There has been terrible destruction and 11 deaths to date in the horrific fires that are still raging through Gatlinburg and neighbouring tourist areas in the smoky mountains of eastern Tennessee. Most of Sevier county has been evacuated, and many buildings, lodges and tourist attractions have been destroyed or damaged by the fires and smoke. There has been an extremely long drought this year and very strong winds are carrying the fires throughout the county.
This terrible devastation has caused Westgate to close their Smoky Mountain and Spa Resort due to some damage at the resort itself, and all of the surrounding area has been evacuated. Westgate have announced that they do not foresee the resort opening before the New Year, and have cancelled any immediate and upcoming reservations at the resort.
Westgate have urged owners to get in touch with them on 800-925-999 if they have any queries with regards to upcoming reservations. The damage is still being assessed and all updates will be posted on the Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort & Spa Facebook Page.
For the time being all reservations at other resorts are being offered without the developer exchange fee, so as to encourage their customers to continue with their holiday plans, hoping that they will be able to get to another of the Wesgate resorts. David Siegal, the founder of Westgate, has said of the repairs at the resort;
“We have the resources and are committed to rebuilding this resort making it better than ever.”
What a devastating time of the year for this to happen, hopefully the fires will die down in due course, and reconstruction of the resort and surrounding areas will be able to commence.
Authorities are advising anyone that is in the Gatlinburg area to evacuate immediately, and not to return until it has been deemed safe. We at the TCA hope the fires are put out as soon as possible and that there is a speedy recovery of the area.
For more information regarding this article or assistance in any other timeshare related issues please contact the TCA on 01908 881058 or email: info@TimeshareConsumerAssociation.org.uk