Must-see hotels in Tennessee

  • Urban Cowboy

    East Nashville

    In a word: stunning. Nashville's most exciting sleeps are in a Queen Anne Victorian–style mansion dating from the 1890s, which nurtures seven individually…

  • Crash Pad

    Chattanooga

    The South's best hostel, run by climbers, is a sustainable den of coolness in Southside, the 'Noog's hippest downtown neighborhood. Co-ed dorms…

  • Moxy Chattanooga Downtown

    Chattanooga

    Guests check in at the bar at this sharp, sassy new hotel, where a kaleidoscope of bright colors and unique design details make for a compelling stay…

  • Germantown Inn

    Nashville

    Germantown's oldest house, a shoemaker's cottage dating to 1865, has been flipped into a charming 10-room inn steeped in local design. Exposed brick and…

  • Oliver Hotel

    Knoxville

    Knoxville's first boutique hotel boasts 28 modern, stylish rooms with fun subway-tiled showers (with rain-style shower heads), luxe linens, plush…

  • Nashville Downtown Hostel

    Downtown & the Gulch

    Well located, only a block from Lower Broadway, and up to the minute in style and function. The common space in the basement, with its rather regal…

  • James Lee House

    Memphis

    Dating in parts to 1848 and 1872, this exquisite Victorian mansion in the city's historic Victorian Village at the edge of downtown is one of Memphis'…

  • Noelle

    Downtown & the Gulch

    Nashville's best sleep conjures 1930s glamor through a modern lens, and its lobby bar, Trade Room, stuns with original brass detailing and Tennessee pink…

  • 404

    Downtown & the Gulch

    Guests let themselves into Nashville's hippest – and smallest – hotel. Beyond the ebonized cedar frontage, industrial grays under violet lighting lead to…

  • Guest House at Graceland

    Memphis

    Intimate in name only, the Guest House, Graceland's new flagship, is a 450-room hunk of burning hotel. Stylish slate-gray standard rooms are spacious,…

  • DreamMore Resort

    East Tennessee

    Although not as glossy as some resorts, DreamMore offers notably warm hospitality, and the grounds are impeccably clean and well manicured. The fun starts…

  • Thompson Nashville

    Downtown & the Gulch

    A bastion of finely polished, mid-century modern cool, the Thompson Nashville is the Gulch's see-and-be-seen seat of style, whether that be agonizing over…

  • Tennessean

    Knoxville

    The Tennessee River is the unifying theme at this posh new hotel across the street from the Sunsphere and the city convention center. Look for maps of the…

  • Hutton Hotel

    Nashville

    One of our favorite Nashville boutique hotels riffs on mid-century modern design, with bamboo-paneled walls and reclaimed WWI barnwood flooring. Sizable…

  • Dwell Hotel

    Chattanooga

    It's very hard to improve on excellent, but the former Stone Fort Inn – now the Dwell – has done just that. A new, hands-on owner has completely flipped…

  • Dancing Bear Lodge

    East Tennessee

    Stylish cabins dot a pretty 36-acre woodscape at Dancing Bear, which resembles a summer camp for adults. Guests can rise early for wildlife viewing at…

  • Hermitage Hotel

    Downtown & the Gulch

    Nashville's first million-dollar hotel was a hit with the socialites when it opened in 1910. The beaux-arts lobby feels like a czar's palace, every…

  • Talbot Heirs

    Memphis

    Inconspicuously located on the 2nd floor of a busy downtown street, this unique, cheerful guesthouse is one of Memphis' best-kept secrets. Spacious suites…

  • Bobby Hotel

    Downtown & the Gulch

    Who is Bobby? The king of cool in Nashville. From the immense lobby chandelier made of polished car parts to the vintage Greyhound bus repurposed as a…

  • Vandyke Bed & Beverage

    East Nashville

    Forget awkward conversations over breakfast – this swanky eight-room 'bed and beverage' loosens up guests with a rock-solid cocktail menu and…

