ERIN EDGEMON-Sept. 14, 2008
Posted: Sunday, September 14, 2008 7:17 am

TMP Photo by Kelly Hite. Embassy Suites is home to fine dinning at the Gateway Grille.

More than two years of planning and construction came to fruition with the opening the Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference Center Friday.

The luxury all-suite hotel, which boasts the third largest conference room space in Middle Tennessee, has been widely anticipated by area officials for its potential to boost tourism and economic development in Murfreesboro.

More than 120 events have already been booked at the conference center.

“One element we have needed in the community, particularly, for the corporate client and for additional tourism, is a conference facility,” said Holly Weber, vice president for economic development, Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce. “It is a great addition to the Murfreesboro Gateway and the entire community.

Officials hope the conference center and hotel will fill the missing link that has kept the city from obtaining white-collar corporate relocations.

“This will be a tremendous asset for our business community, for visitors, our community and for our residents who I know will enjoy many special events,” said Rob Lyons, assistant Murfreesboro city manager.

“This will have a huge impact” on economic development, he said. “I think this is just the tip of the iceberg.”

Lyons said a number of developers have contacted the city of Murfreesboro with interest of building hotels around Medical Center Parkway.

So far, the Embassy Suites has created the equivalent of 225 full-time jobs and will contribute an estimated $23 million to the Rutherford County economy annually.

The 10-story, 283-suite hotel and conference center has 80,000 gross square feet of flexible event and meeting space. The 28,000-square-foot Mirabella Ballroom is the third largest in the greater Nashville market.

“The palatial meeting space will allow us to attract meetings, conferences and conventions that we have been unable to accommodate in the past,” said Mona Herring, vice president of the Convention and Visitors Bureau, Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce.

Jenny Grubb, director of marketing and special events for the United Way of Rutherford and Cannon counties, said the hotel and conference center is in a perfect location.

“With Murfreesboro being right in the middle of the state and it being right off of the interstate, it makes it ideal for local corporations and also other national and statewide corporations to hold conferences here whether one day or multiple days,” she said.

A Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at the hotel Saturday afternoon.

The hotel’s official grand opening event, “An Elegant Evening,” is slated for Nov. 1 and will benefit Rutherford County Books from Birth. The event will feature fine dining, dancing and a program honoring state Rep. John Hood, who sponsored legislation establishing the Governor’s Books from Birth Foundation, as well as the wives of the Rutherford County mayors.

The contemporary designed hotel is owned and by John Q. Hammons and is managed by Springfield, Mo.-based John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts.

“The colors, fabrics and fixtures are upscale and quite unique, making the Embassy Suites very visually appealing,” Herring said.

Grubb called the hotel “amazing.

“It is truly beautiful inside and out,” she said. “The attention to detail is incredible. They did not miss a thing.

Hammons was unable to attend the opening of the hotel but submitted a written statement in which he passed along his “deep appreciation to the city of Murfreesboro” and everyone who made the project a reality.

“I am proud to open this property on time, and to bring to Murfreesboro a first-class hotel and conference center that exudes quality from top to bottom,” he stated. “This project on this site has been a vision of mine since 1995.

“A few years ago it became evident that the timing was right and that Murfreesboro needed and deserved a hotel and conference center that would accommodate the growing market and have significant economic impact,” Hammons continued.

The developer said with the project he strived for “quality and service that would be unequaled in the market.”

He said the Embassy Suites will exceed expectations.

Hotel staff held a special ceremony Friday morning welcoming the first official guest, C.M. Gatton, who sold the land for the hotel.

“I am so glad to be here,” Gatton said after walking into the hotel’s grand foyer. “I am so impressed by what you have done here.”

The Embassy Suites features the Gateway Grille, an upscale restaurant serving American cuisine.

Among the dinner selections are filet mignon, simply grilled market fresh seafood and artichoke penne pasta, while guests seeking a more casual experience can enjoy a “Gateway burger,” herb marinated chicken panini or classic jumbo shrimp cocktail. The restaurant also features a children’s menu and a dessert menu with Tennessee-inspired selections such as “Lynchburg Bread Pudding” and “Tennessee Cheesecake.”

The hotel also features Caffeina’s Internet Café serving Starbucks coffee.

Erin Edgemon can be reached at 869-0812 and at eedgemon@murfreesboropost.com.

To make a hotel reservation, visit the hotel website at www.murfreesboro.embassysuites.com, or to book a group function at the Embassy Suites – Murfreesboro Hotel & Conference Center, contact the sales and catering department at 890-4464.