The Maker Exchange, a 12,000-square-foot gathering hub connected to the new Marriott, features a restaurant, a bar and a coffee shop.
Knoxville, Tenn., has welcomed a new Marriott hotel with 302 guest rooms and more than 17,000 square feet of event space. The recently opened Marriott Downtown Knoxville overlooks World's Fair Park, where the 1982 World's Fair was held. It also sits across the street from the Knoxville Convention Center.
Rockbridge, a private real estate and hospitality firm, purchased the property, which was formerly a Holiday Inn, in 2019. As part of the deal, the company also acquired The Tennessean, an 82-room hotel which is next door.
The Marriott Downtown Knoxville has undergone an extensive renovation that touched upon nearly every aspect of the property. Floor-to-ceiling windows have been added in all of the guest rooms, a double-sided fireplace now welcomes guests into the hotel lobby, and the meetings space has also been refreshed.
In addition, a new gathering hub has been added that connects the two Rockbridge hotels. The 12,000-square-foot Maker Exchange features a restaurant, a bar and a coffee shop.
"The hotel is ideally located at the center of World's Fair Park, the Knoxville Convention Center, the University of Tennessee and the downtown district," said Jim Merkel, CEO of Rockbridge, of the new Marriott hotel. "We are proud to reinvent this destination for the community."