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Knoxville hotels see growing demand for New Year's Eve

"This tends to be one of our slowest weeks of the year, but we've seen really robust demand for hotel rooms all week," explained Crowne Plaza Hotel General Manager Ken Knight.

It's a busy holiday season at the Crowne Plaza - despite what's normally a down period.

"This tends to be one of our slowest weeks of the year, but we've seen really robust demand for hotel rooms all week,” explained Crowne Plaza Hotel General Manager Ken Knight.

So much demand - rooms are sold out. A welcomed turn from years past.

"25 years ago no one considered coming Downtown for New Year’s Eve or really anything. Downtown has truly transformed in the last ten or 15 years,” Knight said.

Across town in West Knoxville the Holiday Inn at Cedar Bluff is preparing for their own New Year's Eve party.

"We're probably about half full, but in the next day we'll fill up most of that,” Front Desk Manager Chris Hawley said.

The Holiday Inn is competing with other hotels along the Cedar Bluff exit.

"In the last 20 years there's been a dozen others pop up,” Hawley said.

They work to separate themselves from the competition by offering a hotel restaurant, room service, and a pool.

Downtown that fight is the same, 2017 saw two hotels open in the area there is one more on the way.

In October, a Nashville company announced plans to put a boutique hotel in the Andrew Johnson building. A Courtyard Marriot - Residence Inn hotel is under construction at Church and State, and just this month the historic Farragut Hotel reopened as a Marriot.

“It’ll make things a little more challenging, obviously adding supply doesn't add demand we'll have to be a little more careful about what we do and a little more aggressive than we have been," said Knight.

Knight adds he is concerned about the growth of businesses to support the additional hotels coming to downtown Knoxville.

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