USA, Bristol, Virginia. July 13, 2020

Leading interior design, branding, and procurement firm, Interior Image Group (IIG) is proud to announce the unveiling of The Sessions Hotel, a renovated property that offers guests an immersive journey into the birthplace of music's creative culture. Part of Marriott International's Tribute Portfolio, the hotel, which initially consisted of three separate buildings-a grain mill, a candy factory, and a grocery building-was transformed by IIG into one cohesive, 70-room boutique hotel that honors the property's storied past.

The award-winning firm was responsible for both the design and procurement for the 78,000-square-foot boutique hotel's guestrooms, corridors, and main lobby. To provide travelers and locals with a grand arrival and lasting first impression, the IIG team created an eclectic design concept that mixes modern and retro themes with traditional and industrial elements, all while incorporating and celebrating the property's rich historical roots. For example, the lobby showcases a working Victrola vintage record player and a gramophone art feature at the front desk to introduce the retro scheme upon entering the hotel. To honor the building's unique history, IIG exposed and restored original materials including oak wood flooring, bricks, wood beams, and an original grain silo, complementing them with touchpoints that remind guests of the recording sessions that took place long ago and the many functions each of the three buildings once served.

Sessions Hotel features 70 appointed guestrooms comprising eight room types-a King Standard, Queen Standard, Double Queen Standard, Queen Studio, Mill Suite, King Junior Suite, Double Queen Junior Suite, and a Presidential Grand Suite. Features include luxurious Kingsdown mattresses, Gilchrist and Soames linens, Northern Feather pillows, Boca Terry bathrobes, Molton Brown toiletries, Victrola bluetooth radio and vinyl players (upon request), and pet-friendly accommodations. Guests can unlayer a plethora of custom details in their rooms that pay tribute to the property's past life, including the IIG-designed accent pillows that showcase vintage cornmeal grain sacks as well as recipes taken from the original bags used in the Simply Grand grain mill. The design team also selected denim from the LC King Denim Factory and wove it into the rooms' casegoods to further call attention to the hotel's historical narrative.

"When it came to designing The Sessions Hotel, we wanted to make sure we included as many of the historical characteristics that tie back to Bristol and the origin of the space as possible," said Patti Tritschler, CEO of Interior Image Group (IIG). "Guests can experience this throughout the hotel, specifically in the guestrooms where we really put emphasis on incorporating the building's past life into this modern hotel."

IIG also placed a heavy emphasis on engaging the local community-everyone from craftsmen to artists and manufacturers in order to further the heritage of the site. The design firm incorporated local artist Moon Bound Girl to curate original artwork that hangs over the beds and depict the original Sessions Recordings musicians. IIG also transformed vintage microphones into lighting pendants, which suspend over a hospitality unit inspired by a vintage record player cabinet. Other custom elements in the guestrooms include LP Labels that act as the room numbers and signage that highlights record labels from the 79 recordings made during the 1929 Bristol Recording Sessions, showcasing a musician or musical group along with song lyrics that are used as the artwork, unique to each and every guestroom in the hotel.

The Sessions Hotel also offers one-of-a-kind entertainment options, including Simply Grand, the event space housed in a historic Mill, complete with a music venue with an expansive stage and outdoor music lawn, full bar area, and private outdoor dining space-perfect to host private music events, cocktail parties, meetings, weddings and more. Guests can also pamper themselves in the Vision Day Spa and Salon or dine, unwind, and grab a cocktail in one of the two on-site eateries-Southern Craft Restaurant and a Rooftop Bar & Lounge.

The Sessions Hotel is located within a four-state region (Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, Kentucky) at 833 State Street in Bristol, Virginia, just off Route I-81. Guests are able to explore the artistic and cultural scene of historic Downtown Bristol within steps of The Sessions Hotel on State Street. Some of these attractions include the Birthplace of Country Music Museum, the Paramount Center for the Performing Arts, Bristol Motor Speedway, and Bristol Rhythm and Roots.

For additional information, or to make a reservation, please call (276-285-5040), or visit their website.