The Thompson Nashville is the best hotel in The Gulch, and it is not particularly close. It sets the standard for the neighborhood and earns its status through the combination of location, design, and the quality of what it contains.
The Thompson is a Hyatt boutique property with 224 rooms and suites, each with floor-to-ceiling windows and mid-century modern furnishings. It sits at the center of the Gulch’s commercial core. From the hotel, you can walk to the wings mural, to a dozen serious restaurants, to the Station Inn, and to Bridgestone Arena. The Country Music Hall of Fame is a 10-minute walk. Broadway is about a mile away, manageable on foot in good weather.
The hotel has three food and drink components worth knowing:
Marsh House, the ground-floor restaurant, has earned a strong reputation as one of Nashville’s best seafood restaurants. The sustainable-sourcing commitment is genuine, the raw bar is excellent, and the brunch with bottomless champagne on weekends is one of the more enjoyable ways to spend a Sunday morning in Nashville.
L.A. Jackson, the 12th-floor rooftop bar, has been voted Nashville Scene’s Best Rooftop Bar six years consecutively. The indoor-outdoor setup works in all seasons. On weekend nights, DJs run the program. Weekday afternoons are quieter. The bar is walk-in only and 21+.
Killebrew Coffee on the ground floor is a solid morning option with a lavender haze latte and good pastries. It also functions as a workspace during business hours.
Room rates at the Thompson typically start around $269 per night for standard rooms, with premium suites significantly higher. For the location, the food and drink quality on-site, and the room quality, it represents fair value by Nashville hotel standards.
The other hotels worth knowing in the Gulch: The W Nashville at the heart of the neighborhood was rated by Forbes as one of Nashville’s most exciting hotel openings. The Fairfield Inn at 118 12th Avenue South is the most affordable option in the neighborhood, with rates starting around $179. Union Station Hotel, a historic Romanesque Gothic building originally built as Nashville’s rail terminal, is a short walk from the Gulch’s northern boundary and worth considering for the architecture alone.
Sources
- Thompson Nashville, hyatt.com/thompson-hotels
- Trolley Tours Nashville, “Complete Guide to the Thompson Hotel,” trolleytours.com
- St. Louis Magazine, “Where to eat, play, and stay in Nashville’s Gulch neighborhood,” stlmag.com
- Nashville Todo, “The Gulch vs Downtown Nashville,” nashvilletodo.com
- The Walking Mermaid, “Ultimate Guide to The Gulch,” thewalkingmermaid.com