On one of my regular travels, I decided to go on a ski trip with a friend to the smoky mountains of Tennessee, through S.E.T, which is a Special Event Travel, enterprise group. I was initially excited as they provided a good price for all of the activities listed in their itinerary. However, after booking the event with them along with my flight and other arrangements, I was left wondering, what exactly did I pay for?

I landed in Atlanta and met with my friend then we took the trip to Tennessee early the next morning. All went smoothly until we arrived at the hotel, stood in a long line to check in; the front desk after giving us our room keys, never gave us any instructions on how to get our wristbands, nor was there any signage as to where to get said wristbands.

I didn’t think much of it until we went to dinner that night. We settled in, freshened up, then arrived at the group dinner location at the Grand Majestic. We were denied entrance, by security because we didn’t have our wristbands. When we stated that we didn’t receive any, upon check-in at the hotel, he tells us we have to go across the street to the adjacent hotel to get one. He mentioned that a lot of people were having this same issue. When I inquired about the lack of instruction and signage, he was silent. Looking back, I should have seen this as a sign for what’s to come.

We ended up getting dinner at the diner right next to the hotel, retrieved our wristbands, shortly before heading to the first night’s party. It was a pajama party theme and when I arrived, I saw an array of different outfits ranging from lingerie to jeans and hoodies. I was surprised that those who weren’t following the theme were still let into the venue. The music was lackluster and the DJs mixed their set with no flow or rhythm. It was akin to listening to a randomized Spotify playlist while working out at the gym. That continued for the whole weekend.

Saturday night, was the main event as the booked talent performed that night. Bobby Valentino made an appearance alongside DJ Self. I was excited to attend this party as I used to listen to Bobby V’s music in high school and DJ Self is a really good DJ from NY. My disappointment grew once I witnessed Bobby V perform only five of his most popular songs in the span of two minutes. The fifth song along with his vocals played in the background while he was talking to someone on stage while putting down the microphone. After seeing that he wasn’t even willing to lip-sync his last song to act like he was performing, I was immediately disinterested.

To make matters worse, after he left, DJ self stayed on stage with a white and blue flower blazer, “modeling”, while the other DJs who were already spinning the set, continued. The music continued to be dry and drab and that’s how I confirmed that he never touched the DJ booth. I was anticipating the night to pick up and to dance to some good music. He only made an appearance and didn’t do anything else. The open bar that was offered at the parties was only moonshine with your choice of juice. The other bar with the label brand liquor was being sold as 2 for $25 shots. I alerted my friend about this and she didn’t bother leaving the room to attend. Fed up I left the party.

While walking back to my room, I couldn’t shake the feeling of immense disappointment I felt. Not only was I offended about the lackluster performance from both Bobby V and DJ Self, but I also felt insulted over the sheer audacity they had to show up to a paid gig, lackadaisically and unprepared. Assuming the DJs were new, DJ self a seasoned vet in that industry could have helped out and taught those DJs a few tips and tricks; showing them how to engage the crowd better while helping boost their career and skill set. Bobby V, shortly after photobombing my friend, had the gall to suggest that she “follow him” to his room. This man is 5’3. and hasn’t been relevant for over 10 years. Where does he get the arrogance to make such a statement? Their lack of professionalism screwed over the paying guests, former fans, and the hosts of this event. All around they are both very bad for business.

I salvaged the rest of the night by heading to my hotel’s pool and Jacuzzi, instead of heading to the Three a.m. pool party that was hosted across the street at the neighboring building. While hanging out in the jacuzzi with my friend some of the patrons we met in the lobby that were heading across the street to the pool party came into where we were and told us that it was a waste of time. Only four people were in the water, everyone else stood around and the same DJs were there playing the same terrible music. I laughed and my friend and I decided that we will have to make the best of what was left of that weekend by ourselves.

We went to the Ski Slopes, explored the 440 Strip by the hotel, and enjoyed ourselves at the local eateries. I go into more detail about the activities that saved my weekend in the button below (Tennessee). While at the ski Lodge I noticed there was a water slide tube at the end of the hill as well as a self-controlled coaster. I figured that this place was also open during the summer season. The lodge had everything from ice skating rinks, food courts, to an ice cream parlour and ice bumper cars. It was like an indoor carnival. It was a great end to my weekend considering how dangerous the road was; driving up there. The roads closest to the mountain are very narrow, winding and parts of the cliff have no guardrails. I prayed while we were up there. My friend is a stellar driver.

I would definately visit Tennessee again to do more of the activities that were on the 440 Highway Strip. They offer everything from the Tanger mall outlets, to the upside-down museums, to feeding bears and riding the coaster from the Carnival area. I wouldn’t book with the Travel group again as I didn’t like the way we were constantly put in positions to constantly have money pulled from us, at every turn. From the adult “Revue” show to the group dinner at the hard rock cafe, that required everyone to pay for their own meals A-La-Carte, without notifying the guests beforehand how the restaurant will facilitate this. Which often left many people at tables with complete stranger’s; putting their personal card for their tables tab and hoping that everyone at the table has enough integrity to pay for their own meal in full. That was appalling and I was grateful that I didn’t attend.