Image Hotel & Conference Center, Tennessee Condo Hotel Units From $299,900, Pigeon Forge Area

Condo Hotel Center: Property Alert

December 8, 2006

Las Vegas Meets Tennessee

The Image Hotel & Conference Center

Prices start at $299,900

Henry Perfilio here from Condo Hotel Center. I have a great southern resort to tell you about in my neck of the woods. While my home is in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, it's just a few hours to one of my favorite getaway areas, Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge,Tennessee.

Never heard of these towns? Well surely you've heard of its most famous home-grown celebrity, the charming Ms. Dolly Parton.

So join me on an adventure today to her little nook of the world where there's to be built a new, luxury condo hotel. "Well, Hello Dolly!"

Tennesse Four-star Condo Hotel
When the developers first conceived of a Tennessee condo hotel, they decided to think big. (After all, it worked for Dolly.) The Image Hotel & Conference Center will be a $95 million development built in Pigeon Forge.

The Image Hotel will consist of two buildings, clearly visibile from the area's main road, Dolly Parton Parkway.

Whereas most of the current Pigeon Forge area accommodations are rustic, the Image Hotel will be a hard-to-miss standout with its contemporary architecture and sheer size.

Regally perched up on a hill just off the main road (referred to by locals as Dolly Parton Parkway), The Image Hotel will be a clearly visible landmark for travelers coming to the Pigeon Forge area. The developers actually were fortunate to purchase the last bit of land on the parkway, the main road in and out of town.

The condo hotel will consist of two mid-rise buildings on 2.62 acres. They'll have clean streamlined features with an abundance of granite and glass. A large waterfall will cascade outside the North Tower.

In the center of the building, an immense high-definition TV screen will broadcast video from the hotel's upcoming shows, special events and its indoor waterpark (more on this in a minute). It's a little bit of Las Vegas come to Tennessee.

The north building will have a cascading waterfall on its exterior. The south building will feature an immense TV.

Quality Amenities
Expected to be a four-star resort, the Image Hotel & Conference Center will offer a full range of amenities and services to please its guests including:

31,000+/- sq. ft. indoor waterpark
Outdoor pool/sundeck
30,000+/- sq. ft. conference center
Business center/meeting rooms
Underground & valet parking
Gift shop
Branded spa
Fitness center
Restaurant/bar
Food Court
Arcade
WiFi
Concierge service
24-hour room service

An Indoor Waterpark for Year-round Fun
The Image Hotel will have something else going for it that other area resorts can't offer, an indoor waterpark. Spanning 31,000 square feet, this wet amusement park will feature every imaginable water attraction from slides and a lazy river to a themed waterfall rockscape and shallow activity pool for young children.

The Image Hotel will have a 31,000 sq. ft. indoor waterpark similar to the one pictured above.

While the waterpark means fun for you and your family when using your Image Hotel vacation home, it also is likely to boost the potential revenue your unit will earn. According to various independent studies of hospitality venues, indoor waterparks have occupancy rates that are 26.9% higher than those without indoor waterparks. And they are almost 100% filled every weekend and school holiday breaks.

Waterparks also enable a resort to charge higher room rates. According to the Hotel Waterpark Resort Research and Consulting, the average room rate for condos and hotels with indoor waterparks is $69 higher.

Why Pigeon Forge, Tennessee?
Developers DionasWhelchel Commercial Group have made Pigeon Forge their target market and are launching several large residential projects in the area. They believe (and many others do too) that this is the next "have-to-visit" destination.

In 2005 Pigeon Forge had over 12 million visitors. At the end of 2006, that number is expected to show an increase of approximately 9% for the year.

Currently, the Pigeon Forge area, which includes the nearby towns of Sevierville and Gatlinburg, only has 26,166 rooms available for its 12 million+ annual visitors, which should help ensure solid occupancy rates for The Image Hotel.

The Image Hotel will be located just a few minutes from Dollywood and the Great Smoky Mountains.

What makes the Pigeon Forge area so appealing? Consider these facts:

75% of the USA is within a one-day drive of Pigeon Forge.
Pigeon Forge is located at the foot of the Great Smoky Mountains, the most visited national park in the United States. It receives double the number of visitors who go to the Grand Canyon each year.
Knoxville, adjacent to Pigeon Forge, was voted by CNNMoney.com as "one of the seven most affordable vacation destinations in the United States and abroad in 2006."
Pigeon Forge was just voted, "most bang for the buck" by national tour operators and a top destination in North America by Destinations magazine, Aug. 2006. (Ranked with Pigeon Forge in the top three: Washington, D.C. and Branson, Missouri.)
It offers great proximity to some great cities: Atlanta (NYC of the south) is 4 hours; Nashville (home of country music) is 3 hours; Ashville (Vanderbilt Estate) is 90 minutes.

Pigeon Forge Is a Great Family Destination
Broad appeal is Pigeon Forge's claim to fame. From music and arts to amusement parks, golf, NASCAR racing, shopping, and outdoor activities, this area has it all.

