Dolly Parton Plans a New Dollywood Resort
Country superstar Dolly Parton has announced an addition to her empire.
Aug. 22, 2013— -- Country superstar Dolly Parton has announced an addition to her empire: a new resort hotel to open in the summer of 2015 in the Great Smoky Mountains, in Tennessee.
The 300-room Dollywood's DreamMore Resort will be situated on 100 acres adjacent to the Dollywood theme park, close to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
"My DreamMore Resort conjures up thoughts of a simpler place and time when Mama and Daddy and all us kids spent hours on end just swapping stories and catching up," said Parton, in a press release. "I want to offer families more than a place to stay; I want to invite them on the porch and in my front door where they can slow down, kick back and enjoy all that this beautiful area has to offer."
It's the country superstar's second venture into the world of lodging. Dollywood cabins opened two miles from the Dollywood theme park and Dollywood Splash Country, a water park, in 2009. The cabins are upscale and designed for families or groups. Many feature hot tubs and game rooms.
The DreamMore Resort is designed to be more of a hotel experience. It features a full-service restaurant, a spa, salon, conference center, indoor and outdoor pool, fire pits, a family activity center and park transportation.
A highlight of the new resort is the Dolly's Suite Dreams, a 2,200 square-foot celebrity suite located on the top level of the resort which, according to a spokesperson, is in the final stages of being designed by Parton herself. The design will "highlight Dolly's flair." It will connect multiple rooms on the floor and allow the suite to be expanded for family reunions or bridal parties.
But it's reserved just for Parton when she's on the property.
Rates for the suite and for other rooms at the resort are not yet available.
The Dollywood theme park opened in 1986 and is also expanding. A new coaster, the FireChaser Express, will open next year. The ride is being billed as the "nation's first dual launch family coaster," where riders go both forward and back.