All hotels should be themed. There I said it. I know that it may be just the place you lay your head down at night but the theming of a hotel is just the icing on the cake for me when I am on vacation. I find joy in finding hotels in the perfect location and I get even more excited they are themed hotel. One of my favorite themed hotels was the Denver: the Curtis Hotel – a DoubleTree by Hilton. Well since I love these themed hotels so much I’ve decided to review them as I stay at them.
The first time I heard of Graduate Hotels was when I was researching place to stay in Nashville. The Graduate in Nashville is Dolly Parton themed and it is a girly dream –check it out. This inquiry led to the interest of other Graduate Hotels. There are over 21 Graduate Hotels in the United States and 2 internationally. The first one actually opened in my home state of Georgia in 2014. What makes this hotel chain unique is that theming is often centered around the nearby college.
Honestly, the Graduate Hotels are some of the best themed hotels. The lobby off of the hotel bring you right in the pride of VOLS. Upon checkin you are submersed in a sea of orange and white. Check in is simple as with most hotels but what makes this hotel even more unique is your room key. Room keys are the student ID cards of previous and well known University of Tennessee alumni. You may receive a football or basketball student ID or if you are lucky you may receive a cheerleader student ID. Having this added touch before you even get to your room lets you know that they have placed a lot of thoughts into the details.
After taking in the lobby, I was excited to head up to the room. The rooms were your standard hotel size with the decor of southern charm.
In this particular room the bathroom had a walk in shower, no bath tub. It was a nice size and the doggies on the walls were so cute.
Located onsite there is also a themed restaurant. Named Saloon 16, it is a western-inspired restaurant and bar. The hotel partnered with University of Tenn. Alumni Peyton Manning and there is plenty of memorabilia in the restaurant to showcase that this is Peyton’s place. The menu was mostly made of snacks, appetizers and drinks, lots of drinks. I opted for a main entree item that was named after the owner, Peyton’s Chicken Parm Sandwich. The sandwich was big enough for two people and tasty. There is also a cafe called Poindexter on the premise, which offers coffee, smoothies and salads. Poindexter is located in the hobby.
So if you are looking for a place to stay in Knoxville, I highly recommend the Graduate Knoxville. The hotel is located right on the edge of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville campus and is themed Volunteer orange and white. It’s a quick 5 minute drive to Downtown Knoxville and 8 minutes from Market Square.
Address:
1706 Cumberland Avenue
Knoxville, TN 37916
United States
Parking:
- Valet only- $24 per day, per vehicle
Check-In/Check-Out
Check-in time: 4pm Check-out time: 12pm
Graduate Knoxville public areas and guest rooms are 100% non-smoking.
For more information on the Graduate Knoxville hotel visit.
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