Hotels invest in Hickory Hollow area

Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn complete renovations at locations in the Crossings By SUZANNE NORMAND BLACKWOOD sblackwood@tennessean.com 259-8268 • September 26, 2008 The Hampton Inn and Holiday Inn at The Crossings in Hickory Hollow not only have fresh, new looks, their management and owners are hoping recent changes also show a renewed commitment to the area. The recent renovation of Hampton Inn, a Hilton franchise, features new carpeting, new furniture, new drapes and new bedding. "Everything's new in the rooms," said manager Bruce Neal. Microwaves and refrigerators have been added to rooms that did not have them previously, and the rooms' bathrooms feature new granite vanities and light fixtures. The rooms with king-size beds now have walk-in showers, and the rooms with two queen-size beds have tubs. Although the hotel's guests consist of leisure travelers, people visiting family in the area and sports fans, most guests are corporate travelers, Neal said. Thus, many prefer the walk-in shower concept. Some of the rooms with king-size beds also have couches with pull-out sofa sleepers, in case a couple has a small child. Another change is that new artwork has been displayed throughout the hotel, including in the rooms, said Neal. "Hotel artwork is typically bland and boring," he said. But at Hampton Inn, he added, something was wanted that is relevant and would say something about Nashville. For this reason, the artwork consists of photographs of Nashville landmarks, such as the Ryman Auditorium or the Country Music Hall of Fame. The Hampton Inn in Hickory Hollow opened its doors in 1997. "It was time for a complete renovation," Neal said. Also, he added, "Hilton has such strict standards. We love being a Hilton property." Sister hotel also got new look "Our renovation was the most extensive," said Neal. But the Holiday Inn across the street also underwent a facelift. Both hotels are owned by Nath Companies, although Holiday Inn is an Intercontinental franchise. Holiday Inn manager Art Milbert said the hotel underwent "a lot of cosmetic changes, as far as lobby décor and restaurant décor and fixtures." "The rooms had some soft changes with new bedding packages, lighting and modern shower heads, curtains and rods (in) the bathrooms." Hotel managers hope to help area's reputation In an effort to be good neighbors, the hotels donated their old bedding to area charities. Milbert is hoping the donations and the renovations will say that Nath Companies is committed to the area. Although Antioch has a bad reputation because of crime and other factors, "there are a lot of good things going on in this area," he said. "Several people here have really invested in the area."