Stay in style

Southern Living, Sep 2003 by Mckenzie, Jennifer L

Splurge a little with a night in Nashville's legendary Hermitage Hotel.

Ladies and gentlemen, next time you need to powder your noses, head to Nashville. One of the most famous bathrooms in the country is open and ready for visitors.

Nashville's Hermitage Hotel has reopened after a year of remodeling. The rooms, architecture, and cuisine of this historic property are exciting, but it's the lavatory that has folks talking.

The Art Deco men's room in The Hermitage is like no other public facility. Rumor has it that more women have seen this retro, seafoam-colored bathroom than any other in the United States. In fact, you may have already spied it in one of the music videos or celebrity interviews that have been conducted here through the years. Open for tours as well as for use, the door to this room revolves constantly.

The rest of the hotel is pretty spectacular too. When The Hermitage opened as Nashville's first million-dollar hotel in 1910, it earned the city a prominent reputation among Southern travelers. Since then, it has set the standard for elegant and stylish lodging. With the recent $17 million renovation, The Hermitage is better than ever. This is one splurge that's worth it.

A breathtaking lobby and a magical stained-glass ceiling lure guests into the hotel. The ceiling in the front entryway is made of 24-karat gold. A grand marble staircase and marble columns shine like polished silver. Even the floor is made of Tennessee marble and granite. At the far end of the lobby, an impressive fireplace invites visitors to sit and enjoy a drink. If you didn't know better, you'd think you were back in the Gilded Age. "We want our guests to experience a wonderful sense of arrival," says co-owner Prem Devadas.

The average size of each one of the 123 guestrooms is 475 square feet. The property features a presidential suite and three executive suites overlooking the state capitol.

Hungry? The Capitol Grille, located in what was originally the main dining room, serves what we Southerners call fancy comfort food. It's difficult to choose a favorite entree, but the black grouper ($25.50), Ashley Farms organic chicken ($22.50), and crusted rack of lamb ($29.50) all shine.

Commissioned by local citizens in 1908, The Hermitage Hotel took its name from Andrew Jackson's Hermitage estate. At that time it was the see-and-be-seen place of Nashville. Once again, it's chic to be spotted here-even if it is in the bathroom.

JENNIFER L. MCKENZIE