Incredible building with a few caveats
by TripAdvisor Member burlyb
Booked through Expedia for a business trip to Nashville.
The building is amazing and almost all of the rooms have been renovated by now. The main floor banquet, bar/restraunt and all areas below lobby level are still under construction. OSHA would have a field day in this place as the renovation is unprotected and features random areas of partially removed carpet (on stair treads!).
Renovated rooms are great. The decorating and features of the rooms are top notch with a marble topped vanity, classic tile, lcd tv and mod linens/fabrics - and the beds are fantastic.
Great location - within walking distance of the tourist areas. No parking whatsoever. Expect to shell out $17/day for valet.
If you any option, stay away from room 713 (and all of the rooms on the railroad side). Some rooms on the 7th floor are within the roof structure and feature tall windows within the dormers, but above 713 lie the airhandling equipment. My room vibrated and was about as quiet as a room in a boxcar (or maybe that was a halucination from the adjacent train tracks.
As earlier reviewers mentioned, the railroad tracks are very active, although thankfully, not all night long. Expect a 6am wakeup as a 4 engine freight train powers up to speed.
More good news arrived as I proceeded to check out. The desk clerk tried to charge me a different rate than what I booked for, but only after overriding the stubborn computer and manually writing the new bill. Then she sprung the whopper and told me that I was smoking in my room and would have to pay a $250 fine. Now, since I've never smoked a cigarette in my life, I offered to split open my chest and let her have a look at my nubile, tar-free lungs. She volleyed back and asked me if I was sure that noone else was smoking in my room - possibly alluding to a hooker or my imaginary friend. She said that "this is what security reported to me" and eventually relented. All this fun stuff allowed me to recreate a scene from "The Fast and the Furious" to catch my flight on time.
So, yeah, to again borrow from an earlier reviewer, the staff is "aloof" (except the valet - who was friendly and helpful). I anticipate that once complete, there will be a staff makeover and rates will be jacked. Just pray for a room not on the tracks.
Beware Construction
by TripAdvisor Member Scarlet46
This is a gorgeous building that is undertaking a major renovation. All the restaurants and shops are closed down. There are workers galore and lots of sheetrock dust. It seems the hotel could let you know that they only have 2 floors open for stays and that the service will be very slow. You have to order an expensive room service breakfast to eat in the morning as there is nothing in the area to go to. The front desk was not very pleasant. Even the elevator was scarred and scratched. The rooms have been redone where we stayed. They looked pretty good except for the stains on the walls and maid service was not so hot. Someone needs to tell them to add an exhaust fan in the bathroom and use scrubable paint or this place will go down hill fast. It is located near downtown Nashville and right off the freeway which was plus though.
Don't believe the renovation story!
by TripAdvisor Member Gsand1956
The renovations are not complete,whole floors do not have carpet.Our room was cold due to single pane glass window. Water sprayed out under the glass shower door because of not having a rubber seal. Hotel is next to several rail lines and trains are very noisy. Sixty-five foot atrium is beautiful but that 's the only thing good about this hotel.Not worth the price yet.
Visit The Building And Stay Somewhere Else
by TripAdvisor Member glrbob
The Good Stuff: Beautiful building, comfortable bed, friendly staff. The Bad: Unable to sleep for the 3 nights I was there due to the multiple train tracks just next to the hotel. It was EXHAUSTING. I was there with a group of staff and we were all walking around like a bunch of zombies from lack of sleep. They are also in the middle of renovations. Unless you can sleep through train horns, rumbling train tracks and saws and hammers...Stay somewhere else and visit the beautiful, historic building on a day trip.
Wonderful
by TripAdvisor Member timmyc328
This hotel is beautiful. Albiet the renovations are not complete. I did not find this to be a hinderance to my stay. THe hotel staff is extremely hospitable. The room was wonderful, the views are not that great, but do to the location it is not a hotel that offers great views of the city. OUr room was on the traintrack side of the building. I did not once wake up due to the sounds of trains. Knowing the histry of the hotel, you should expect it to be in very close proximity to train tracks.
The rooms have been renovated, and are clean, and very very well decorated. I was impressed by the huge plasma televsion and dream like bed. The valet was also very helpful, I am a smoker and the entire hotel is non-smoking, so i spent alot of time on the veranda with the valet. Overall, I highly recomend this hotel to anyone staying in Nashville.
