Hyatt Place Knoxville Review: Good Location & Excellent Rooftop Bar

School is out and summer has started, so I took the kids on a road trip to Knoxville and visit the new Dick’s House of Sport. We booked a stay at the Hyatt Place Knoxville for only 8,000 points. The hotel looked stylish from its online pictures and it is centrally located near local restaurants and attractions.

Booking a Room at the Hyatt Place Knoxville

When I was looking at hotel options in Knoxville, I was leaning toward Hyatt or IHG. I earned Hyatt Globalist from the December 2020 / January 2021 double-stay credit promotion, and I’d love to earn the elite status again for next year. I’ve been an IHG Spire Elite member for years, and I can always use more points for future Kimpton stays.

Should You Use Miles or Points to Book Your Room?

I settled on the Hyatt Place Knoxville because it looked like a nice property and it was only 8,000 points for a free night.

If I would have paid cash for the room, it would have been $190 (King) to $210 (Two Queens) + tax for the night.

As a Category 2 hotel, you can also use the annual free night from the Chase World of Hyatt credit card to book your room. Although it’s not the best use of the free night, you would still come out ahead since the annual fee is $89 vs. the cash price of this room of $210 plus tax. This redemption would be more than double the value of the annual fee.

If you need more World of Hyatt points, you can also transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points on a 1:1 basis if you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve, Chase Sapphire Preferred, or Ink Business Preferred credit cards. Points typically transfer instantly, so you can transfer and book right away.

Check out our marketplace for the latest credit card offers and benefits.

Read: Dick’s House of Sport Knoxville Review: Next Level Shopping Experience

Upgraded to Speciality Queen Beds Room

During check-in at the Hyatt Place Knoxville, we were told that we had been upgraded to a Specialty Two Queen Beds (Plus Sofa Bed) corner room on the 8th floor (Room 824). Hyatt Place hotels generally don’t have aspirational upgrade opportunities (especially when you request two Queen beds), but I appreciated a little extra room and being on a higher floor.

Our room featured two Queen beds, a pull-out couch, and a desk area. I always appreciate it when hotels have actual desks in the room. As someone who does work on almost every trip, it helps to have a dedicated workspace available.

The bathroom had a walk-in shower with sliding glass doors for the shower. It was separated from the rest of the hotel room with a frosted glass sliding door.

Overall, the room was very spacious and had three windows to allow as much natural light as possible in an older building.

Five Thirty Lounge on the Rooftop

When you think of hip places to hang out, the bar the Hyatt Place isn’t the first place that comes to mind. However, the Five Thirty Lounge at the Hyatt Place Knoxville is probably one of the best rooftop bars in Knoxville. The place was packed from the moment we arrived until we left about three hours later.

It had a good mix of bar-height tables for four and lounge areas with more comfortable seatings. After being placed at one of the tabletops, we asked to be switched to one of the couch areas when we noticed that another party had left. Those cushions were much more inviting than the hard seats at the tabletops.

The Five Thirty Lounge features a wide variety of cocktails and local craft brews. I had a couple of Homestyle Bearded Iris IPA craft brews. My buddy Harlan, from the travel blog Out and Out, was in town for work, so he met up with us and had an Old Fashioned. My kids shared a lemonade. All the prices are what you’d typically expect from an upscale, rooftop lounge. Craft brews were $8 each and the Old Fashioned was $12.

World of Hyatt Globalist Benefits

As a World of Hyatt Globalist, you get some valuable benefits when staying at any of the Hyatt family of brands. These benefits include early check-in, late checkout, free valet parking, and free breakfast.

Valet Parking

Since Hyatt Place Knoxville is in the middle of the downtown area, you can expect parking to be at a premium. Valet parking was $25 overnight. As a Hyatt Globalist, the valet parking fee was waived on award nights, so I was sure to tip a little extra to help out the workers.

There are a few places where you can park nearby. An open lot about one block over seemed to offer parking for $10 overnight. Use an app like Spot Hero to see what deals are nearby.

Breakfast Bar in the Morning

One of the best perks of being a World of Hyatt Globalist is the free breakfast each morning for you and your guests. However, when you stay at a Hyatt Place, that benefit doesn’t do anything special for you because all World of Hyatt members receive free breakfast.

At the Hyatt Place Knoxville, the breakfast bar in the morning featured cold cereals, apples & oranges, oatmeal, and an assortment of individually wrapped pastries. There were also some freshly prepared breakfast sandwiches made with your choice of English muffins or biscuits, eggs, cheese, and either sausage or bacon.

American Airlines bonus miles

I love earning additional miles and points towards my next vacation. As a World of Hyatt Globalist, I received 1,000 American Airlines miles as part of our stay.

Discount at Starbucks

All guests of the Hyatt Place Knoxville are able to receive a 20% discount at the Starbucks coffee shop inside the lobby by showing a room key. I don’t drink coffee, but Anna does, and I know that she’d appreciate the discount if she were traveling with us.

Historical Significance of the Hyatt Place Knoxville

As I ventured outside, I noticed a plaque signifying that the SEC (South Eastern Conference) was founded there on December 8, 1932. The century-old Farragut Hotel was restored and turned into the Hyatt Place Knoxville. Such an interesting side note for our trip.

I think it’s cool when historic buildings are converted into hotels and the charm of the original building is maintained. You can see that charm and style in the design of the lobby sitting spaces.

The Bald Thoughts

I had never been to Knoxville before this trip. Although we were only in town for the Dick’s House of Sport Knoxville media preview, we enjoyed our short visit to the city. I’d love to come back and explore the city further. When we do, the Hyatt Place Knoxville will be high on our list of places to stay.