Nestled in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains at the gateway to the beautiful national park, is Dollywood a fun-filled mountain getaway, unique as its namesake and owner, Dolly Parton.

Just a short 15-minute drive from The Image Hotel, Dollywood offers rides and attractions, music concerts and shows, specialty restaurants and food stands, and traditional homemade country crafts.

Adjacent to Dollywood amusement park is Dollywood's Splash Country. This seasonal outdoor water park has numerous attractions ranging from a relaxing tube float on the Lazy River to the thrilling Big Bear Plunge white water rafting ride. More than 23 water adventure slides and thrill rides make this theme park a family favorite.

Pack your bathing suit and take the plunge at Dollywood's Splash Country water adventure theme park.

Pigeon Forge also has its share of great outlet shopping. You'll find over one million square feet of outlet retailers. Just 10 minutes up the road from The Image Hotel is the immense Tanger Factory Outlets at Five Oaks.

This area also offers much in the way of non-commercialized fun. Consider these local attractions that bring millions of visitors to Pigeon Forge-Gatlinburg each year:

Scenic and natural attractions make the Pigeon Forge-Gatlinburg area a favorite of families.

1 - Cades Cove
2 - Tennessee Heritage Trails
3 - Trout Fishing
4 - Little River Railroad & Lumber Company Museum
5 - Tuckaleechee Caverns
6 - Little River Road
7 - Smoky Mountain Deer Farm & Exotic Petting Zoo
8 - Forbidden Caverns
9 - Great Smoky Mountains National Park
10 - Cherokee Indian Reservation
11 - Great Smoky Mountains Railroad

Experienced Developers
DionasWhelchel Commercial Group are the developers for The Image Hotel & Conference Center. With over 25 years experience, Mike Dionas and Ward Whelchel came together in 2003 to begin a turnkey real estate development company for condominium resort properties.

Some of the residential projects they have currently under construction are: German Creek Resort in Bean Station, TN, The Water Resort in Pigeon Forge, TN, and The Villas at SunCrest in Panama City Beach, FL. Others are in the planning stages.

DionasWhelchel is a company that does everything in house, from construction and marketing, to mortgages and property management. According to Mike Dionas, "By handling all aspects of a property, we can offer turnkey services to buyers and control the quality both in the development process and in its on-going operation."

Upscale Features in the Condo Hotel Units
The Image Hotel will have 272 suites of 325 sq. ft. and 11 penthouse units of 650+ sq. ft. Construction is expected to begin spring 2007 and be complete by winter 2008.

The individual condo hotel units will be delivered fully furnished with sleek, stylish furnishings. They'll feature:

Cutting-edge interior finishes
Fine-detailed European-style cabinetry
State-of-the-art kitchen appliances
Granite countertops
Designer fireplaces
Plasma televisions
High-speed internet access
Upscale decorative lighting & ceiling fans
Granite showers
Whirlpool tubs

Special Incentive for Condo Hotel Center Buyers
First, you should know that no advertising or promotion has been done on this property to date. We have been granted the exclusive opportunity to introduce The Image to our buyers before anyone else. That means you can have your pick of units.

Second, Condo Hotel Center has made a special arrangement with the developers of The Image Hotel. All units (excluding the penthouses) can be purchased for $299,900. You pick the floor and the view - national park, mountains, vista, etc.

With most condo hotels, the higher the floor and the better the view, the higher the price. At The Image Hotel the units will be priced with a $10,000 per floor added premium, so this special offer being made to Condo Hotel Center clients, to choose ANY unit for the same price, can amount to a significant savings for you.

Reserve a Unit Today
To reserve a unit requires a $10,000 refundable deposit. A unit selection day is scheduled for January 15, 2007. (You do not need to be present in person.)

Buyers will select their units in the order in which their reservation was received. At that time a 10% deposit less the initial $10,000 is due at contract. An additional 10% deposit (for a total 20% cash down) will be due approximately 90 days later.

Condo Hotel Center buyers can select any floor, any view for their condo hotel suite for $299,900.

Request a Data Sheet Here
Want to know more about The Image Hotel & Conference Center? I've put together a detailed data sheet. You'll just need to provide your name and contact information to receive it in accordance with the developer's requirements.

Request The Image Hotel data sheet here.

Wrap Up
I hope you enjoyed learning about this unique condo hotel development in up-and-coming Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. If after reviewing the data sheet, you'd like to reserve a unit or you have any questions, you can call me any time - I don't just work 9 to 5! (Sorry, couldn't resist one last Dolly Parton reference.)

Henry Perfilio
Licensed Real Estate Agent
Condo Hotel Center
A Division of Sheldon Greene & Associates, Inc.
(843) 685-9281
(843) 236-3792
Henry@CondoHotelCenter.com
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* All rights reserved. No portion of this Property Alert may be reproduced, exhibited or distributed without the express written permission of Condo Hotel Center. Although Condo Hotel Center believes the information contained in this Property Alert to be accurate and complete, Condo Hotel Center can make no such guarantee.