Occupying a handsome 31-story tower that is integrated with the convention center, a few short blocks west of the river, this fine urban giant offers some of the highest standards in the city. Although it can't match the vast offerings of such resorts as Gaylord and Sheraton Music City, it manages to create a lively roster of activities in the heart of the city. It easily overshadows the Hilton Suites, The Doubletree and Sheraton Downtown.
Decorated with new, brighter colors and plush contemporary furnishings, the four-story atrium is more inviting than the usual convention hotel. The lobby-level restaurant is in a light-filled conservatory setting, offering buffets at breakfast and lunch and a la carte dinners. The sleek catwalk-inspired decor adds a pinch
of Paris amid the Great Smoky Mountains. The dessert menu is famous for its Jack Daniel's Skillet Cake, flambeed. The refurbished delicatessen and a bar on the skywalk level connect the hotel to the convention center. Coffee lovers herald the arrival of the new Starbucks.
The second-floor fitness area is excellent, with a comprehensive gym, a whirlpool, a sauna, an indoor pool and a sundeck under a wide skylight. In addition to the adjacent convention and entertainment centers, the hotel provides downtown's most impressive on-site meeting space, with a ballroom that can host receptions for up to 2,500. Valet parking in the adjacent city-owned garage is an expensive proposition.
Like the public areas, the guest rooms show tasteful decor in a contemporary vein, with soothing jade color schemes, rich textured fabrics, button-top spreads and padded headboards. Other amenities include oversized armoires with TVs and video games, glass-topped desks with task lighting, and phones with data ports and voice mail. The hotel's Marriott roots surface in the sumptuous beds with cloudlike duvets and excellent bedding. The fair-sized baths have marble vanities with two makeup mirrors, coffeemakers, and bowls filled with fragrant potpourri. Double rooms have enough space for two queen beds and two cushioned armchairs. Refrigerators and/or minibars are missing. The upgraded premium rooms, on 24 and 25, offer access to a private 24-floor lounge with almost all of the expected services (no cocktail hour), extra phone extensions and robes, as well as new flat-screen TVs. Rooms ending in -00, -31 and -34 are larger corner units. Many rooms are designed for disabled travelers.
Room service is around the clock. Individuals can get lost in the shuffle here, but the hotel's high standards, fine staff and central location are worthwhile compensation. Pets are not permitted.
Despite its size, individuals receive surprisingly personal service here, but The Hermitage is the answer for finicky travelers with big expense accounts.
