The Hermitage Hotel The grande dame
Downtown · $$$$
Photo: The Hermitage Hotel
Why it made the list: Nashville's grande dame, a 1910 Beaux-Arts landmark and the city's only five-star hotel, with a jaw-dropping lobby, the acclaimed Drusie & Darr restaurant (from Jean-Georges), and a famously ornate Art Deco men's room that's a tourist attraction in itself. Old-world glamour, impeccably restored.
Union Station Hotel Most historic
Downtown / Gulch edge · $$$
Photo: The Union Station Nashville Yards, Autograph Collection
Why it made the list: A magnificent 1900 Romanesque railroad station turned hotel, with a soaring barrel-vaulted lobby of stained glass, gold leaf and limestone. Staying (or just walking) beneath that historic train-shed ceiling is a genuine Nashville experience, and it's steps from the Gulch.
The Noelle Design darling
Downtown · $$$
Photo: Noelle
Why it made the list: A 1930s bank building reborn as a design-forward boutique hotel, a buzzy lobby with a coffee bar and makers' shop, the Rare Bird rooftop up top, and a hip, local-feeling scene. It's the stylish downtown pick, a block from Broadway but a world cooler.
The Bobby Hotel Most fun
Downtown · $$$
Photo: The Nash (Formerly Bobby Hotel Nashville)
Why it made the list: A playful, art-filled boutique hotel whose rooftop bar is famous for a restored vintage tour bus parked up top as a lounge, with skyline views. Quirky, social and central, it's the fun, design-forward option with one of the most distinctive rooftops in town.
1 Hotel Nashville Newest luxury
The Gulch · $$$$
Photo: 1 Hotel Nashville
Why it made the list: The eco-chic, nature-forward luxury brand's Gulch outpost, reclaimed wood, greenery everywhere, a serene spa-like feel, and the buzzy Harriet's rooftop up top. It's the polished, of-the-moment luxury stay, and the calmest-feeling of the new crop despite the lively rooftop.
⭐ Bonus Pick: The W & the Thompson for the New Guard
Two more of the new wave, both in the Gulch: the W Nashville, home to José Andrés's high-energy Butterfly rooftop, and the Thompson Nashville, whose L.A. Jackson rooftop is a local favorite. Both are destinations for a drink and a view even if you're bedding down somewhere else.
