptable at any price point, at any time of year, but especially during a holiday weekend when you deserved nothing less than a perfect escape. We also want to acknowledge how poorly your concerns were handled in the moment. Telling a guest that we 'don't usually get feedback like this' and simply passing it to the cleaner without offering any real solution is not hospitality, it is deflection. You deserved immediate action and a genuine effort to make things right and you received neither. We are sorry. What you experienced in 2022 became the catalyst for a complete overhaul of how we operate this property: - Our entire cleaning system has been rebuilt from the ground up. Every turnover now follows a detailed room by room checklist with photo verification required before check-in is ever released. Refrigerators, bathrooms, showers, floors, and every surface are individually inspected and documented. - All outdoor furniture cushions have been fully replaced and are inspected before every single stay. - The game room is audited before every guest arrival — every game functional, every battery replaced, every piece of equipment accounted for. - A dedicated maintenance inspection now runs alongside every cleaning turnover. Broken fixtures, loose hinges, and any wear and tear are identified and repaired immediately, not passed along or ignored. - Most importantly our entire guest communication approach has been rebuilt. When a guest raises a concern today they receive an immediate, solution focused response, not a deflection. Every issue is treated with urgency because every guest deserves to feel heard and taken care of. The property you see in the photos today reflects the home we have worked incredibly hard to deliver consistently to every single guest. New kitchen, new bathrooms, new flooring, new furniture, new linens, this home has been significantly renovated and upgraded since your stay. You traveled during a holiday, paid your hard earned money, and spent your time dealing with problems that should never have existed. That is not something we can undo but it is something we have worked every single day since to make sure never happens again. We are genuinely sorry and we wish you nothing but exceptional travel experiences going forward. Warmly, Joe & Crystal

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience in such detail. What you described, arriving to cleaners still working, difficulty reaching us during your stay, and leaving early feeling unheard, falls completely below the standard we hold ourselves to and we are deeply sorry. We want to be direct and honest with anyone reading this. The communication failures described here were real and unacceptable. A guest should never have to contact their host multiple times without receiving an immediate, clear, and caring response. That is not how we operate today. Since this stay in 2022 we have completely rebuilt every system that failed during your visit: - Our cleaning process now includes a mandatory inspection and photo verification completed before check-in is ever released to a guest. Cleaners being on site at guest arrival will never happen again. - Our communication protocol now requires an immediate response to any guest concern, within minutes, not hours. No guest will ever feel ignored or belittled during a difficult situation. - Every maintenance concern raised by a guest is now treated as urgent and investigated immediately and professionally, never dismissed. - Any billing disputes are handled promptly, transparently, and with the guest's experience as the priority. We understand that trust once broken is hard to rebuild. What we can tell you is that the property and the people managing it today are fundamentally different from what this guest experienced in 2022. Every painful review like this one exists as a permanent reminder of who we refuse to be. To this guest, we are truly sorry. You deserved significantly better. Warmly, Joe & Crystal