Cities all over the country, including Knoxville, have instances of converting old office buildings, apartment buildings and even industrial buildings into hotels. But this Embassy Suites hotel is an interesting case of converting a relatively modern office building into a popular downtown hotel.
Knoxville Gay Street Hotel
The Embassy Suites by Hilton Knoxville Downtown is centrally located on Gay Street in downtown Knoxville. The hotel opened in 2019 after an extensive conversion project that resulted in a high-rise office building becoming a high-rise downtown hotel with great views from the guest rooms.
The public spaces in the hotel will probably be the most memorable part of your visit. The atrium-style lobby includes a lit glass installation that fills the area from floor to ceiling. And the rooftop of the hotel contains a swimming pool and a lounge, with views from the city to the highest peaks of the Smoky Mountains. Other hotel amenities include an open-24-hours fitness center, a ballroom and five meeting rooms.
Free breakfast is available for guests daily on the ground floor. The Mediterranean restaurant KoPita overlooks Gay Street from the hotel’s second floor. Also available at street level: coffee from KBrew and take-out breakfast, lunch and dinner from Ham’n Goodys.
Parks and Squares and More
The hotel is adjacent to Krutch Park, a shady place for a stroll that features a large collection of outdoor sculptures. The park leads you to the restaurants and bars and shopping of Market Square, which also hosts occasional musical performances and a Saturday morning farmer’s market during the warmer months. For some indoor performances, you’ll find the Regal Riviera movie theaters are across the street, while the Tennessee Theatre and the Bijou Theatre are a couple of blocks south of here on Gay Street.
Parking and Nearby Attractions
The Embassy Suites offers valet parking and there is also parking available a block east of the hotel in the city-owned State Street Garage. As with all the downtown hotels along the Gay Street corridor, you’re not too far from the most popular destinations in town. Here are a few, with walking times:
- World’s Fair Park and Knoxville Convention Center (10 minutes, 0.4 miles)
- Neyland Stadium (28 minutes, 1.2 miles)
- Covenant Health Park (16 minutes, 0.7 miles)
- Knoxville Civic Auditorium and Coliseum (11 minutes, 0.4 miles)
- Thompson-Boling Arena (34 minutes, 1.5 miles)
The eastern edge of the campus of the University of Tennessee is less than a mile away.
