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With the fanfare of a world premiere, which it was, LivSmart Studios by Hilton opened last Thursday with a major celebration. Think marching bands, smartly-dressed waiters with hors d’ oeuvres on fancy trays and large white tents on the property. 

Although the property opened to guest July 8th, the celebration and grand opening was held Thursday, Aug. 14. The property is located at 251 William Northern Blvd.

LivSmart Studios is Hilton’s 24th brand and their third in the extended-stay category. The LivSmart Studio brand focuses on longer stays with modern amenities at a slightly lower price point.

Other brands under the Hilton umbrella include Doubletree, Embassy Suites and Hilton Garden Inn. The Hilton brands comprise over 6,000 hotels in the U.S.

The LivSmart brand is geared to the long-term traveler like travel nurses and construction workers. The rooms are designed to feel homey and comfortable. There is a full kitchen with stocked with cookware by Made in Cookware provided. The fitness gym features Peloton equipment. The studios offer apartment-style living with each offering four distinct zones to rest, work, cook and refresh. There is also a spacious outdoor gathering area which includes a fire pit, grill and comfortable seating.

A contingent from the Tennessee State University marching band enthusiastically welcomed over 200 guests into the large white tent.  In addition to local guests, other guests included existing Hilton hotel owners from around the region, management company representatives, and Hilton leadership.

Allegra DeMelo, a LivSmart brand manager, greeted the crowd by announcing, “Welcome to the world’s first LivSmart by Hilton, right here in Tullahoma!”

Hiren Desai, the owner of the property, thanked the city government by announcing, “I wish all jurisdictions we work in were like Tullahoma.  We thank the community for welcoming us with open arms.  At the end of the day, we are all in the hospitality business.  This is a new chapter in long-term stay hospitality.  We are building the brand from the ground up, starting in Tullahoma.”

The next speaker, Beau Benton, President of LBA Hospitality, said to the enthusiastic crowd, “When you deal with Hilton, you know it’s done right.  Hilton is first class.”

Later he added, “Everything on this property is intentional. These things don’t just happen. I don’t know how big the LivSmart Brand is going to be, but it’s going to be big and it started right here in Tullahoma.”

City Administrator Jason Quick represented Mayor Sebourn, who was out of town. In prepared remarks by the mayor, Mr. Quick said, “We are honored you chose our city for your first LivSmart location. LivSmart will be an important addition to our city and will provide much-needed accommodations to our growing business community.  It has been a pleasure to see such an attractive facility come to life in a key location in Tullahoma.”

Mr. Quick later commented, “This is who Tullahoma is and what we were always meant to be.”

Tullahoma Area Chamber of Commerce President, James Fuller, closed the festivities by announcing to the crowd, “It’s a great day to be in Tullahoma.”

During a tour, LivSmart Brand Manager Isaac Lake said, “I’ve sweated every detail about this property for the past three years of my life. This is the right product at the right time for Tullahoma. Everyone has been incredibly welcoming to us. Just good old fashion southern hospitality.”

“Trent White, GM of the Tullahoma property, said LivSmart would employ 12 individuals. He said, “Guests love the new concept and how spacious and well-designed our studios are. We create simplicity at LivSmart Studios, from the full kitchens to the extra storage space, all thoughtfully designed around the longer-stay guest.”

According to the Tullahoma Planning Department, when the building plans were submitted to the city in September 2024, the project had a valuation of $8,426,458.

Entertainment was provided by Darin Jones and The Last Men Standing.

The consensus among celebration attendees is the landscape along Tullahoma’s second busiest road corridor has changed considerably with the addition of the world’s first LivSmart by Hilton hotel.