Review: Virgin Hotels Nashville

__Why did this hotel catch your attention? __ A long-anticipated new building on Music Row, the Virgin Hotels Nashville is sleek and modern, with lots of glass, open vantage points and a big-city vibe. Every Virgin hotel has a signature red staircase, and Nashville’s is surrounded by windows, looking out at Music Row and contributing to a vibe-y scene-y experience, even if you are just walking through the lobby and not heading to one of the bars, restaurants, lounges, or rooftop pool.

What's the backstory? Sir Richard Branson, owner of the Virgin Group, paid $11 million for the spot alone for his new hotel, which took more than four years to build and open. Virgin worked with a number of design firms including Hastings Architecture, a Nashville architecture firm. Virgin milks its celebrity connections, such as serving actor Hugh Jackman’s Laughing Man brand of coffee.

Tell us all about the accommodations. Any tips on what to book? Virgin calls its rooms “chambers.” There are 262 in the hotel, each with blonde wood accents, velvet furniture and sliding doors that create separate dressing rooms and vanities for getting ready for a night out in Nashville. The modern building is all about the glass windows, which gives the guest rooms great views of the city, Music Row, and the Vanderbilt University campus.

Is there a charge for Wi-Fi? No charge and it is fast; they want you to be able to post photos and videos of your stay, so bandwidth is wide open.

Drinking and dining—what are we looking at? Houston chef Ryan Lachaine came to town to open Commons Club, the collection of three restaurants in the hotel. (Lachaine is best known for Riel.) The Shag Room has a clubby feel. The Kitchen is to the hotel lobby and the outdoor patio space. The Bar has a food menu, too. Lachaine brings his expertise with Gulf Coast ingredients to Music City.

And the service? Anything you want, the concierge will figure out how to make happen if you are a guest of the Virgin. Need to book a session in a nearby Music Row recording studio? No problem. Restaurant reservations? You got it. The hotel is brand new, new construction, so everything seems to work right now.

What type of travelers will you find here? International travelers and music industry vets who like Instagram. These are people who want things to look good and want others to be impressed by their choices, but it isn’t all about the flash. They also want quality, comfort, and convenience.

What about the neighborhood? Does the hotel fit in, make itself part of the scene? Music Row is the neighborhood where Nashville gets work done, where the record companies are located. It isn’t flashy. It isn’t touristy. It's the center of the economic engine. So, to have a new, high-end hotel towering above the traffic circle is a big deal. You can’t miss it. It is different than the rest of Music Row. Easily walkable to many restaurants and bars in Midtown, and it's easy to get right downtown via Broadway.

Is there anything you'd change? Better parking.

Any other hotel features worth noting? Lots of hotels have digital keys, but Virgin’s Lucy app not only lets you open your door, but also turn off lights, turn on the TV, control the A/C and order room service from the app. This is great for those times when you just don’t want to get out of bed.

Bottom line: Why are we choosing Virgin Nashville? Folks who like to feel like they are in the center of the action will find this to be a great option. It is centrally located, has all the necessary amenities.