Cumberland House Knoxville, Tapestry Collection by Hilton — Hotel in Knoxville

We stay at Hilton properties exclusively and are Diamond members for context of this review. We were in town for UTK Freshman move-in mid-August.

This hotel is in a perfect location to UTK, easy walking. Rooms were nice and comfortable. We did not eat at the property so cannot comment on food and drink. For location 5 stars, rooms 4 stars as there were a few items missing from the rooms like glasses, wine key, etc.

However, we were really disappointed in the service. The service at the hotel was subpar, front desk team (in particular, blonde female there every morning) seemed more interested in talking and chatting amongst hotel staff (chef, valet, other front desk members) than providing good customer service to guests. We had to say good morning first, I had to ask for water bottles upon check in, coffee at 8am was empty and not refilled without being asked. In general an aloofness from the front desk staff one would not expect at a property like this.

When another front desk staff member was asked about the parking garage across the street regarding was it UTKs and which UTK permits were allowed, the response from him, "I don't know, I don't think I should be asked that question, that isn't something I should know", versus a simple; "Great question I actually don't know, but I'll find out". (FYI I walked across and found out it is a commuter lot, so if one has a commuter UTK tag one can park there).

The cleaning staff at the hotel were kind and seem to do a good enough job but miss key details such as wiping the doors down (our door had a lot of hand prints on it), and checking the shower drain under the tile plate. In these showers if the tile plate is not moved the shower does not drain properly, I moved the tile plate after realizing this as my shower almost overflowed and found a whole "gob" of someone else's blondish hair on the drain that was also preventing the showering from draining. I would think this is cleaning 101 to ensure no hair in the drains, ever. I didn't feel like calling the front desk staff as based on previous service they would likely not care.

Additional an important note, the hotel does not allow self park, so everyone to park at the property must pay $35/night - or park on the street. I guess given proximity to campus I can see this but it is inconvenient to have a lot and not allow guests to park there on their own at a lower fee. Valet staff were very nice though.

I hope this hotel management for the price charged (esp. football weekends) will make changes to make their customers experience feel more welcoming in the future. I am undecided if I will stay here in the future based on the...

We added a Knoxville stop to our Gatlinburg/Great Smoky Mountains trip. My husband selected this hotel because it was close to the Sunsphere (our main purpose for the stop. See another review for that later.). He was looking for something clean, safe and convenient. When they offered a discount for the balcony upgrade, the whole entire stay became much more than we had anticipated.

At first we were upset that we had no real option for parking; it's valet only for $25 per day. But the valet staff were excellent, Suzanne especially. She parked our car for convenient quick access as we were coming and going frequently for the first several hours. She shared all sorts of information about the area, as she is a lifelong resident and very knowledgeable. Then during check-out the car was ready by the time we reached the lobby. (They ask for a 5 minute notice.)

Upon entering the lobby we were greeted by friendly staff and a wonderful aroma (scented candles that can be purchased in their small "gift shop" next to the registration staff). The registration team had a room ready for us immediately, in spite of the fact that we were there earlier than our check-in time. They also shared lots of information about the hotel, their events and traditions, and the World's Fair Park within walking distance.

You can be a part of their sewing theme lobby by adding a button to a dress form that is sitting just around the corner from the elevator. You'll know which one it is by the box of buttons, container of glue and instructions on the counter next to it.

Our room was a pleasant surprise. Two rooms. Just inside the door was a lounge area, mini kitchenette and a door to the balcony. The bedroom was huge with an equally large bathroom. In the closet were two terry cloth robes.

The balcony was aged (the painted concrete floor was peeling) but the chairs were comfortable and the view of the Sunsphere against the city background was spectacular. We turned off the air conditioner in lounge area to better enjoy the sounds of the city. (There was a separate air conditioner in the bedroom.) I got to see the Sunsphere in all sorts of light: mid-day, setting sun and sunrise. Loved seeing the Sunsphere silhouetted against the night-time city lights.

We participated in their nightly tradition in the bar/lobby but did not dine there, except for a plate of french fries we shared. The fries were delicious but I can't comment on any of their other menu items.

This turned out to be a gem of a hotel, when we were only looking for an overnight stay to visit...

Room was beautiful… service was great.. there was a super nice 19 y/o valet guy that just became manager… kid was cool as hell… It was a very busy game weekend with the Bulldogs and Vols facing off… So the Online ordering of your car from valet was screwed up pretty much the whole weekend… I guess they did not have time to park the cars as quick as normal, but it wasn’t a big deal… You could just take your ID down there and they would go get your car really quick… There was a Middle aged husky valet that was a nice guy and I complimented his shades one morning… They are the Ken block edition spy’s… They look sweet so I complimented them and he was like here. Do you want to try them on? I thought it was weird, but I said “sure man… Oh yeah, I like them a lot… These are pretty much the only frames that fit my face in my opinion” And then he followed that up with “I’ll sell them to you if you want…. $40” That’s when I knew they were definitely fake 🤣…. My mind went straight to thinking this guy probably needs some extra coin… And they are really cool looking shades, even though the real ones are only sub-200 Online… The fakes are $20… He told me that he has like seven pairs, probably five times…. So I said what the hell? I’ll buy them from you…. Honestly, if he would’ve just said “hey man can you give me a $40 tip?” I would’ve done that and he could’ve kept his fake sunglasses…. But on the upside… I have some really cool fake sunglasses now lol… The place was freakin nice and even though the VOLS lost, When we had to walk back to our room drunk because the city was gridlocked and the Uber couldn’t get to us… It wasn’t that far of a walk at all… Like 20 minutes. All in all, it was a freakin great time and...