NASHVILLE—The Hermitage Hotel announced the completion of its hotel-wide restoration and redesign. In Nashville since 1910, The Hermitage Hotel unveiled design updates to its 122 guestrooms and suites, lobby, and ballroom. These changes follow the opening of two new restaurants by Jean-Georges Vongerichten earlier this year. The multi-year project touched the guest experience and marks a new era for the hotel, a National Historic Landmark, and underscores the property’s identity.
“As stewards of The Hermitage Hotel, we are passionate about showcasing its history and the splendor of its architecture while also making a commitment to its next chapter,” said owners Robert and Molly Hardie. “Nashville is evolving in exciting ways, and it is important that we stay in step with the times and continue the hotel’s legacy of providing a true luxury experience for our guests. We’re thrilled to welcome visitors to our city and all of our Nashville neighbors to enjoy this beautiful space and The Hermitage Hotel’s warm hospitality.”
“We have been so pleased with guest and local support for the new hotel updates,” said Dee Patel, managing director, The Hermitage Hotel. “We hope that when people enjoy our new restaurants and redesigned spaces, they also learn a bit about the hotel’s historical significance of the property and why we felt that preserving certain aspects was so crucial. ‘Meet me at The Hermitage’ is a phrase that has echoed in Nashville through the decades, and we look forward to welcoming guests to our revitalized property for many more to come.”
The Beaux Arts lobby of The Hermitage Hotel, originally designed by Tennessee architect James E.R. Carpenter, has been restored and revitalized to welcome guests with modern-day comforts. Original details such as the hand-painted glass ceiling, plasterwork, and marble have been restored, and the entire space has a fresh color palette and furnishings in 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 new seating, lighting, and case goods, creating a spot for a morning coffee, a social gathering place in the afternoon, or a spot for a nightcap crafted at the new lobby bar.
The Hermitage Hotel Ballroom also has been renewed and refreshed with a palette of finishes, including carpeting and artwork, all selected to complement the room’s Circassian walnut paneling and other architectural components. With room controls and updated lighting, the Ballroom is now poised to welcome Nashville’s next generation of events.
Alongside the hotel’s design refresh, The Hermitage Hotel’s staff has a new wardrobe designed by Draper James, the lifestyle brand founded by Nashville native Reese Witherspoon. Created for The Hermitage Hotel, the apparel has fabrics and accessories in a signature print named “The Hermitage Hotel Ditsy Floral.” The staff wardrobe has 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 and is celebrated with a “Spillin’ Tea with Draper James” afternoon tea service each Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The menu has Southern offerings inspired by Witherspoon’s cookbook, Whiskey in a Teacup, and a tablescape with Draper James linens. Guests can have tea sandwiches, tarts, scones, desserts, and whiskey in a teacup—a nod to the hotel’s Prohibition-era tradition.
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, and new millwork conceals updated minibars and amenities that create a multi-functional space. New carpeting, drapes, and upholstered furniture have a subtle color palette and layers of texture.
The Presidential Suite has also been reimagined. Guests are greeted by curated and commissioned art pieces that reference the history of the hotel and its significance in Nashville. A library was added, which doubles as a study with a table that can convert to a dining room for eight. The flow of the suite was opened up to allow the use of space to be both intimate and grand. Guest privacy and service discretion were planned, and the bathroom was renewed with a walk-in shower, soaking tub, double vanities, a make-up counter, and bidet.
Throughout the guestrooms and suites, locally sourced artwork integrates moments from the hotel’s history and the region. A bird theme is throughout, inspired by a hand-painted bird discovered on the vaulted ceiling of the Veranda room. The hotel’s archive of letters and postcards was referenced for the creation of art installations on each floor.
The Hermitage Hotel’s culinary program has completed an update under the direction of Jean-Georges Vongerichten. Vongerichten selected The Hermitage Hotel for his first location in the South: Drusie & Darr. It’s a restaurant and bar that shows the bounty of Tennessee’s regional produce. The menu welcomes hotel guests and neighbors alike for any occasion. The restaurant takes its name from brother-sister duo Drusie and Darr Hall, children of the hotel’s former general manager, Dick Hall, who lived, played, and grew up at The Hermitage Hotel.
To create the perfect stage for the cuisine, designer Thomas Juul-Hansen transformed the former Capitol Grille restaurant and bar into a space that honors the room’s architectural details. Juul-Hansen used a palette of natural materials—metal, wood, leather, and stone—and lighting from the L’Observatoire International that uplifts the room’s arched ceilings. All furnishings, from the mother-of-pearl pendant lamps to the upholstered seating, tables, and banquettes, were designed for Drusie & Darr. A new restaurant entrance is accessible from Sixth Avenue.
Newly opened on the corner of Union and Sixth Avenue, The Pink Hermit is a pink café and take-away by Vongerichten and The Hermitage Hotel team and designed by Juul-Hansen. The Pink Hermit serves as a barista bar offering pastries in the morning; all-day salads, sandwiches, or take-away; and a wine bar serving dinner, cocktails, and champagne in the evening.
Taking its cue from the men’s room’s tilework in lime green and black, the new ladies’ room is decorated with striped walls and floors of pink marble, arched doorways, rose gold mirrors, pink fixtures, and lighting throughout.
