Note: If you’re looking for our most recent recommendations, check out the 2023 list of our favorite hotels in Nashville.
Welcome to Music City, home of the Grand Ole Opry, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, and the Honky Tonk Highway. Nashville is a nonstop party, with live music found in the city’s many bars and venues every day of the year. But there’s more to the city than its impressive musical legacy. Chow down on Nashville hot chicken and barbecue, shop for cowboy boots, check out the local arts scene, and spot a full-scale replica of the Parthenon in Centennial Park. For the first time this year, we’re sharing the best hotels in Nashville according to Travel + Leisure readers, so you can start planning your trip to the Tennessee state capital.
Every year for our World’s Best Awards survey, T+L asks readers to weigh in on travel experiences around the globe — to share their opinions on the top hotels, resorts, cities, islands, cruise ships, spas, airlines, and more. Hotels (including safari lodges) were rated on their facilities, location, service, food, and overall value. Properties were classified as city hotel, resort, or safari lodge based on their locations and amenities.
This year’s list includes historic properties like the Hermitage Hotel (No. 2), where U.S. presidents and country music legends have stayed throughout the years, and modern properties like Hutton Hotel (No. 5), which has a vinyl library and live music venue, Analog. Nashville is known for its nightlife, and several readers complimented the bars at Noelle (No. 3), including the rooftop bar, while another said that it’s a “unique and culturally historic hotel with a story you can feel.” One reader commended the atmosphere and dining at Dream Nashville (No. 4), which has six dining and nightlife outlets: “The vibe at Dream Nashville is hard to beat. Love the bottomless brunch on Saturdays!”
These are the best hotels in Nashville, according to T+L readers, starting with this year’s top property, the Joseph.
Related: T+L’s Review of The Joseph, a Luxury Collection Hotel, in Nashville
1. The Joseph, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Nashville
The Joseph offers 297 guest rooms — including an expansive Presidential Suite with a Steinway piano and a marble bar with seating for eight — plus a luxury full-service spa on the 21st floor. Yolan, an Italian fine-dining restaurant directed by James Beard Award winner Tony Mantuano, offers multicourse tasting menus inspired by Puglia, Italy, and the rooftop bar, Denim, serves up cocktails and bites with a view of the city. Located in SoBro (south of Broadway), the hotel is just a short walk from some of the city’s top attractions, including the Bridgestone Arena and Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum.
Score: 92.55
2. The Hermitage Hotel
Score: 91.41
3. Noelle
Score: 90.11
4. Dream Nashville
Score: 89.25
5. Hutton Hotel
Score: 87.48