GATLINBURG — A classic downtown inn, the Mountain Heritage Inn, has welcomed guests back following an extensive renovation. The property, located at 575 River Road, held a ribbon-cutting event and Grand Reopening Celebration on Thursday in collaboration with the Gatlinburg Convention & Visitors Bureau.
The reopening marks the culmination of a nine-month closure during which the inn and its adjacent Miller's Rondette's & River Front Rooms underwent significant updates. The renovations included new floors, replaced windows, and other modernizations across all rooms and cottages. Additionally, a new breakfast area has been constructed in the lobby for guests. Amy Bales, a co-owner of the property, stated that "Everything is practically new from top to bottom."
The Mountain Heritage Inn, along with the distinctive circular cottages, is now owned and operated by Bales and Terry Moneymaker. They inherited the property from their aunt, Dorothy Lee Trentham, who passed away last year at the age of 95. Dorothy Lee had operated the hotel for many years with the assistance of her nieces, following the passing of her husband, Bill Trentham, in 2014. The Trenthams had been the owners of the hotel for decades.
Bales shared that Dorothy Lee had made her nieces promise that the property would "never be sold, that it would hand down, generation to generation," a pledge which Bales confirmed they intend to honor. Bales and Moneymaker expressed that Trentham was like a mother to them and had approved of their plans for the extensive renovation project.
The history of the property traces back to the early 1970s when Dorothy Lee's father, Frank Miller—who was also Bales' grandfather—built the original cottages. The Mountain Heritage Inn itself opened in 1988, constructed adjacent to these existing cottages. Today, both the inn and Miller's Rondette's & River Front Rooms are managed as a single integrated property. Bales noted that the entire property originally belonged to her grandparents, and Bill and Dorothy leased it prior to her grandfather's passing, driven by their vision for the Mountain Heritage Inn.
The reopening event saw the return of many long-time guests, some of whom have been visiting the inn for 35 to 40 years. Bales mentioned that these guests have become like family. The owners also expressed their appreciation for their dedicated employees, many of whom worked with Mrs. Dorothy over the years. Bales fondly recalled celebrating Dorothy Lee's final birthday in the office, noting Trentham's heartfelt comment that Bales had given her "the best day that she could ever have on this earth," with Trentham passing away the following morning.
