I think this hotel is great. While it's not a luxury hotel by any means, (and do outside entry to rooms qualify as a hotel?) but it accommodates my needs. I have a large dog and they accept her every year. We like to stay in the "terrace" building because it is close to a large park and ball field maintained by Gatlinburg parks and recreation which is a great place to walk her. The rooms are reasonably priced and always clean. The only drawback is that it's not really "walking friendly" at the end of a long day buying junk downtown because of the summit you must hike to get back!
However, the trolleys are cheap and run very regularly, which we use when we are sans-dog. All in all, it's not bad. One year, we encountered a bear, so beware as they are very close to the woods and the bears like to root through the dumpsters! I love the SunSpree because they do not discriminate against large dogs, as most hotels do. Most hotels only allow little dogs or have a weight restriction. Sometime in the past, some large dog was bad and now mine has to pay the price for their mistake. The SunSpree only charges a $15 fee for the entire stay, if you have a pet. I paid $25 per night in St. Simons! Give it a shot, afte rall, it is a Holiday Inn.