Posts

Vernon Corum went from a mop and bucket to a 360-degree hospitality business. He joins Tom Goodwin to talk operational blind spots, the passive-income myth, and why STR should really mean stewardship, trust, and responsibility. ...

Some families have a Disney trip. The Powells have Gatlinburg. Every year, Carissa Powell packs up the family — kids, their little dog Dolly, and a well-worn list of Gatlinburg traditions — and makes the trip to the Smoky Mountains. They know where to get the old-time photo taken. They know the sky bridge will make the kids lose their minds. They know Cades Cove is non-negotiable. And this past spring, they added a new one to the list. ...

We gathered at Smoky Mountain Memory Gardens to say goodbye to Marina "Nina" Torres Casas. She was 69 years old. She spent more than twenty years at Mountain Laurel Chalets, folding towels and sheets in our laundry department and cleaning cabins. She was the mother of Jazmin Hawks, who leads our entire housekeeping operation. She was the mother-in-law of Corey Hawks, our COO. She was, in every way that matters, family. ...

Fifty-four years of legacy doesn't produce quick wins. What it produces are deep wins — the kind that settle into you slowly and remind you exactly why you got into this business. This is one of those stories. ...

AirDNA data shows 48% of listings depend on a single platform. Tom Goodwin breaks down what that means for Smoky Mountain owners, and why direct bookings — not OTAs — are the foundation that holds when the market shifts. ...

Paula Elliott has self-managed her Chalet Village cabin from four hours away for over a decade. She shares how a trusted local housekeeper, proactive communication, and community know-how make remote ownership actually work. ...

Amenities are the stage — hospitality is what happens on it. Tom Goodwin breaks down why genuine care is getting rarer as this market scales, and the simple, low-cost practices that turn a stay into a reason to come back. ...

The COVID boom wasn't the new normal — it was a moment. Tom Goodwin breaks down what's actually changed in the Smoky Mountain vacation rental market, why repeat guest percentage matters more than occupancy, and how to compete as the market matures. ...

Tom Goodwin launches a new forum for Smoky Mountain cabin owners and managers — tracing Mountain Laurel Chalets' 1972 founding and making the case that a rising tide, not scarcity, is what makes this market work for everyone. ...

There's a moment that happens to nearly every guest who stays with us. It goes like this: you arrive in the evening, you're tired from the drive, you unlock the door — and then you step out onto the deck. The mountains are right there. Not in the distance. Right there. Mt. LeConte rising 6,593 feet directly in front of you, the ridgeline catching the last light of the day, the whole valley quiet below. And something in you goes still. ...