Luxury Hotels Atlas / Places / United States / Waynesville / The Swag
The Swag
Waynesville, North Carolina, United States · Independent · Grand Luxury
The oldest logs in The Swag House came from Tennessee's Lonesome Valley Primitive Baptist Church and date to 1785, reassembled on a 5,000-foot Cataloochee Divide ridge that looks onto four of North Carolina's six highest ranges. Deener Matthews opened the former family home as an inn in 1982 after World's Fair guests refused to leave for Knoxville. Relais & Châteaux admitted the 18-room, 250-acre hideaway in 2020, a fence-step from Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
- 18 rooms
- Opened 1982
About The Swag
- From the Cataloochee Divide lawn at about 5,000 feet, guests can see four of North Carolina's six highest mountain ranges.
- Deener Matthews opened the 1971 family home as an inn in 1982 after World's Fair visitors sent up for Knoxville lodging never left the mountain.
- Relais & Châteaux admitted the 18-room, 250-acre property in 2020; Annie and David Colquitt bought it in 2018 after honeymooning there in 2011.
- The Cataloochee Divide Trail, used by Cherokee hunters and later settlers, still runs just behind the inn on the national-park fence line.
The setting
11.9 miles from Waynesville.
Experiences
- Cataloochee Divide Trail — Historic trail blazed by the Cherokee, still running behind the hideaway on the ridge.
Amenities
- Spa
- Sauna
- Hot tub
- Fitness center
- All-inclusive
Awards
- Andrew Harper Members Choice (2026)
- MICHELIN Two Keys (2026)
Open The Swag in the atlas for live weekend rates, photos, and the full folio.