A review-count sort, not our methodology ranking: the 2 of 15 Smoky Mountains cabin managers in our roster with a sourced, numbered review total.
Only 2 of the 15 Smoky Mountains cabin managers we evaluated publish a review count we could source and verify. Sorted by that count, Elk Springs Resort leads with over 1,000 five-star Google reviews, ahead of Short Term Coops at a 4.9 blended rating across 922 verified reviews on its own site. This is a count sort, not our scored ranking. See the full 7-company methodology ranking at the Smoky Mountains market page.
Most of the 15 companies we evaluated in this market show individual guest testimonials without an aggregate score, or print no review figure at all. Compass Vacation Properties cites a third-party ranking claim from Manager-Review rather than a star rating, which is not a review count and is excluded here. Cabins For You, Cabins of the Smoky Mountains, Fireside Chalets and Eden Crest Vacation Rentals all carry no published rating in our roster. That leaves two companies with an actual sourced number: Elk Springs Resort and Short Term Coops.
Elk Springs Resort ranks first by count, with a higher review total than Short Term Coops despite both scoring near the top on rating.
| Rank | Company | Rating | Review Count | Platform | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elk Springs Resort | 5.0 | Over 1,000 | September 2026 | |
| 2 | Short Term Coops | 4.9 | 922 | Company site, verified reviews | September 2026 |
Each figure is quoted from the company's own published wording, sourced and checked September 2026.
Elk Springs Resort states over 1,000 five-star Google reviews on its own site, the largest sourced review count in this market. The company has operated in Sevier County since 2008, per its site, and names all four towns in this market, Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Sevierville and Wears Valley, in one published sentence. It does not publish a management fee. See the full write-up on its profile page.
Short Term Coops publishes a 4.9 blended rating across 922 verified reviews on its own site, the second-largest sourced count in this market and the only one paired with a fully itemized published fee, a flat 20% of net rental revenue plus a $75 monthly technology fee. Its portfolio is intentionally small, per the company, with no exact property count published. Full details are on its profile page.
In this market, one of the two companies with a sourced review count also publishes its fee. Short Term Coops prints both a specific number of reviews and a specific rate, a flat 20% of net rental revenue plus a $75 monthly technology fee, with named exclusions for guest taxes, guest paid cleaning fees and platform charges. Elk Springs Resort publishes the larger review count but does not publish a fee, so the pattern is not universal here. Two companies is too small a sample to call this a rule for the whole market, but it is worth asking any candidate for both numbers rather than assuming a large stated review count also means an open rate.
A review count sort answers one question: which company states the most reviews. It does not weigh fee transparency, local depth or service scope, the three other inputs in our printed formula, and it says nothing about the 13 companies with no sourced count at all, some of which may simply not publish one rather than have fewer guests. The methodology ranking on the Smoky Mountains market page weighs all four inputs together across the top 7 of 15 companies we evaluated, and is the ranking to use for an overall pick.
Answered from the same roster data, not a general estimate.
Two of the 15 companies in our Smoky Mountains roster publish a review count we could source: Elk Springs Resort with over 1,000 five-star Google reviews, and Short Term Coops with a 4.9 blended rating across 922 verified reviews on its own site. Every other company either shows no aggregate score or individual testimonials without a total.
No. The methodology ranking weights fee transparency, verified reviews, local depth and service scope together to rank the top 7 of 15 companies we evaluated. This list only sorts the 2 companies with a sourced review count, by that count, and is not a substitute for the full ranking.
Most companies in this market show individual guest testimonials on their site rather than an aggregate score with a total, or list no reviews at all. Parkside Cabin Rentals is one example: it carries individual Google Reviews testimonials but no printed aggregate score, so it does not qualify for this list even though it may have reviews elsewhere.
Tell us about the property once. We offer it to one well reviewed local manager at a time, and your contact details go only to the one that accepts.