Review: Kimpton Nashville – The Aertson

I’ve been on a real Nashville streak lately, and in the past 18 months have stayed at multiple properties in the city. I have been eager to try out the Kimpton to see how it compare, and I have to say, I enjoyed the stay and would come back. It’s in an entirely different part of town that I have stayed at before ( The Gulch and near Broadway ), and I’d love to return to the Kimpton Nashville when the weather is nice to fully enjoy Music Row and the wander around Vanderbilt University campus. I’ve had many friends go to Vandy and have never visited…and it’s right across the street from the Kimpton.

Other Nashville hotel reviews:

• The Thompson Nashville ( Hyatt )
• The Joseph Nashville ( Marriott Luxury Collection )
• The Hermitage ( Amex FHR )
• The Harpeth Hotel in Franklin, TN

Stay Details:

• When: November 2022
• Where: Nashville, TN
• Room: 408
• Status: IHG One Rewards Diamond Status
  • Free breakfast
  • Upgrade to Corner Premium
• Pet Policy: Pets allowed, no fee
• Secret Password: None, but soon after it was Cuddle is Real
• Parking: $42 valet

Kimpton is one of my favorite brands

Kimptons are all pet friendly and my wife and I have had the pleasure to stay at several Kimpton properties including:

• Kimpton Atlanta, Buckhead
• Kimpton Glasgow
• Kimpton London
• Kimpton Los Angeles, West Hollywood
• Kimpton Savannah

Booking the Kimpton Nashville

The hotel was pricing around $220 after taxes and fees or 36k IHG One Rewards points. I keep two IHG credit cards in my wallet: The IHG Rewards Select which is no longer available, and comes with a free annual night that must be redeemed at properties 40k and under, as well as the IHG Rewards Premier, which also comes with a free night, but allows you to add points to it in excess of 40k.

The Kimpton Nashville Aertson Location

The Kimpton Nashville is located near Music Row across from Vanderbilt University.

Check In

We arrived after the sun had set, around 7pm, and chose to valet park the car. We were pleasantly greeted at the front desk and told that we had been upgraded two categories to a corner premium room on the 4th floor. I had been targeted for several upgrade offers prior to our arrival, and if we were spending more time in the city, I’d have pulled the trigger on an $87 1 bedroom suite upgrade.

Our Room

Arriving at night meant we couldn’t enjoy all the sunlight the room had until the morning, and I’d say if the premium for these corner rooms is $20-$40 a night it’d be worth it to have the extra light and not as many shared walls.

I will say that Nashville is a party city, and the Kimpton has a more party vibe…and you can see it in some of the wear and tear on the room. Still in great shape, but it looked like someone had taped something up ( maybe a Bachelorette party sign? ) and ripped some of the paint off.

You can see the safe, views from day and night, and our King bed.

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The Bathroom

We had a large bathroom with a single vanity and a ton of space and was wheelchair accessible.

It also had a full tub with communal shower products and Frette robes

Dining

The hotel has a lobby restaurant name Henley which we went to for both dinner and breakfast.

It has a big beautiful bar, modern vibe, and I can imagine in peak season gets quite packed.

The old fashions and rolls were fantastic. The bartender added some smoke to my drink and the rolls are served with this addictive honey butter. We also had the baked brie which was quite good as well.

For main dishes, I ordered Chicken and Dumplings, my wife had the Trout, and both were just ok. I really wish that my dish was just straight up what you’re traditionally think of as chicken and dumplings instead of a modern twist.

We also had dessert which was on par with the bread and drinks – very good.

Diamond Breakfast

The next morning we took advantage of the free breakfast we selected at check-in. We both had coffee, juice, along with main dishes. I had the mushroom toast and my wife had chia seed pudding. Both were good, totaled $36, and were completely comped, including tip.

Here you can see the menu

Fitness Center and Pool

The fitness center is a little deceiving. From the hallway it appears to be absolutely massive as it stretches clear down the hall. However, once you enter, you’ll see that it is actually quite narrow and long. It has enough equipment to get a good work out in including a Peloton bike, but don’t expect the Bellagio gym.

The pool was under construction and the pool bar was closed during our visit in November. I can imagine this place gets popping in the summer and when the weather is warm and school is in session.

 

Overall

Would I return to the Kimpton Aertson and how does it rank compared to other properties? I absolutely would come back here – I’m intrigued about exploring a different area of Nashville, one that may be a bit less Times Squearish than the Broadway area, and the hotel was very nice. There are dates where you can book the Kimpton Nashville in the mid 20k range which is an absolute steal. Often you can buy IHG points for 1/2 cent meaning you could stay here sub $150 a night including taxes. WOW.