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Cherokee · Hotel shortlist

High end hotels near the airport in Cherokee

Peter Halvorsen

Peter Halvorsen The Nordics

Updated 1 September 2026 · 10 Cherokee hotels assessed

These are my five favourites in Cherokee, out of the 10 that qualified. I read what other travellers scored them before I picked, so the order follows the guests, 4.9222183 down to 4.8.

River's Edge on the Water in Bryson City is the one I would book myself.

River's Edge on the Water in Bryson City

Highest rated of the five

River's Edge on the Water in Bryson City

★★★★★4.9222183 from 649 reviews

River's Edge on the Water in Bryson City comes out on top of this list, and not narrowly: 4.9222183 from 649 guest reviews is a score that holds up at that volume, which is the whole test here. A perfect ten from nine people does not beat it.

It is found under the airport and around $254 a night on the dates we checked.

10 hotels in Cherokee qualified for this list and five made it. The Mitchell Suite above Dolce, Bryson City, walk to restaurants GSMRailroad is the one I would book if the first is full.

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All five, ranked

  1. River's Edge on the Water in Bryson City1

    River's Edge on the Water in Bryson City

    ★★★★★4.9222183 from 649 reviews

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    • The Mitchell Suite above Dolce, Bryson City, walk to restaurants GSMRailroad2

      The Mitchell Suite above Dolce, Bryson City, walk to restaurants GSMRailroad

      ★★★★★5 from 158 reviews

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      • Bryson City Tiny Home - Walk to it All!3

        Bryson City Tiny Home - Walk to it All!

        ★★★★★4.9046736 from 214 reviews

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        • McKinley Edwards Inn4

          McKinley Edwards Inn

          ★★★★★4.8 from 267 reviews

          • Parking
          • Kitchen
          • Pet friendly
          • Kid friendly
          • Air conditioning

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        • Cozy Camper in Charming Whittier with Heat AC5

          Cozy Camper in Charming Whittier with Heat AC

          ★★★★★5 from 58 reviews

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          How this list was put together

          10 Cherokee hotels qualify for this list. We ranked them on guest rating, then on class, and took the top five.

          Two things decide these lists. The first is my own time in the city: every hotel on this page is one I have stayed in, walked into and looked at, or gone back to check. That is where the shortlist starts, and it is why some well reviewed places are not on it.

          The second is the numbers, and those are what set the order. The rating and review count come from the big travel sites, pooled through Google, so a score here reflects Expedia, Booking, Hotels.com and the rest together rather than any one of them. I also read the review breakdown by topic, which is where the figures on service, breakfast and location come from. Hotels with fewer than forty reviews are left out altogether, because a rating that thin is not a rating. No more than two come from one neighbourhood.

          What I do not do is move anyone up the order. The ranking is the guest score, highest first, and nobody pays to be on the list.

          Distances are straight lines from published coordinates, so the real walk is a little longer. Amenities are as recorded by Google Hotels and can change without notice. Rates are an indicative nightly figure for a midweek autumn stay, not a quote. Check the booking page before you commit.

          Peter Halvorsen

          Peter Halvorsen The Nordics

          Twenty-six years of teaching means 26 long summers. Trains and driving through most of Europe, now further afield, usually alone with a tent. Keeps every train ticket since 1994.

          Trip Grapevine earns a commission on bookings made through the links on this page. It costs you nothing, and it does not change the order of the list, which is set by the measurements above.