In addition to using AirDNA, research active and potential competitor rentals in your target market near Gatlinburg by browsing booking platforms.

Oh Boy, I went browsing today......and I found an old building with reatil space (leased) on first floor and 2 separate attached Studios, and a 1 bedroom apartment. 

Funny, IIRC, I believe seeing this exact property as I've been browsing their site for quite some time now.

Create a daily routine of browsing these platforms for new listings and be ready to act quickly when a good deal pops up.

If someone comes by after that and books a 2star property expecting 5star service, that's their fault.They are trying to turn in to AirBnb… If they want to do that, at least improve on the interface/user experience.

I have been browsing all the tools here, and just trying to become familiar with the site and the treasure trove of knowledge and tools that are available here. 

I am a software developer and I authored our current software, so interfacing to their API is not really a big issue, but I am not sure if anyone is familiar witth the process of using an API, If you arent familiar with the good ol nitty gritty programming, you arent going to get very far before pulling out all your hair.

They require a lot of coordination and assistance from folks on the ground without being able to rely on a tenant interfacing.

Privy, with a simpler interface, is good for beginners and on-market deals at a lower cost but provides less detailed data and fewer search options.

I know fix and flippers who paid $40K to Kiyosaki and other gurus teaching RE basics (and they are being vogue about it, selling 80% fluff and may be 20% of somewhat useful information that one could gather for free just by browsing the internet).