  • Read House Hotel

    Chattanooga

    This historic hotel – open continuously since 1872 – is fresh off a $25-million revamp, and it's looking swell. The two-story entranceway and other common…

  • 1501 Linden Manor

    Nashville

    The husband-and-wife owners have filled this yellow Victorian cottage with antiques collected on their world travels – Persian rugs, Asian carvings, old…

  • Buckhorn Inn

    East Tennessee

    A few minutes’ drive and several light years away from the kitsch and crowds of downtown Gatlinburg, the tranquil Buckhorn has nine elegant rooms, seven…

  • Inn on the River

    East Tennessee

    In a pinch, staff can quickly convert a meeting room into a guest room – it's always held for late-night walk-ins who can't find another bed in town…

  • River Inn of Harbor Town

    Memphis

    Guests are greeted with a glass of champagne or wine at this lovely 28-room inn on Mud Island. Four-poster beds anchor the stately rooms, and little…

  • Hu. Hotel

    Memphis

    Formerly the Madison, this sleek treat offers swanky but inviting boutique sleeps. Modern, stylish rooms have nice touches like high ceilings and private…

  • Clarion Inn Dollywood Area

    East Tennessee

    Budget prices. Friendly and helpful service. And free perks out the wazoo: popcorn, cookies and specialty coffees in the evening, a generous hot breakfast…

  • Chilhowee Campground

    East Tennessee

    High atop Chilhowee Mountain and just off the Ocoee Scenic Byway, this lovely campground is surrounded by hiking and cycling trails, one leading to a…

  • Hotel Indigo Memphis Downtown

    Memphis

    The brand-new Indigo gives a nod to the Memphis music industry with mid-century style. From the vintage radios in the lobby to the wall-size photos of…

  • Chattanooga Choo Choo

    Chattanooga

    The city's grand old railway terminal has refocused its mindset from gimmicky train hotel to community entertainment epicenter. Now with 145 newly…

  • Big Bungalow

    East Nashville

    Chatty proprietress Ellen Warshaw welcomes visitors into her East Nashville bungalow, where the three casually decorated guest rooms feel more like your…

  • Gaylord Opryland Resort

    Nashville

    This whopping 2888-room hotel is a universe unto itself, the largest non-casino resort in the USA. Why set foot outdoors when you can ride a flatboat…

  • Omni Nashville Hotel

    Downtown & the Gulch

    This luxury hotel shares a building with Hatch Show Print, the Country Music Hall of Fame and several top restaurants. Its proximity to Music City Center…

  • Margaritaville Island Hotel

    East Tennessee

    Breezy pastels and beach-cottage decor evoke a hip vacation vibe that would surely make Jimmy Buffett proud. Guests should begin with a drink from the in…

  • Hilton Knoxville

    Knoxville

    The guest rooms' sleek color scheme – white and chocolate brown – is the most exciting aspect of this nondescript downtown chain hotel. It's within…

  • Music City Hostel

    Nashville

    These squat brick bungalows are humble, but Nashville's West End hostel is lively and welcoming, with a common kitchen, an outdoor grill, a fire pit and…

  • Edwin Hotel

    Chattanooga

    Luxury merges seamlessly with crisp artistic style at this downtown newcomer. Tucked between the Walnut Street Bridge and the Bluff View Art District, the…

  • Peabody Hotel

    Memphis

    Memphis' most storied hotel has been catering to a who's who of Southern gentry since the 1860s. The current incarnation, a 13-story Renaissance Revival…

  • Sheraton Grand Nashville Downtown

    Downtown & the Gulch

    There are only seven Sheraton Grands in North America and Nashville's is a stunner. Glass elevators glide heavenward through champagne-bubble lights in…

  • Union Station Hotel

    Downtown & the Gulch

    This soaring Romanesque gray-stone castle was Nashville's train station back in the days when rail travel was a grand affair; today it's downtown's most…