Review: The Union Station Nashville Yards, Autograph Collection
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There are opportunities in life that you can’t pass up. I had the opportunity, thanks to my daughter’s work, to stay free of charge for one night at a category 7 Marriott Bonvoy hotel in Nashville: The Union Station Nashville Yards, Autograph Collection.
Here is my review of the hotel as well as some suggestions of what to do downtown.
Accommodation in Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee, a.k.a. “The Music City” has hundreds of hotels in the city center and in the suburbs. The Marriott group alone has 67 hotels, followed closely by Hilton with 65. The services are rather high-end: most of the hotels at Marriott are in categories 5 to 8.
However, if you look hard enough, you will find something that appeals to your wallet. There are so many places to stay in Nashville.
Examples of Marriott Hotels in Nashville
I made a simulation for a week at the end of September, on 6 hotels. They are all located within 10 km of the city centre. Let’s see what this means in $US and points per night:
| Hotel | Category | Points | Rate in US$ |
|---|---|---|---|
| TownePlace Suites Nashville Airport | 3 | 17 500 | 205 |
| Fairfield Inn & Suites Nashville Near Vanderbilt | 4 | 25 000 | 224 |
| Moxy Nashville Vanderbilt Area | 5 | 35 000 | 149 |
| TownePlace Suites Nashville Downtown/Capitol District | 6 | 50 000 | 214 |
| JW Marriott Nashville | 7 | 60 000 | 420 |
| The Joseph, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Nashville | 8 | 85 000 | 558 |
History of The Union Station Nashville Yards Hotel, Autograph Collection
As you might expect. The Union Station Nashville Yards hotel was once the city’s train station. From 1900 to 1979.
The automobile caused the decline of train transportation, but fortunately the residents managed to save the building. It is now considered a national landmark.
The location became a hotel in 1986 and was then added to Marriott’s Autograph collection portfolio in 2012.
The entrance is elegant and sets the tone for what awaits us. It costs $45 to leave your car with the valet who parks it a few meters from where you arrived.
Union Station Nashville Yards Lobby and Bar
Partly thanks to its sumptuous lobby (that’s an understatement), the establishment joined the category of Collection hotels of the Marriott chain. A hall that can be rented for receptions as well as its two adjoining rooms with superb stained glass windows. A veranda can also accommodate 250 guests.
The high stained glass ceiling, bas-relief, marble, gilding, crystal, candlesticks and period fireplace give the place a castle feel.
Set back in the lobby, the ERGO bar-restaurant used to be a ticket office. It now displays their whisky collection prominently.
That’s where you can also have breakfast and dinner. We have opted for sharing dishes in the evening. And for breakfast, toast with mushroom tapenade, parmesan and chives in sour cream. And don’t forget the slices of radish for decoration and the runny eggs on top. It was DELICIOUS. The ERGO menu? It is here.
Remember to charge your room expenses and then pay with your Marriott Bonvoy® American Express® Card: you’ll earn 5 points per dollar with your credit card and 10 to 17.5 points per dollar depending on your Marriott Bonvoy status.
- Annual fee
- $120
- Our valuationMilesopedia first-year estimate First-year valueWelcome bonus$600Total$600$100 deferred bonus, excluded from the first-year estimate and not counted in this total.Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
- $600
- Welcome offerAfter $3,000 in 3 months
- Up to 70,000 points
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The Union Station Nashville Yards Hotel, Autograph Collection
There are 125 rooms in the hotel.
The lady at the reception desk greeted us well. Next door, there is a small convenience store and a souvenir shop.
Our guest room is on the ground floor just a few steps from the lobby. It was quite doundproof, we heard nothing from the murmurs of the hall but a single train whistle that seemed very lonely.
Comfortable, the room was also bright and decorated in Tennessee style.
- Headboards with imitation cowhide.
- A mesh around the ceiling light.
- A painting by a State painter. Each room has an original work of art by a different artist. Nice idea. Ours was signed by Daryl Thetford.
Our hotel room has all the equipment for our well-being. Fine bedding, hot drinks kit, small fridge and safe. In the wardrobe you will also find the cosy bathrobes.
The bathroom has a bath and a shower with rain head. Nothing’s missing. Products, accessories and towels.
Finally, an office space with an ergonomic chair.
In short, a beautiful contemporary room in a historic building.
Location of The Union Station Nashville Yards, Autograph Collection
Just a 10-minute walk from the heart of the action on Broadway, The Union Station Yards, Autograph Collection has a prime location.
In front, the brand new Grand Hyatt hotel, whose owner owns both establishments, gives us access to its rooftop pool. You can also drink, eat and charge your bill to your room across the street.
Going down Broadway, we discover:
- the Frist Art Museum,
- a beautiful view of the JW Marriott and its futuristic architecture,
- Bridgstone Arena, whose main tenant is the Nashville Predators hockey team,
- the National Museum of African American Music,
- the AT&T building, commonly referred to by locals as the “Batman Building”,
- the Ryman Auditorium and the Johnny Cash Museum.
A non-stop party in Nashville
There is a perpetual party on about a mile stretch of Broadway. And this, from 10:00 in the morning, for example at the Honky Tonk, until the early hours of the night. No kidding.
Bars with bands pop-up every 5 meters. Through the open windows overlooking the street, dancers of all ages can be seen performing their country steps in front of the stage. I liked it.
Many musicians hope to be discovered there. Finally, some amateurs find their account in karaoke bars.
The city is also known for its bachelorette parties. Indeed, they cannot be missed. The dress code sparkles and the bride-to-be’s veil sets her apart from her group of friends.
Buses, tractors, lighted carriages arrive next. Finally, how can I put it… There are also bike bars falsely propelled by their renters who pedal… or not.
Bottom Line
Nashville is definitely a city with a lot to offer. We only wemt over a very small part of it. But it will satisfy both the sportsmen with its Nissan stadium, and the country music lovers with its stages of all sizes, inside and outside. For example, the Botanical Garden offers free concerts every Thursday. The Arrington vineyard, 25 kilometres from town, does the same on weekends to enhance its tastings.
As for the main focus of this article, Marriott’s The Union Station Nashville Yards, Autograph Collection hotel, we certainly recommend it, for its location first.
But because of the very large hotel offer in the city we want to discover, we would only go back for the aperitif and the delicious snacks served by ERGO in a royal space.
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Go further with Marriott Bonvoy
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