When it comes to experiencing a destination, the top two items that will make or break your stay are food and accommodations. Everyone knows Nashville is crushing the culinary scene, but its hotel scene is bringing the heat just like its hot chicken!
After a long day of sight-seeing and bar hopping down Broadway, you’re gonna want a place to lay your head that matches the energy of your Nashville vacation (or staycation). Want something modern with a bit of an edge? How about a hotel that exudes sophistication? Or maybe you need an escape at a plush retreat on dozens of acres of Tennessee farmland. Whatever vibe you’re searching for, Music City is guaranteed to deliver.
Amid this boom of new builds, a handful of hotels have stood the test of time becoming true Nashville institutions. Here is your guide to Nashville’s top 10 iconic hotels, the ones with roots deep enough to outlast every trend, and stories worth experiencing at least once.
The Hermitage Hotel
Year Opened: 1910
Why it’s a Nashville Icon: Thanks to the hard work and determination of many local and national preservationists, the Hermitage Hotel remains Nashville’s most iconic and historic hotel. Named to the National Register of Historic Places in the 1970’s, The Hermitage Hotel definitely has a legacy and is in league all its own. Dazzling, opulent and sophisticated are just some of the words that come to mind even before entering its grand lobby. Stepping into one of their rooms feels like you have the key to the lap of luxury, every detail finely crafted just for you. And somehow, the staff have a way of figuring out just how to make each and every guests’ stay personal and memorable.
Notable Guests: Charlie Chaplin (1918), Vivien Leigh, best known for her role as Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind, and husband Lawrence Olivier (1940), Spencer Tracy (1941), Gloria Swanson (1953), Fess Parker, best known for his role as Hollywood’s Davy Crockett (1955), Bette Davis, and many more.
Historic Moment: The Hermitage Hotel was the headquarters for the Tennessee women’s suffrage movement from 1912 to 1920!
Union Station
Year Opened: Union Station debuted as Nashville’s epicenter of rail travel in 1900. After shuttering and falling into disrepair in the 1970’s, the building was saved and renovated, preserving the station’s historical character, and reopened its doors as The Union Station hotel in 1986.
Why It’s A Nashville Icon: Soaring barrel-vaulted lobby ceiling. 100-year-old Tiffany-styled stained glass. Marble floors. Oak-accented doors. Grand limestone fireplaces. Gold-accented angel figurines. These awe-inspiring Gothic features alone make it one of Nashville’s most iconic architectural landmarks, complete with turrets, towers and a grand station clock. Once a grand train hub and epicenter of American travel, today Union Station is a member of the Historic Hotels of America, continuing to deliver the grandeur of a bygone era and exceptional guest service. When you’re here, you are truly surrounded by history. The Union Station was also named “One of the Best Hotel Lobbies in the World” by Conde Nast Traveler. All the more reason to check it out for yourself!
Notable Passengers: Mae West (early 1900’s), Harry Houdini, Booker T. Washington, Charlie Chaplin, all passed through its doors on their way to perform at the Ryman Auditorium. Hundreds of World War II servicemen and women bought a ticket at Union Station, as the building acted as a major waypoint for those destined to fight in campaigns overseas. As far as today’s notable guests, Mum’s the word to respect privacy.
Historic Moment: Gangster Al Capone passed through Union Station as he was being transported to the U.S. Penitentiary in Atlanta, prior to being relocated to the notorious Alcatraz prison.
Gaylord Opryland
Year Opened: 1977 as “Opryland Hotel”
Why It’s A Nashville Icon: Not many hotels can brag about having river run through it, but Gaylord Opryland certainly can! Not only that, but the complex feels like a city in itself, with lampposts lining the walkways, restaurants and special shops around every corner, and beautiful balconies surrounding the grand piazza. The hotel’s architectural design mirrors that of the Governor’s Palace at Colonial Williamsburg, but the inside points more toward grand southern plantation architecture. It’s like stepping into a fantasyland where the New Orleans French Quarter meets Louisiana’s Mississippi River plantations. The addition of their indoor water park, SoundWaves, in 2018 definitely made it a destination for locals, offering discounted admission for residents.
Notable Guests: George and Barbara Bush, Minnie Pearl, Taylor Swift, Kim Kardashian and more!
Historic Moment: In May 2010, Nashville experienced a major flood with torrential rains causing the Cumberland River to swell dramatically submerging parts of the hotel under 10-19 feet of water. The flooding forced a historic months-long closure. The iconic hotel underwent extensive restoration before triumphantly reopening later that same year.
