Ofland Hotels has started development on Ofland Smoky Mountains, a 75-cabin outdoor hospitality property in Townsend, Tenn.
The $25 million development is expected to open in summer 2027. A groundbreaking ceremony was held Sept. 15, with Ofland Hotels founder Charles Tate, CEO Noah Ellis, head of development Luke Searcy and CFO Ryan Terracino.
Located on some 27 acres about five minutes from the Cades Cove entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the project will be Las Vegas, Nev.-based Ofland's second property, following Ofland Escalante in Utah, which opened in 2021.
Wind River Built, a Cleveland, Tenn.-based modular building manufacturer, is producing the cabins. KDW is providing construction management, while Boundary Works is the architecture firm. Tyson & Associates is leading site construction.
“Our guests will be coming to experience the Great Smoky Mountains. We're not trying to compete with that,” Ellis said in a statement. “We're five minutes from the entrance to Cades Cove, where guests will spend their days hiking and exploring the national park. Our job is to give them a place worth coming back to.”
The property will include 71 standard cabins and four ADA-accessible cabins. Each 345-square-foot cabin will have a studio-style layout with a queen bed and queen sofa bed, kitchenette, en-suite bathroom and private open-air shower. Cabins will also feature private decks, rocking chairs, wood-burning campfire rings with grills and picnic tables.
The property's lodge will house the front desk, general store, fire pits and a food counter serving breakfast and dinner. Other amenities will include a heated pool, hot tub, campfire chef kits and an outdoor drive-in movie theater with seating for up to 150 guests.
The cabins will feature floor-to-ceiling windows, red oak ceilings, maple cabinetry, honed granite countertops and champagne bronze fixtures. The open-air showers will include Douglas fir slat privacy walls, charcoal porcelain tile, LED lighting and outdoor radiant heaters.
The lodge and general store will draw from Appalachian architectural styles, incorporating natural wood siding, covered porches and low rooflines. The lodge also will include a covered porch connecting the drive-in theater and pool areas.