The Hermitage Hotel

Nashville is chock full of luxury hotels that offer fine rooms, rooftop pools, cool bar scenes and close proximity to Broadway, The Gulch, and Vanderbilt University.  The city is spoiled for options, but none of them are like The Hermitage.  The Hermitage transports its guests to a bygone era of gilded frescos, stained glass ceilings, rich mahogany, and ice-stamped Old Fashioneds. The Hermitage was built in 1910, has hosted multiple Presidents, and even closed from 1977 to 1981. It’s currently the only AAA 5 diamond hotel and Forbes 5 star hotel in Nashville, and I’ve now stayed in the property twice within the past year, using the $200 hotel credit for Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts on both occasions.

I thought it’d be worth updating my review since I recently celebrated my anniversary in a renovated room, dined at the Jean-Georges Drusie & Darr restaurant in the basement, and enjoyed some coffee at the Pink Hermit. It was the perfect getaway and a surprise to boot!

I would 100% stay again in a heartbeat and loved the attentive staff and old school charm. Between the two stays I’ve enjoyed thus far, going at Christmas is my favorite.

First Impression:

The Hotel’s exterior exudes the same grandeur as the interior. I was promptly greeted by a valet and escorted into the hotel with some bag assistance. Look at the grand entrance staircase that frame the stain glassed ceiling.

Booking Details

• When: December 2021
  • Revisit August 2022
• Where: Nashville
• Room 1: Deluxe 2 Queen
• Room 2: Grand King Deluxe, Capitol View
• Booked with: American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts
  • $100 hotel credit
  • Breakfast – $60 credit
  • 4pm late checkout
  • 12pm checkin when available

Location:

The Hermitage is in the Arts District, just around the corner from both the Gulch and Broadway.

How you could use points to stay at The Hermitage

The Hermitage is a member of Preferred Hotels, and Preferred Hotels are a partner of Choice Hotels. Choice is a transfer partner of several programs:

• American Express – 1:1
• Citi Thank You – 1:2
• Capital One – 1:1

Citi Thank You is by far the best transfer partner since you can convert 1000 of their points into 2000 Choice Hotel points. The Hermitage currently clocks in at 55k points per night when award stays are available.

The Citi Thank You Premier is the most underrated card in the marketplace offering

• 3x Travel
• 3x Gas
• 3x Dining
• 3x Supermarkets

Citi Thank You Premier 

We used a $200 credit via Amex Platinum Fine Hotels and Resorts

American Express Platinum offers an annual $200 Hotel credit when you pre-book a Fine Hotels and Resorts property or The Hotel Collection property. One thing to keep in mind is that you need to spend 2 nights at The Hotel Collection for the benefits to trigger and when you pre-book via FHR or THC you usually don’t earn elite nights.

There are 3 Fine Hotels and Resorts properties in Nashville

• The Joseph – Marriott
• The Thompson – Hyatt
• The Hermitage Hotel – Preferred Hotels ( partner of Choice )

I had the distinct pleasure of staying at The Joseph for my bachelor party earlier this year so my buddy and I wanted something a little different. The Hermitage was a perfect juxtaposition to the modern luxury of The Joseph and gave us an entirely different experience. You can see the frescoed lobby decorated for Christmas below.

Arrival and Check-in

I arrived about 15 minutes before my buddy who made the booking and went ahead and checked in. It was quick, charming, and the Fine Hotels and Resorts benefits were explained. Additionally, when I got into the room I found a floor fan and extra pillows had been placed in the room.

The hotel is simply grand. From the moment you ascend the staircase and see the Christmas decorations, you know you’re in for a treat. It has the same feel as the Drake in Chicago, The Palace in San Fran, the Waldorf or Plaza in NYC, and to our surprise, was very empty.

My Second stay

The service did not disappoint with multiple valets assisting me with luggage and umbrellas when a rain shower hit.  The main difference this time was that the hotel was very busy unlike my first stay at the property. I arrived around 2pm thinking it wouldn’t be a problem checking in a bit early. I was given a choice: keep my upgraded king deluxe room with a capitol view, or get a two queen room right then and there. Since my wife and I were celebrating our anniversary, I opted to hang out in the lobby a bit until the upgraded room was available.

It’s a gorgeous lobby that was setup for Afternoon Tea

The Room Stay 1:

We didn’t receive an upgrade due to no inventory being available…I’m not really sure this was true as higher category room and suites were available, and the hotel seemed very empty. I think one of the issues may have been that we booked a room with 2 beds and the higher category rooms were King bedded, but it wasn’t discussed. Not that it really mattered, we spent most of our time in the lobby and Morton’s around the corner, but an upgrade on arrival is a FHR perk when available.

Our room rate was $390 + taxes and fees. Not a cheap hotel and I’d say that the rooms are in need of an update. They’re clean, well maintained, and were certainly luxurious 15 to 20 years ago, but when compared to other luxury hotels at a similar price point, they seem quite dated.

One thing I will note is the size of the room was very good, almost 500 square feet.

A desk that came with custom stationery and Nespresso pods

The Bathroom offered a separate shower with outstanding pressure, Molton Brown products, a deep soaker tub, and dual vanity.

The Room Stay 2

The updated room has a much fresher feel, and staying in a corner room with a capitol view is well worth the wait.

The bathroom has an updated feel as well

Dining

On our first visit we enjoyed a $60 breakfast credit at the Veranda as a courtesy of FHR. We had complimentary coffee and the credit was enough for me to have an omelette and Dave enjoy avocado toast and a fruit bowl.

The Jean Georges restaurant, Drusie and Darr

We celebrated our anniversary with a stunning dinner that we charged to the room. Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts offers a $100 dining credit so this was a perfect way to use it up.

The vibe of Drusie and Darr is Tennessee catacomb chic. Dusty pinks, arched ceilings, subtle grays, blacks with mood lighting.

The food was absolutely fantastic and even if not staying at the property, I’d highly recommend trying out if you’re in town. We not only had dinner at the restaurant, but the next day breakfast was served here as well. Personally, I prefer the veranda for breakfast, but there was a wedding at the hotel and they were occupying it.

Pink Hermit

Guests get free coffee here during their stay which is great, and my wife enjoyed an oat milk latte. They have a nice selection of pastries and if you’re not looking for a sit down breakfast, you could charge this to the room and offset your dining credit as well.

Fitness Center

It appears that the fitness center has been recently updated and provides peloton bikes as well as treadmills and a small selection of free weights.

Overall:

If you’re looking for attention to detail, luxury, and a quiet refuge from the raucous of broadway…this is your place. There are so many great hotel options in Nashville, but where many a stay could potentially blend together, the historic Hermitage stands out as an ode to classic luxury.

Free coffee in the morning: