We cater to our families as well, our bunk beds, and things for the children. Families love that. And the kids certainly do. And we incorporated that into the HeartSong lodge as well, because it was such a big hit at our DreamMore resort. So I just think, having a place that feels like home.
And also, the lighting on the bathroom mirrors is so good here.
Yeah, well, it is important to have good lighting and good mirrors. That’s a big deal, especially to women.
Do you have a go-to room service order?
I am so simple. Although they have the best foods ever at all of our restaurants—we are so proud of our chefs—but I’m still one of those burger and fries kind of people. You know, when all else fails, get a cheeseburger, some french fries and a cola, and you can’t go wrong.
What’s one memorable experience you hope guests will have during their stay at your hotel? What do you want guests to take away from a stay?
I hope they feel good, hope they feel happy, I hope they feel safe. And I’m pretty sure they’re going to feel petted, and spoiled just a little bit, stuff they might not get when they’re home. Especially a mama who’s always having to do everything at home, this way, she can get to be pampered just a little bit too. So I think that it’s important that they go away thinking, that was such a great vacation, and I felt special.
And I know it’s so important for you to have families spend time together, and there seem to be plenty of ways you can do that here at the resort.
I’m big on family, you know, I grew up in a big one. And we’ve always tried at Dollywood to make it a family destination, from the rooms [at the resorts] to the foods, to the outside activities like the marshmallows and the campfire sings. All the things that you can have fun with your friends and family, where it really feels like you’re in a safe environment, but you really feel like it could be way out somewhere in the wilderness. There’s so much to see and do at the lodge here. You can just stay at the hotel and have a great time.
I would love to hear about the new Dolly Parton Experience coming in 2024—which aspect of the museum are you excited for your fans to see?
I am so excited about the new museum. I had my own little museum here for many, many years, and we outgrew the space. So we had to expand. Dollywood has been growing at such a fast rate of speed over the last several years, and the museum was no different.
This new day and age, there’s so many wonderful things you can do from the technical end, making things bigger and more colorful, more radiant, and really just have more of an experience for people, more of an adventure so to speak. So we’re really proud of that. They’re gonna get to see and know everything that I’ve done since I started, even before I started: my childhood, my people, my faith, my dreams, and seeing them all come true. So they’re gonna get to walk through my whole life.
