Hi!

I want to spend one night in Ashville, NC before exploring Smoky Mountain NP. I'd like a nice hotel in the center of town where I can walk to stores and restaurants. Any suggestions?

I held a workshop at the Marriott Renaissance in Ashville last summer. The location was great - plenty of restaurants and shops within a few blocks of the hotel. We all walked everywhere.

We're booked for three nights at Hyatt Place downtown. Not sure, but hoping it's convenient.

The AC Hotel just opened recently and it seems very nice. Aloft on Biltmore Avenue would also be a good choice. Both of these are downtown and close to everything. Asheville is such a small, walkable city that it doesn't really matter where you are.

NeoPatrick, the Hyatt Place is a little farther out, but still easy to walk everywhere and perhaps much more quiet than the ones downtown. And their Montford Rooftop Bar is a lovely space.

Asheville Downtown Lifestyle Hotels | AC Hotel Asheville Downtown

http://www.aloftashevilledowntown.com

Lily, that's funny. I had seen a link to the Montford and looked at it and thought it was nice, but never realized it's actually atop our hotel. Nice. We're doing a 10 day road trip with ALL free hotels (mostly Hyatts), so that's the reason we'll be staying at Hyatt Place. I'm thinking we should request a room facing "downtown" as that might be quieter than the ones practically perched over the highway?

Patrick, I think it's definitely wise to try to get a room facing as far away from the expressway as possible. I can imagine that those rooms could get quite a lot of noise. The hotel is otherwise in a relatively quiet area compared to the other two that I suggested (Aloft and AC). Downtown can get pretty busy late at night, especially on weekends. I hope that you have a lovely time here!