Since 2017, Nashville has added about 6,000 rooms to its ever-growing supply, according to the city’s tourism bureau. The first wave of development centered on the adaptive reuse of abandoned office buildings and the renovation and rebranding of tired properties. Now a second wave, coming online through 2022, is turning its focus on new construction.
Among those is the 236-room Four Seasons in the SoBro neighborhood, with design by West Palm Beach firm Marzipan and architecture from SCB, and the 237-room Conrad Nashville. Opening as part of the mixed-use Broadwest development in the city’s Midtown area, New York-based Champalimaud is charged with the interiors while Cooper Carry is handling the architecture.
The Gulch neighborhood remains a buzzy destination thanks to the launch of the Parts and Labor-designed Thompson Nashville in 2016. Joining the chic property is the upcoming 346-room W Nashville from New York-based Rockwell Group in a high rise by Dallas firm HKS Architects and the 280-room EDITION, the handiwork of New York’s INC Architecture & Design and local firm ESA.
Graduate Nashville
A hook rug portrait of Minnie Pearl welcomes guests to the Graduate Nashville
Located near Vanderbilt University in Midtown, the 205-room property reflects the brand’s hallmark quirky, locally driven style. “Throughout the hotel, guests will experience an evolution of playful scripts and stunning backdrops that speak to the design’s protagonist,” says Krissy Melendez, Graduate’s senior concept director. The fictional character, a country music artist on the rise, provided inspiration for the feminine, retro aesthetic that includes a palette of floral patterns and pink hues.
The in-house design team embraced Music City’s history with nods to female country legends, starting in the reception area where a poppy hook rug portrait of Grand Ole Opry comedian Minnie Pearl is the eye-catching backdrop to a reception desk that recalls a stereo console. The 9 to 5 suite, meanwhile, honors the Dolly Parton movie of the same name with elements like a waterbed, mirrored ceilings, and a bubble-gum hued shag rug. Nostalgia is further emphasized with the vintage 1950s “50 Beautiful Units” motel sign that hangs in the lobby. “Seeing it glow at night is especially mesmerizing,” Melendez adds.
Moxy Nashville Vanderbilt
The Moxy Nashville Vanderbilt features a rich palette with industrial detailing
Following a downtown location that opened last year, the 130-room Moxy in the Hillsboro Village neighborhood is the brand’s second property in the city. Local firm Manuel Zeitlin Architects collaborated with Memphis-based Bounds & Gillespie Architects on a design that “focuses on the other facets of the city that make it thrive,” including the F&B and fashion scenes and proximity to Vanderbilt and Belmont universities, says project architect Kristen Newton, co-owner of Manuel Zeitlin. A rich red and blue palette, felt wallcoverings, and walnut paneling establish a salon-like feel. Metal elements hew to Moxy’s industrial design mandate while still acknowledging the city’s warehouse architecture.
Virgin Hotels Nashville
The dramatic staircase leads to the Commons Club at the Virgin Hotels Nashville, shown in a rendering
Nearby on Music Row, the 262-key Virgin Hotels Nashville will reveal a design from Atlanta firm BLUR Workshop and Brooklyn, New York-based MARKZEFF when it opens this summer. Founder Mark Zeff says the design brief emphasized a “forward-thinking, lighthearted, and irreverent” vibe for which the firm designed more than 500 pieces of custom furniture and lighting. Anchoring the property is the brand’s signature Commons Club, which will evoke a members-only experience with curated programming, including an art series that features works from artists like John Peralta, whose installation of four instruments is arranged like an exploded diagram above the front desk. “Every component from each instrument floats apart from the next creating a surreal experience,” explains Virgin Hotels’ CEO Raul Leal.
The Joseph
An inviting seating nook in the Joseph, shown in a rendering
Art-driven interiors are also central to the Joseph, Nashville’s first Marriott Luxury Collection property. Opening this fall in a building designed by Miami’s Arquitectonica, the public spaces and 297 rooms will draw from the “art and Old World Italian family values of developers the Pizzuti family, along with the sophisticated but casual vibe of Nashville itself,” says Adam Rolston, partner at INC Architecture & Design. The art collection will be set against a serene background, while tooled saddle leather, marquetry patterns, and floral embroidery inspired by the rhinestone-studded Nudie suits worn by country stars, including Roy Rogers and Elvis Presley, reference local traditions.
Photos and renderings courtesy of Virgin Hotels, Andrea Behrends, and INC Architecture and Design
This article originally appeared in HD’s June 2020 issue.
