Two New Nashville Hotels Show a Little Moxy

It’s fortunate that the Nashville hotel market has a little something for everyone. Looking for a stately hotel on the edge of downtown away from the wonderful craziness of Lower Broad? Then the Hermitage is for you. Prefer to stay right in the middle of the action? Check out Joseph Hotel. Want a little more of a locals vibe with rooms designed to hold your whole traveling party, equipped with a real living room and full kitchen? Sounds like Bode is your cup of tea. (Or whiskey.) Is your idea of the ideal hotel one with an animatronic karaoke bar? Well, we might have to question you on that one, but Graduate has you covered.

Many Nashville visitors really just want a comfortable place to lay their heads at night after a day of sightseeing and an evening of drinking and dining in the city’s numerous fantastic restaurants and bars. Moxy Hotels are part of Marriott’s Bonvoy program of properties which range from ultra-luxurious to more budget-friendly options. Moxy falls in the middle of that range, affordably priced and offering all the amenities a traveler could need within cozy rooms. Don’t be surprised when you enter your room at a Moxy to discover there’s no closet or chest of drawers. The domiciles are cleverly designed to take advantage of every inch of space with pegs on the walls for hanging clothes, under-the-bed storage and wall-mounted televisions to maximize the efficient use of the layout.

Long-time Moxy fans know not to overpack, because the rooms have just enough space to store your work and party togs for a long weekend’s stay. Bathrooms feature premium amenities and beauty products, so you can leave the bulk of your makeup bag and your iron at home since every room comes with a clothing steamer and there is a communal laundry room to wash and iron anything that needs refreshing. The real focus at Moxy Hotels is on the communal areas of the lobby anyway.

Guests are met at check-in with a complimentary cocktail and a quick introduction of the individual property. Moxy lobbies are intended to be places to work and play, filled with fun diversions and smart amenities like USB ports for charging all your electronic gear while you catch up on some emails. Each lobby is also home to a small bodega where guests can purchase sundries, healthy snacks, coffee, beer, juices and soft drinks. (Or “mixers” as we like to call them.)

Nashville is blessed with two separate Moxy properties that have opened in the past year. While all hotels in the chain share the amenities mentioned above, each one has its own individual personality based on its location. The first Moxy to open was in the SoBro neighborhood of downtown at 110 3rd Ave. South, just a few steps from Lower Broad. Moxy Nashville Downtown features 168 rooms and suites styled with ultra-plush beds, modern bathrooms and high-tech perks to create the ultimate oasis to relax and recharge after a day or night out. Guests can select from rooms and suites with sweeping views of iconic Broadway or the windowless Musician Rooms, which feature Epiphone Acoustic Guitars for guests to use. Considering that Kid Rock’s rollicking rock ‘n’ roll bar is right next door, one of those interior rooms might be a good idea, but it’s tough to beat a suite with a view of Broadway!

The design of the hotel is inspired by Nashville’s rockin’ country vibe featured in an eclectic art collection with pieces crafted by Nashville-based artists, muralists and sculptors. The lobby is defined by four zones ranging from calm collaboration spaces and game areas to the custom stage designed by artist Levon Mouradian, which offers an indoor-outdoor experience with live music and great cocktails for around-the-clock socializing.

Bar Moxy, the bar and restaurant in the lobby at Moxy Nashville Downtown, features nightly live music plus a locally-focused coffee-to-cocktail program to cater to both downtown workers and residents as well as hotel guests. They schedule regular events and happenings like songwriters’ nights and rap battles. All Moxy properties are dog-friendly, and the Downtown location hosts happy hours called “Bark Breaks” with the Nashville Humane Association. Moxy Nashville Downtown also has three more food and beverage concepts that will be opening over the next year.

Just a couple of miles from downtown is the even newer Moxy Nashville Vanderbilt at Hillsboro Village. Conveniently located at 1911 Belcourt Ave. between two colleges, Vanderbilt and Belmont University, this Moxy takes advantage of the neighborhood vibe of Hillsboro Village, one of Nashville’s favorite shopping, eating and drinking destinations. The first hotel in the historic neighborhood, Moxy aims to be both a gathering spot for locals and an energizing lodging option for travelers.

Hillsboro Village is a great walking neighborhood, but if you do choose to bring a car, the Moxy features a couple hundred parking spots in the garage beneath the building, a real perk for an urban area. The check-in desk doubles as the bar and is a fantastic spot to meet old friends or make new ones over a drink and a small plate of delicious food. The rest of the lobby is like a playground for adults with a pool table, bar shuffleboard, darts, plenty of board games, a state-of-the art video wall, dedicated vinyl listening area with a library of records and mod furniture for lounging while you take advantage of Moxy’s fantastic living room.

In addition to 130 rooms, there will also be 47 apartments opening in the next phase of the product for residents who want to live the Moxy lifestyle 24/7/365. There are several ground floor spaces under development as dining destinations and other retail establishments, so the Moxy Nashville Vanderbilt at Hillsboro Village will soon become an even more important part of the neighborhood.

If you’re not the type of traveler who needs a hotel room that’s bigger than your entire first apartment or sheets with thread counts that would impress Cleopatra, Moxy hotels are a fantastic option. In Nashville, you can choose your own adventure of whether you want to camp out in the middle of the action near Lower Broad or discover a more genuine experience in a real local neighborhood. Actually, you can’t lose either way.