The only 5 star hotel in Nashville Tennessee is the notorious and historical Hermitage Hotel, where we stayed for part of our trip to the magical musical city this past January. Imagine Southern hospitality and all of the comforts of home in the most decadent and exquisitely luxurious styled ambiance in the midst of downtown Nashville. Our experience was incredibly memorable, setting us back in time to the best of glorious old Nashville.
The hotel has been opened since 1910, so it’s heritage and style has been woven into the history of Nashville now for over 100 years. Below, the austere and beautifully designed lobby gives you a flavor of what you’ll experience when you walk through her doors.
Complete with vaulted stained glass ceilings and arches decorated with frescoes and intricate stonework, you enter the world of all things historic and all things southern. Rooms are traditional but elegantly so, and the bathrooms have been updated with modern amenities, as have the rooms — wifi, flat screen TV’s and lush pillows.
Below is the ceiling of the lobby.
More fine touches give you more of an idea of just how classic and traditional the Hermitage is throughout the property! While I love modern designed hotels that are well-curated and was a huge fan of the very modern Madison Hotel where we stayed in Memphis, I tend to lean towards classic, likely due to my New England upbringing and the fact that I lived in England for so many years.
Below, the outside of the hotel at night. (the above and below shot courtesy of the hotel website).
Below are a few samples of the Hermitage Hotel rooms to give you an idea of what to expect and the offerings you have at your disposal for booking purposes:
Below shot, courtesy of Hermitage Hotel, nearly identical to the room we had during our stay.
Above photo from 10Best.com.
We ate at its adjacent restaurant Capitol Grill twice while we were there and absolutely fell in love with the service, the food and our waiter Ian – a must restaurant stop when in Nashville! See our Nashville Restaurants foodie write-up, which includes an outstanding review of the Capitol Grill, where executive chef Tyler Brown creates elegant Southern dishes, all of which are beautifully presented. The adjacent Oak Bar, with its emerald-green club chairs and dark wood paneling, offers drinks before and after dinner and is a great place to relax.
Below, the Farm Salad, which is made with fresh beets, pine nuts and goat cheese.
While they had a lighter calorie and fat trout option on the menu, we went for the Lamb Shank served with sea island red peas, turnips, arugula and satsuma and the Painted Hills Short Rib, which they serve with Rye Berry, sunchoke, oyster mushrooms and shallots. OMG!!
The braised button mushrooms and roasted winter root vegetables were beautifully presented and oh so delicious. They also had a wide array of other interesting sides, such as Anson Mills grits with poached eggs and tomato gravy and brussels sprouts with bacon and maple sugar.
It’s worth noting that they take great care in choosing fresh, local and organic as much as possible. They get veggies from nearby Glenn Leven Farm which is farmed by their team at a historical revolutionary land tract four miles from the restaurant. They use their own Red Pole Scottish breed cattle (sustainably raised) for their beef. The lamb on the menu is from Porter Springs Virginia and Double H Farms is the Hermitage Hotel’s sustainable farming project.
Desserts at this conscious top notch restaurant you must put on your Nashville restaurant list, are equally decadent. Thanks to Ian for setting us straight. Could you say no to a Chocolate Pot de Creme, a French macaroon, salted chocolate crumble and passion fruit sorbet or a Coconut Cake made from cream cheese, blueberries and yuzu? No, I’m sure not, and nor could we.
They also offer a Caramel Cake with blood orange candy, anglaise, and ginger gelato, a White Chocolate Semifreddo, which they make with Myer Lemon marmalade, candied pecans, and white chocolate ice cream.
A perfect way to end a night is with one of their Tawny ports, which ranged from 20 years to 40 years old, or the Thomas Jefferson Reserve Madeira. They also offer a nice range of dessert wines and ciders from France, Austria, Canada and California to name a few.
A serious two thumbs up, an experience we’d gladly repeat. Like most 5 star hotels that continue to get rave reviews, the service was top notch. I don’t consistently find that 5 star properties are worth their weight in gold or have ongoing service that matches their rating — Hermitage Hotel exceeded expectations, from the oh so luxurious and small details in the rooms, lobby and the concierge to the quality of the restaurant and the on-site bellmen.
A huge call out to Steve, a Hermitage Hotel bellman who went above and beyond the call of duty by offering to send a package off for us when we realized one more box in our already over packed car wasn’t going to fit. Hats off to Steve for his incredible service and hand holding every step of the way, until we were on our way, loaded to the brim and all.
Details:
Hermitage Hotel
231 6th Avenue North
Nashville, TN 37219
(615) 244.3121
Note: we were hosted by the hotel during our stay but all opinions expressed are entirely our own.
Renee Blodgett is the Founder and Managing Editor of We Blog the World, a global travel, culture and lifestyle publication exploring the world through the lens of meaningful experiences, human connection and cultural depth. Having lived in 10 countries and traveled to 95, Renee has spent much of her life immersed in the people, traditions, landscapes and ideas that shape how we experience the world.
Since launching We Blog the World in 2007, she has written and produced extensive editorial coverage spanning boutique and luxury travel, culinary experiences, arts and culture, wellness, adventure, technology, spiritual traditions and transformative travel. Her work is rooted in the belief that travel is about more than where we go—it is also about what a place, culture or encounter awakens within us.
Renee brings more than three decades of experience across journalism, photography, media, brand strategy, technology, wellness and global storytelling. She has worked with companies and organizations around the world on brand positioning, communications, product launches, media strategy, speaker positioning and storytelling. Through Blue Soul Media, she works with authors, entrepreneurs, thought leaders and purpose-driven brands to clarify their message and expand their impact, which includes speaker coaching/training for high-profile stages such as TED and bringing authors’ work to market while retaining authors rights.
She is also the co-founder of Blue Soul Earth, an educational platform exploring consciousness, ancient wisdom, spirituality, healing and the intersection between science and the nature of reality. Renee is the producer and host of the award-winning Blue Soul CHATS, a conversational series bringing together leading voices in science, technology, consciousness, wellness and spirituality.
Her growing body of work also includes Blue Soul Living, which extends her interest in consciousness and well-being into the spaces we inhabit, exploring how intentional design, energy and environment can support greater harmony and connection.
Renee is the award-winning co-author of the bestselling Magdalene’s Journey and founder of the Magdalene Collection, inspired by women’s voices, stories and wisdom across cultures and generations.
A longtime photographer and storyteller, Renee has documented people, places and cultures around the world and produced photographic collections focused on destinations including the Galápagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome and Ecuador. She also co-founded Traveling Geeks, an international initiative that brought entrepreneurs, journalists, creators and technology leaders together with their counterparts in other countries to exchange ideas and explore innovation across cultures.
Renee’s work has been recognized by Forbes, the United Nations and others for her influence in media and social storytelling. Across her work in travel, media, consciousness and culture, a common thread remains: curiosity about the world, the stories that connect us and the ways meaningful experiences can change how we see ourselves and one another.
