By Lyda Phillips
Union Station Hotel
The 125-room Union Station Hotel in
Nashville is a remodeled historic train station built of native limestone in 1900. The Romanesque structure, which dominates the southwest side of Nashville's downtown, is next door to the Frist Center for the Visual Arts and convenient to trendy restaurants and bars in Nashville's Gulch area, where freight train tracks still run. The public space of the hotel features a 65-foot-high central hall with a vaulted ceiling of art deco stained glass, an upscale restaurant and an adjacent martini bar. First opened as a hotel in 1986, an $11 million renovation was completed in 2007.
Wows and Woes
The hotel is stunningly beautiful. It is convenient to most of Nashville's major tourist areas.
On-street parking is extremely limited and the valet parking is expensive. The hotel is also next to both a major highway and train tracks so noise is sometimes an issue.
Insider Tips
For some of the best live bluegrass music, check out the nearby Station Inn on 12th Avenue and Division. Go next door to the Flying Saucer for drinks instead of the hotel bar.
Leave the cigs in the car; the hotel is 100 percent non-smoking.
No free breakfast is included, but special packages are available that include a breakfast buffet.
Don't pay for a tour. Everything you'd want to see downtown is within walking distance.
Author's Most Memorable Moment
We went from a business lunch in the restaurant to two good friends' wedding reception in the gorgeous lobby complete with ice towers of shrimp and steak in one afternoon. We finished the day with a grateful flop into a soft bed rather than driving 35 miles home.
Bottom Line
With rates ranging between $179 for premium rooms and $300 for suites, the Union Station Hotel is both a luxury and a value.
About the Author:
Lyda Phillips is an award-winning novelist, journalist and screenwriter. She lives in Nashville with her family. Her professional career has included working for daily and weekly newspapers, United Press International, and BNA. She has degrees from Northwestern, Columbia and Vanderbilt universities.
Photo Credits:
Lyda Phillips
