River's Edge Motel

On a road trip from the UK. We stayed here the nights of the 13th and 14th of August 2026. A great motel option in Cherokee. Clean, tidy, modern. Good location, good service. Comfortable, huge bed. Really glad we stayed here. Highly recommend. Carole : )

The hotel itself is "simple" in the sense that it's a standard long 2-floor motel (no elevator) with room doors facing outside. It's on road 441 going out north of Cherokee, a couple of minutes' drive from the Oconaluftee Visitor Center. The nicest and most beautiful feature of the place is all the balconies facing the Oconaluftee River - the building is actually touching the river, so the view from the rooms is indeed spectacular (the ducks seem to know when you look at them). There is no breakfast, but there are a few restaurants within walking distance or 1 minute drive. The one that seems to be open at the right times is Peter's Pancakes & Waffles to the north. There are also plenty of parking places. The rooms are small but comfortable and have all the usual facilities. We could even watch the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final in the room :)

We checked in around 9:15 p.m., only to find that we had to drive about a mile to a different hotel just to pick up our room keys before returning to check in. We booked two rooms for two nights. As soon as we entered one of the rooms, we were hit with an overwhelming smell of marijuana. We immediately called the front desk—not to complain, but to make sure we weren’t blamed for smoking in the room. The employee apologized and told us there were no other rooms available that night, but said they would comp that room for the first night. At checkout, I asked about the promised credit, and the front desk employee told me they couldn’t do that because marijuana is legal on the reservation. She explained that although guests are told not to smoke in the rooms, many still do. She also said there was no record of anyone offering to comp the room. I’ve stayed here before and had good experiences, but this visit was disappointing. Between the inconvenient check-in process, the strong marijuana odor in one of the rooms, and the inconsistent customer service, I won’t be returning. I would recommend looking elsewhere if you’re sensitive to smoke or expect staff to honor what they promise.