Leave it to Nashville to usher in a newcomer with all the fanfare worthy of a mega project such as the first Omni hotel in Tennessee—and a grand one at that. Nashville’s new Music City Center finally has its headquarters property, the 21-story, 800-room Omni Nashville Hotel, and in true Nashville fashion, the recent grand opening weekend encompassed two days of private concerts and tours, starting with a Bluebird Cafe-style listening room show with singer-songwriter extraordinaire Brett James and other musicians, recorded live for Sirius Satellite Radio, and culminating with a gala in which country music star Jake Owen took the stage to perform for a packed ballroom of guests.
Situated across the street from the new convention center and connected to the adjacent Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in the budding SoBro district, the distinctively designed property has a decidedly Nashville flair thanks to Omni’s philosophy of infusing local heritage into every aspect of its product. Examples include Bar Lines, a live music venue, as well as prominent restaurants such as Bob’s Steak & Chop House and Kitchen Notes, already a local institution for its contemporary spin on regional cuisine, including a to-die-for gourmet biscuit bar.
Walking into the lobby is a musical experience in itself. The space is designed to mimic a guitar, with a marble floor containing wooden planks resembling a fretboard and a round seating area designed to be the sound hole of the guitar, along with a chandelier made of a circular metal staff with crystal notes that seems to be falling from the sky.
The hotel has a fabulous art collection culled mainly from Nashville and Tennessee-based artists. The Dolan Geiman Nudie Suit Series was inspired by the famous rhinestone-studded Nudie suits made popular by Western stage performers. Flashy Nudie suits worn by music greats Marty Robbins and Little Jimmy Dickens are eye-catchers. Meanwhile, funky letterpress artwork from Hatch Show Print, a Nashville icon that got its start around the time Edison invented the lightbulb, includes guest room pieces depicting the Tennessee mockingbird.
Meanwhile, gathering facilities are certainly a highlight of the property, with more than 80,000 square feet of flexible meeting space and more than 49,000 square feet of prefunction space. Each ballroom is divisible into multiple sections, and there are 21 additional breakout rooms. The soaring ceilings, tasteful artwork and plush furnishings and decor of the meeting venues and corridors make the property an automatic choice for planners seeking an upscale event setting. Another standout gathering spot is the retreat-like rooftop pool and patio.
The hotel is conveniently situated near Broadway, the city’s main thoroughfare for unique retail stores and honky-tonks, including the legendary Robert’s Western World, a must for anyone keen on down-home country and bluegrass music.
On-site, the property has signature shops such as the Five and TENN, where guests can pick up everything from toiletries in an old apothecary-style chest of drawers to Tennessee-made specialties such as handcrafted Lucchese boots—definitely a souvenir worth every (pretty) penny.
