Hermitage Hotel Completes Multi-Year Restoration and Redesign

The Hermitage Hotel in Nashville has completed its property-wide restoration and redesign. It has unveiled design updates to its 122 guestrooms and suites, its lobby and historic ballroom. The multi-year project marks a new era for the storied hotel, which opened in 1910.

The Beaux Arts lobby of The Hermitage Hotel, originally designed by Tennessee architect James E.R. Carpenter, has been restored. Original details, such as the hand-painted glass ceiling, ornamental plasterwork and Tennessee marble have been restored. The space sports a fresh color palette and new furnishings in textured shades of blue and silver. Interior design firm Forrest Perkins oversaw all design updates of the lobby, adjacent ballroom and all guestrooms and suites. The lobby has all-new seating, lighting and case goods, creating an inviting setting that evolves throughout the day, as a spot for a morning coffee, a social gathering place in the afternoon or a convivial spot for a nightcap crafted at the new custom-designed lobby bar.

The Hermitage Hotel Ballroom has also been refreshed with a modern palette of finishes, including new carpeting and artwork. It features advanced room controls and updated lighting.

The Hermitage Hotel’s guestrooms, averaging 500 square feet, have been redesigned with a residential feel. Desks have been replaced with tables that can double as workspaces or be used for in-room dining; new millwork conceals updated minibars and clever amenities that create a multi-functional space. Throughout the guestrooms and suites, locally sourced artwork integrates moments from the hotel’s history and the natural elements of the region.

Presidential Suite, The Hermitage Hotel
Presidential Suite, The Hermitage Hotel (©Alyssa Rosenheck)

The Presidential Suite has art pieces that reference the history of the hotel and its significance in Nashville and beyond. A functional library was added, which doubles as a study with an oversized table that can convert to a dining room for eight. The overall flow of the suite was opened up to allow the use of space to be both intimate and grand. The en0suite bathroom was updated with a walk-in shower, grand soaking tub, double vanities, a make-up counter and bidet.

Alongside the hotel’s design refresh, The Hermitage Hotel’s staff showcases a new wardrobe designed by Draper James, the lifestyle brand founded by Nashville native Reese Witherspoon. The staff wardrobe features yellow accents emblematic of the Women’s Suffrage Movement and the hotel’s role in the ratification of the 19th Amendment. The Hermitage Hotel-Draper James collaboration marries two brands beloved by the Nashville community and is celebrated with a “Spillin’ Tea with Draper James” afternoon tea service from Friday through Sunday. The menu features classic Southern delights inspired by Witherspoon’s cookbook, “Whiskey in a Teacup.” Guests can enjoy tea sandwiches, tarts, scones, desserts and even whiskey in a teacup–a nod to the hotel’s Prohibition-era tradition.

Earlier this year, The Hermitage Hotel unveiled Michelin-starred chef and restaurateur Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Drusie & Darr, a convivial, new-American restaurant and bar, besides The Pink Hermit café and take-away, and a new ladies’ room.

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