Marriott Knoxville Downtown [Master Thread]
 

There doesn't seem to be a thread on this property, so I figured I would start one. First a couple things to help others be not as as confused as me. This is a new property that opened in 2022 after a massive renovation of the prior building. it is not the same property referenced in this thread, which had awful reviews across the internet and I believe subsequently deflagged and then later closed in ~2020. The new Marriott is run by the same group that runs the Tennessean next door, which is supposed to be nice (though I have not stayed there).

Pros:

• Great location, convenient to downtown, the Fair site, the convention center, and UT. Seems like a nice part of town.
• Hard product is good, furnishings and finish felt new
• M Club was nice with solid offerings (though be careful if you are a late sleeper because breakfast ends at 9am sharp)
• Staff was generally friendly

Cons:

• As noted in this thread, I made an advance request for connecting rooms, which they "accepted" but then didn't fulfill, leaving me and my kids in rooms 7 floors apart (plenty of discussion in the other thread about what "accepted" means, so no need to rehash here)
• Smoke detector in our room was malfunctioning and went off several times for 15 minutes at a time. Eventually maintenance replaced it. Thankfully this was during the afternoon so it did not interrupt sleep.
• Shampoo bottles in the shower were empty when we arrived, had to call for a refill, which was annoying because had already started showering
• Not sure if it was just our room, but the room, while large, felt super empty. There was a bed and a desk and a chair... and then a huge area between the bed and window that seemed like it should have had a sofa or something, but was just empty space
• Parking is valet-only, and at $30/night felt steep for the area
• Charged us for internet even though it should be free as a bonvoy elite
• Points posted incorrectly for the stay

So I guess in aggregate I was underwhelmed with the stay. There does seem to be a dearth of Bonvoy options in this area though other than limited service, does anyone have other suggestions?

Had a recent two night stay. Location was perfect for convention center, could actually walk under a covered pedestrian path which was great because didn’t have an umbrella and it rained both days. Was upgraded at checking from a City View King to a Park View. FDA said I would appreciate being on the other side of the building due to the noise from the firehouse on the City side. Ate at the market exchange for lunch, food was fine, service was fast for peak lunch hour. M Club breakfast was sufficient and remained open throughout the day with chips/soft drinks and an espresso machine serving Starbucks brewed. Gym had a decent amount of cardio equip, free weights, and kettlebells. Couldn’t get the business computer on the 2nd floor connected to a printer to work, but FDA was happy to print for me at checkout. Overall this met my expectations for the brand standard. I would recommend and stay here if needed to be in downtown.