Ellen Tilden
Owner
Walks every new cabin herself and writes the first estimate. On the schedule for the weekend turnovers.
Cabin turnovers in the Smokies
Fireplace to hot tub, checked between every stay
A family crew of ten turns over rental cabins in Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Wears Valley and Sevierville. Every visit works down a written cabin checklist, and a photo report reaches you when we lock up.
The cabin checklist
One checklist for the whole cabin, room by room
Pick a room to see what the crew works through, in the order they work it. Yours is edited after the walkthrough to match your cabin.
- First
Fireplace and hearth
Wood or gas log, the hearth is the first room we do. We never light a fire, move hot ash or clean a flue.
Cold ash swept into the metal bucket you leave out
Glass doors wiped inside and out
Hearth stone and mantel dusted
Firewood counted, restacked and the bark swept up
Screen and tools back where your list says
- Counted
Game room
Pool table, arcade or foosball, the room that collects the most crumbs and the most missing pieces.
Balls racked, cues in the rail, felt brushed one direction
Arcade screens, buttons and table rails wiped
Couch cushions lifted and vacuumed underneath
Games and remotes counted against your inventory
Floor and stair threshold mopped
- Photographed
Hot tub and deck
Cover, shell, filter and the deck around it. We read the strip and photograph it; your tub service adds the chemicals.
Cover lifted, wiped and latches checked
Shell and waterline wiped, filter rinsed on its schedule
Test-strip reading photographed for you
Steps, rails and towel hooks swept and wiped
Rocking chairs and swing wiped down
- Last
Bedrooms and bunks
Every bed stripped and remade, lofts and bunk ladders included.
Sheets changed, pillows fluffed, spare blankets refolded
Mattress protectors checked and photographed if stained
Under beds and behind headboards vacuumed
Loft ladder, rail and steps wiped
Towels set out to your count
- Restocked
Kitchen, baths and porch
The rooms every guest uses, finished and restocked, with the trash taken to the bear-resistant bin.
Refrigerator emptied of guest food and wiped
Dishes counted and the dishwasher run and unloaded
Bathrooms scrubbed, tissue and soap restocked
Porch swept, furniture wiped, grill grates brushed
Trash and recycling to the bin, lid latched
A sample report
What lands in your messages when we lock up
Photos by room with a line on each, the same order as the checklist. Open one to see the report as an owner would.
Showing 6 of 6
Sample photos.
Checkout to check-in
The order a turnover runs in
Wet and messy rooms first, beds last, so nothing settles back onto a made bed.
Walk in and photograph
Before anything moves, the crew photographs how the cabin was left: hearth, tub, game room, beds. That is your record if a guest leaves a mess.
Hearth, trash and the tub cover
Ash, bins and the tub cover come first, because they are the dirtiest and the longest to air out.
Wet rooms and kitchen
Baths, kitchen and the refrigerator, with supplies counted against your restock list.
Game room and floors
Table, couches and the whole floor, top of the house to the bottom, so the dust travels down.
Beds and linen last
Beds made once the dust has settled, towels set to your count.
Final walk and the report
The crew walks it once more with your list in hand, locks up and sends the photos.
How pricing works
We write the number after we walk the cabin
There is no price on this site, because a two-bedroom cabin and a seven-bedroom lodge with a game room and a tub are not the same job.
Ellen or Rhiannon walks the cabin with you, in person or on a video call, and writes the estimate line by line. You see the number before we book a single turnover.
What moves the number
Bedrooms, baths and how many beds are made up
Hot tub, game room and fireplace
Turnovers a month, and which weeks
Linen: yours, ours or a rental service's
How far up the mountain the drive goes
The crew
Ten people, and the same few at your door
A family firm in Gatlinburg. Ellen reads every walkthrough, and Rex runs the tub and hearth checks himself.
Rex Tilden
Crew lead, hearth and hot tub
Does the hearth, the tub and the deck, and sends the photos from the driveway.
Rhiannon Tilden
Scheduling and reports
Keeps the calendar, matches each turnover to your bookings and reads every report before it goes out.
Fidel Benitez
Crew lead, Pigeon Forge and Wears Valley
Leads the second crew and knows which cabin roads need the early start.
Sample reviews
What owners write after a busy month
“The report had the tub strip and a photo of the rack with the nights of wood left. I stopped driving up from Knoxville to check.”
Marc D.Four-bedroom cabin, Wears Valley
“Back-to-back guests on a leaf-season weekend, and the game room was counted both times. The missing cue was on the list before the guest called.”
Cindy V.Chalet with a game room, Pigeon Forge
“I asked what the loft line meant. Rhiannon sent a photo of the ladder and the rail. Nothing was a surprise, and nothing was a charge I hadn't seen.”
Shelton R.Two-bedroom cabin, Chalet Village
Sample reviews.
Where we turn over
From the Parkway to the back roads of Wears Valley
Most turnovers are within thirty minutes of Glades Road. Townsend, Walland and Cosby are by arrangement, because a Saturday crew that far out costs an extra drive.
Sevier County
- Gatlinburg
- Chalet Village
- Cobbly Nob
- Pittman Center
- Pigeon Forge
- Wears Valley
- Sevierville
Blount County, by arrangement
- Townsend
- Walland
Cocke County, by arrangement
- Cosby
We don't turn over in Knoxville, past Cosby or across the line in North Carolina. If your cabin is just past the edge, call and we'll tell you honestly whether a crew can reach it.
ZIP codes: 37738, 37863, 37862, 37876, 37882
Questions owners ask first
Before you send the walkthrough form
Do you light the fireplace or clean the chimney?
No. We sweep cold ash, wipe the glass and hearth and restack wood. Lighting a fire, moving hot ash and flue cleaning stay with you or a chimney sweep.
What does a photo report have in it?
Photos by room in checklist order, a line on each, and a short list of anything we found: a loose cue tip, a stained protector, a low tub reading. See the sample report.
Can you work around our booking calendar?
Yes. Send the calendar link or the booking dates for the month. Rhiannon schedules from them, and a same-day changeover is flagged when we book it.
How do you get into the cabin?
A lockbox or keypad code you set, written on your estimate. We use it only for turnovers and change nothing without telling you.
Are you insured?
Yes. Ask and we send a certificate of insurance before the first turnover. The limits are on the certificate, not on this page.
Who does the cleaning?
Our own crew, led by Rex or Fidel. You'll know the faces, and the lead's name is on every report.
Request a walkthrough
Tell us about the cabin
Ellen or Rhiannon replies by text within one business day with a time for the walkthrough. Not sure of an answer? Skip it and say so.
Phone(865) 555-0100
Hours
- Monday – FridayToday
- 7 a.m. – 5 p.m.
- SaturdayToday
- 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.
- SundayToday
- 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.