The community came together Wednesday morning to welcome a new hotel to the Merchant’s Greene area.

TownePlace Suites by Mariott hosted the Morristown Area Chamber of Commerce for a ribbon-cutting event at the hotel, located at 4363 Evan Green Plaza.

The hotel offers thoughtful amenities designed for both short- and extended- stays. Guests may start each morning with a complimentary hot breakfast, relax in the indoor pool, or unwind around the outdoor fire pits. The hotel also features Weber grills for outdoor cooking a 24-hour fitness center for convenient workouts anytime and spacious rooms equipped with full kitchens, making it easy to prepare meals and feel at home while traveling.

The hotel is located minutes from everything that Morristown has to offer and makes travel simple, comfortable and efficient.

TownePlace Suites by Mariott is operated by Gibson Hotels, based in Knoxville.

“A few weeks back, we got to come enjoy an open house here and what a beautiful facility it is,” Rhonda Sams, 2026 Chamber of Commerce Chairperson said. “For me in real estate, this is a great place for me to send people to in transition. If you haven’t seen the suites, they are amazing. They’re really nice.”

Gabe Davis, General Manager welcomed the crowd to TownePlace.

“This is a place with a lot of hours put in by a lot of folks over a lot of years, especially recently,” Davis said. “We were up last night to make sure everything was perfect.”

Davis said that the hotel has 89 rooms, an indoor pool and fitness center, King Suites and King Rooms.

“You’re going to find that Towne-Place Suites is a lot different from other brands you have that you attend just because here it’s a home away from home, even more so that what you generally expect,” he said. “You’ve got the kitchenettes in the rooms, stovetops, fridges, ideally everything you need to make your extended stay from home a good one. Not only that, this has its restaurant, Elevate, on site with a restaurant/bar open daily from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., of- fering (food) and drinks to enjoy after a long day’s work.”

Davis said that the hotel went through a selective process to get the folks who serve there now.

“That comes with support from both Gibson Management and the Patel partners. This is an amazing opportunity to be involved in the city of Morristown that is growing quickly. We’re so happy to be here,” Davis said.

Davis thanked the staff for putting in the long hours in getting the property ready for occupancy.

“Things are going very, very well for us,” Davis said. “We’ve had positive feedback from our guests.”

Mayor Gary Chesney spoke of the requirements of the property dating back several years.

“There are many of you who remember what was standing here about 11 or 12 years ago,” Chesney said. “This was potential swampland. There wasn’t much that could be done with it (at that time). The city located some engineers and people who knew how to manage underground water, reroute, stop and turn this in to a desirable place. In just about no time.

“We had Walmart to come in, State Route 66 built all the way to I-81 (Exit 4), State Route 160 and U.S. 25E. This became an easy place to get to in the city. The city decided to invest $34 million in a community center (Morristown Landing).

“When you’re a mayor, there’s no shortage of suggestions,” Chesney said. “Our location was among the top. We knew what was getting ready to happen, talking about the proximity between metropolitan areas of Knoxville and the Tri-Cities. We’re an easy place to visit. As The Landing, the eating and hotels have developed, this is what we’ve got today.”

Chesney faced a little bit of “criticism” when one asked “Why did you build The Landing so small?”

“Well, you can’t please everybody,” Chesney said. Chesney said that a quality name such as Mariott coming in adds to the quality of the Merchant’s Greene area.

“We understand what that means to attract folks here.” Chesney said. “We are Morristown and we outpunch our weight class.”

Morristown Area Chamber of Commerce Director of Tourism Ann Ross, who has served on the Tennessee Hospitality and Tourism Board, was excited when she learned that Gibson was going to manage the hotel.

“I can’t tell you how great it is to have another hotel in our arsenal,” Ross said. “I’m additionally pleased that when I heard that Gibson would be managing this hotel, I know the kind of ship that Michael Gibson runs. I’m thrilled. This is a great property. Gibson and Mariott is a really great marriage. I’m really looking forward to great things from this hotel.”

Ross said that there are more than 500 disc golfers in town right now for the disc golf tournament that begins Thursday. She said that several of them would be staying at the hotel due to its (close) walking distance to Morristown Landing, where check-in and other activities are.

“I look forward to a very long relationship with this hotel,” she said.

For reservations, call 423-690-7777.