Cabins and chalets are extremely popular accommodations in Gatlinburg, TN and Pigeon Forge. Cabin rentals offer the cozy, home-away-from home style of vacationing that is nearly impossible to find in a standard hotel or motel room. Many cabins in Gatlinburg, TN offer numerous upgraded features such as plasma TVs, pool tables, hot tubs, arcade machines, etc. The various cabin companies are constantly adding new features to entice visitors to choose their cabins. Unfortunately, these upgrades entice a completely different crowd…thieves.
An unfortunate, growing trend in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge is the break-ins and burglary of cabins, cabin rentals, and chalets. If you have stayed in a cabin in the Smoky Mountains and have never experienced this or even heard of it, then consider yourself blessed. There are quite a few horror stories of people having items stolen while the cabin rental companies do very little to assist since there are so many cases of cabin breakins and robbery.
If you are planning on staying in a cabin during your next visit, do not let this scare you or change your mind about your accommodations. Cabins are still the most popular places to stay and offer a more enjoyable vacation than most of the hotels or motels in Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge. Here are a few tips to help you avoid a cabin break-in experience.
- Ask your cabin rental company what their policy is on break-ins or robberies. Do they offer insurance or reimbursement of any kind? Most likely they don’t, but it’s worth asking for ahead of time
- Ask the cabin company about any recent thefts and ask for a cabin with no theft history or that is a low-candidate for theft…this could mean that it is surrounded by other cabins, located closer to town, upgraded locks, etc
- While you are staying in the cabin, minimize risk by making absolutely certain that you either take valuables with you whenever you leave or lock them in a safe if one is supplied by the cabin rental company (assuming it’s a locked-down safe that cannot be carried easily)
As much as you would like to feel that cabin rental companies are on your side, most of them have policies that you need to be aware of:
- “Any cabin that is left unsecured by the guest, resulting in items being damaged or stolen, will be the responsibility of the registered guest. He/she will incur the cost of replacing any items which are damaged or stolen.“
- “Neither the owner nor (the cabin rental company) will be responsible for accidents or injury to guests or for loss of money or valuables of any kind. The registered guest assumes full responsibility for any and all damages that his/her group causes…or for any items found to be missing after his/her group’s visit…”
Needless to say, most cabin rental companies seem more concerned about themselves and the owners of the cabins than they are the guests. You basically assume responsibility of all property during your stay so be aware. This isn’t meant to change your mind about staying in a cabin during your next visit, but you need to be aware of possible risks that would otherwise ruin a perfect vacation to Gatlinburg, TN and the Great Smokey Mountains. This information also applies to cabin rentals in Pigeon Forge, TN. Occupied cabins rarely experience break-ins, however, thieves have a pattern of looking for cabins with no cars out front or people staying in them.
If you have experience or tips in preventing cabin rental theft and break-ins, please share them with others in the comment section below.
For the thousands of cabins in the area, break-ins are actually pretty rare.
The author of this article needs a course in English to improve his/her clarity. For example, the statement, “The cabins are almost always broken into when nobody is staying in them” really should have been written as “occupied cabins rarely experience break-ins.” Instead, the writer’s poor exposition implies that when cabins are empty, they are almost always unlawfully entered, which simply isn’t’ the case. The vast majority of cabins don’t experience break-ins at all, occupied or not. Crime statistics for the area are quite low, and usually involve parties that know each other, not visitors and tourists.
FINAL NOTE: This article was written in 2007 or earlier. Since then, many cabin owners have installed security and alarm systems in their cabins–as ours do–which help deter would-be thieves. And like in any tourist area, keep your valuables out of sight.