Uptown’s newest hotel opened this week in Second Ward.

The 250-room Embassy Suites hotel is located on E. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard across the street from NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Beyond standard amenities for overnight guests — like an indoor saltwater pool and fitness center — some property features will be a draw for locals too, including a swanky lobby bar and a forthcoming Japanese fusion restaurant.

The QC Lounge is a gorgeous bar in a soaring atrium with floor-to-ceiling windows.

The wide open airiness is countered by cozy nooks and lounge seating that create an option for a more intimate setting.

I want to live inside those dramatic light up marble bar nooks (second photo below).

Suki Akor, the hotel’s on-site Japanese steakhouse and sushi bar, will open later this year.

Read Jason’s 2016 write up about what to expect at Suki Akor here.

The second-story “Meck Deck” terrace also has potential but isn’t nearly as thrilling as I wanted it to be.

Assuming bar and restaurant guests are free to wander upstairs to this outdoor terrace near the pool and conference rooms, it’s a pretty cool hangout with nice views of NASCAR Plaza and the Duke Building. But it’s not the dramatic rooftop destination I mistakenly expected.