Dolly Parton’s Songteller Hotel
Year Opened: 2026
Why It’s A Nashville Icon: Let’s be honest. As soon as the doors to the Songteller Hotel opened it had instant icon cred. We don’t even have to step foot inside to know it meets all of the requirements: chic, sophisticated, and pink! Dolly herself was a true icon and a timeless treasure, so this hotel automatically tops our list of iconic Nashville hotels you need to try. Her classic songwriting tapestry and sweet spirit are woven into every room. The hotel is home to two intimate music venues, a cafe and Dolly’s Life of Many Color Museum celebrating her life, spanning every decade of her dynamic career and most personal memories through the eyes of Dolly herself. This hotel is truly original, just like Miss Dolly.
Historic Moment: Shortly after her passing in, the hotel held its grand opening – the perfect gift to show Nashville’s love to the original “Backwoods Barbie.”
Noelle
Year Opened: The original Noel Hotel opened in 1930. Its reimagined version, Noelle Nashville, opened in 2018.
Why It’s A Nashville Icon: Noel Hotel was one of Nashville’s first luxury hotels to open in the early 1900’s. Today, Noelle continues to stake its claim as one of Nashville’s luxury hotel with Art Deco roots and still resides on historic Printers Alley, a cultural epicenter of the Nashville community. This hotel was designed in partnership with dozens of Nashville-based artists, designers and makers to create exclusive products and signature experiences. Among the rooms and corridors you will find featured works of Nashvillians past and present who made remarkable strides in Nashville’s cultural and artistic scenes, like printing, architecture, activism, and even burlesque dancing!
Notable Guests: Eleanor Roosevelt, Babe Ruth, Roy Rogers, and Jayne Mansfield.
Historic Moment: At the time Noel Hotel was built, it was the tallest building in Nashville and was promoted as Nashville’s “Smartest Hotel” boasting state-of-the-art technologies for that time period. Noel Hotel opened on January 6, 1930 at a time when downtown Nashville was experiencing a boom with new hotels and department stores on nearly every corner. [https://www.noelle-nashville.com]
Southall Farm and Inn
Year Opened: 2022
Why It’s A Nashville Icon: We all have #goals to one day stay at the exclusive (and famously expensive) Blackberry Farm resort in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. But if you’re still saving up, like me, and want a taste of a luxurious, southern countryside escape, book a weekend at Southall Farm & Inn. Situated in Leiper’s Fork, Tennessee, Nashville’s picturesque rural southern neighbor, Southall sits on 325 acres of agricultural fields, orchards, and green space as far as the eye can see. You have your choice of guest rooms, suites, and private cottages, each offering a sense of luxury and bespoke character. You also have your choice of resort activities including farm tours, beekeeper tours, sound baths, yoga, kayaking, Pilates and spa services.
Notable Guests: Kirk Cameron, Kix Brooks, Matthew McConaughey and many more.
Historic Moment: Southall’s operating philosophy is farm first, luxury resort second with a mission to create a sustainable sanctuary rooted in the healing powers of the earth. All are welcome and encouraged to find rest and renewal.
Urban Cowboy
Year Opened: Housed in an 1800’s Queen Anne Victorian Mansion. Hotel opened in 2016.
Why It’s a Nashville Icon: If you’re a fan of Yellowstone, or any of the Dutton Ranch men or women, consider Urban Cowboy your personal gateway into their world. The hotel drips with that hard-edge, yet laid-back lifestyle of cowboy culture and is probably one of Nashville’s sexiest hotels thanks to its dark, moody vibe and strict 21+ guest age policy. The East Nashville mansion has been carefully curated, inside and out, and each of the 8 custom-designed suites tells its own unique story through its custom furniture, clawfoot tubs, textiles and colors. While it may be young, this hotel already earns icon status for its Michelin Star wood-fired pizzas, award-winning Public House cocktails, live music offerings, and its homage to all the Nashville cowboys and outlaws, past and present.
Notable Guests: Lynyrd Skynyrd’s keyboardist made an appearance once, playing “Sweet Home Alabama” much to the delight of the other guests.
Historic Moment: The original mansion was built around 1890 and was owned by a prominent local doctor who ran the practice out of the home.
Which timeless icon have you experienced? Tell us about it in the comments below!
