What is an anchor hotel?

Bill Brewer has a great piece in the KNS today about Sevierville's new convention center, and the competition it gives to Knoxville and Gatlinburg. Now, I had no idea Sevierville had such a great plan, or what a fantastic facility they've built. Really, if I were an event planner I'd probably go to Sevierville. But something Bill mentions is the lack of an "anchor" hotel. What is that? The Holiday Inn isn't an anchor? It's right next door! Doug McDaniel mentions an anchor hotel in Montgomery and points to their efforts to revitalize a portion of the town...

Unfortunately I'm not a town planner, and I've no idea what qualifies as an anchor hotel. My educated guess is proximity and capacty define this. Not sure how we have all these hotels downtown but none qualify as "anchors" apart or together...

Anyway, back to Sevierville, and the competition from there and Gatlinburg, and where Knoxville's convention center fits in. I see Sevierville as a nice mountain retreat. With the proposed golf courses and other ameneties it is certainly a compelling resort atmosphere. However, as someone who has seen corporate retreats become nothing but golf vacations, it might not be the place to "get things done."

Gatlinburg's convention center isn't really a competitor, in my opinion. Talk about no anchor hotel! What, that one up on top of the mountain? And isn't Gatlinburg a little hillbilly for most conventions? Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I'm not seeing Gatlinburg fit into the grand scheme of things-- not with Sevierville's expanded offerings.

Which brings us back to downtown Knoxville. What we offer is a more cosmopolitan setting in the mountains of East TN. Not as idyllic as Sevierville, to be sure, and not as "redneck Riviera" as Gatlinburg, but more like a city in the mountains. Think about what we've got downtown. Nama and World Grotto come instantly to mind. Those two places are as nice as anything you'll find in Manhattan. The Sunsphere, our town's trademark landmark, is now open. UT provides a continuous stream of activities (though designed for students, I never understood why more folks don't avail themselves of these). And all those theaters, and now a movie venue!

What is lacking isn't so much stuff but the coordination and promotion of stuff. Wouldn't it be nice to have these hotspots or events highlighted in the convention center? In business, much of what defines success is in your ability to execute on a plan-- the coordination of disparate divisions working in concert towards a greater goal. What Knoxville needs now is a way to connect the dots. A way to put everything together on a sort of menu for the out-of-towners to pick and enjoy and digest.

Because if you put it all together, we'll beat Sevierville and Gatlinburg hands-down. Not on everything, but in the market where we find ouselves: a pleasant city in the hills.