10 New Venues in Nashville for Spring 2021 Meetings and Events

DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Hotel Nashville Airport unveiled a brand new ballroom in September that's ideal for events, seminars and more. The newly renovated Capital Ballroom features 1,800 square feet with 350 square feet of prefunction event space. The ballroom can accommodate up to 150 guests. It has floor-to-ceiling glass doors that lead to the 2,300-square-foot Fleetwood Patio Bar (pictured here), designed for indoor and outdoor events for 50 guests banquet style and up to 100 guests for receptions. The poolside bar serves up American-style food, cocktails, wine and beer, plus an on-site food truck can accommodate different needs for private events. There are two large TV screens that could be used for logos or a slideshow during gatherings. The 138 guest rooms also saw a refresh with new headboards, side tables, upholstery and linens. Two premium suites called the Celebration Suites are primed for groups and feature a parlor, king bedroom and gathering room for meetings of up to 15 people.

The LEED-certified 175-room Element Nashville Vanderbilt West End near Vanderbilt University, Music Row and Ryman Auditorium opened in February. Billed as an eco-conscious, extended stay hotel, guests can expect large rooms and suites with fully equipped kitchens and work spaces. It has a combined 1,420 square feet of meeting space across two rooms that allow for a flexible setup, audiovisual rental equipment and an on-site 24-hour business center. The largest meeting space is 748 square feet and can accommodate 12 for conferences and as many as 24 people theater or reception style. The other meeting space is 672 square feet and can host 10 in a u-shape configuration or up to 24 for receptions. Guests can enjoy a 24-hour fitness center and an outdoor pool and patio.

Anzie Blue, a 3,800-square-foot CBD and coffee shop, opened in December across from the Belcourt Theater in the historic Hillsboro Village after outgrowing its original location in the Belle Meade neighborhood. The unique shop is co-owned by husband and wife duo Derek Van Mol and Marcie Allen, who is the president and founder of music and lifestyle experiential agency MAC Presents. Jonathan Savage of SAVAGE Interiors designed the space with calming tones of neutrals, mixed with soft Aegean blues and whites. The cafe serves up its own line of CBD products alongside breakfast, lunch, dinner and even cocktails or wine and features unique cheese and charcuterie boards. The small stage in the cafe’s main dining room is ideal for a small band, jazz duos and DJ performances. An outdoor patio can seat up to 20, and it has a semiprivate dining area that can host an intimate gathering for eight sit-down guests sectioned off with frosted accordion doors. It is available for full buyouts for as many as 120 guests.

The 591-room Grand Hyatt Nashville opened in October. The hotel is home to one of Nashville’s tallest rooftop lounges. There’s a pool on the fifth floor overlooking downtown and seven restaurants to choose from, including Aurum, a gilded lobby bar, and Solstice, a poolside bar and restaurant located on the fifth floor. The Continental is its signature restaurant that features classic American fare helmed by James Beard Award-winning chef Sean Brock. There is 77,000 square feet of event space and a 15,000-square-foot prefunction space for receptions and exhibits. The 20,000-square-foot Grand Hall ballroom on the second floor can accommodate 2,000 guests for receptions or 1,660 for a banquet-style seated affair. There is also a 1,100-square-foot outdoor terrace on the second floor. The Summit Ballroom is a 13,000-square-foot space on the fourth floor, the second-largest ballroom, and there are 32 other smaller meeting and breakout spaces of different shapes and sizes. There’s a 1.3-acre park that would be ideal for team building. Bonus: Nashville Convention Center, Country Music Hall of Fame and Bridgestone Arena are nearby.

The 339-room Loews Vanderbilt Hotel recently completed renovating its reimagined meeting and event spaces in early 2020 as part of a multiyear renovation plan. In February of this year, the hotel completed three luxury designer suites dubbed Baritone, Belle and Creator, inspired by local icons such as Johnny Cash and Loretta Lynn. The suites were designed by the Chicago-based interior design firm Simeone Deary Design Group and are 1,000 square feet to 1,600 square feet. They each have a fireplace, a six-seat dining room table, big-screen TVs and their very own record player with a library of vinyl records or Bluetooth connectivity capabilities. The newly reimagined meeting spaces include 24,000 square feet of space, ideal for large and small meetings and events. The Symphony Ballroom lends itself well to galas and award ceremonies, boasting 8,400 square feet and features impressive 18-foot vaulted ceilings and five chandeliers with a max capacity for 912 guests. The Symphony Foyer has 3,252 square feet and is just outside the main ballroom. Additionally, this ballroom can be split up into three distinct 2,779-square-foot spaces for about 360 guests. The Starstruck Gallery is 4,000 square feet and can accommodate 300 guests for receptions. The Green Room is ideal for intimate receptions for as many as 50 people and has an outdoor patio. The Castle is 418 square feet and suitable for board meetings for up to 12 guests.

The $450 million, highly anticipated 200,000-square-foot mixed-use property Fifth + Broadway opened this month on the 6.2-acre former site of the Nashville Convention Center. The site, across from Bridgestone Arena and Ryman Auditorium, is home to the 56,000-square-foot National Museum of African American Music. The Place has 386 residential units, featuring a work hub, fitness center, recording studio, screening room, social lounge that opens to a rooftop pool and the Ruby Lounge, which is ideal for tenants' private parties. The 24-story, 372,000-square-foot office space 501 Commerce has an 18,700-square-foot indoor and outdoor amenity deck suitable for private events. The 100,000-square-foot Assembly Food Hall is billed as the nation's largest food court with over 30 dining and drinking options, including the 5,000-square-foot Blanco Cocina + Cantina (shown here), Slim and Husky's (the first Black-owned restaurant on Broadway), Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream, Cava and a live rooftop music venue for private events. The Twelve Thirty Club, a three-story venue opening in April, will have several spaces for gatherings, including a cocktail lounge on the mezzanine level called Honorary Member to accommodate 40 guests. It will also have a 400-seat dapper supper club and a rooftop deck that can hold 160 people.

TownePlace Suites by Marriott Nashville Downtown/Capitol District opened in October with flexible space for meetings and intimate events, including Zeppelin, an open-air, seventh-floor 4,500-square-foot rooftop bar with downtown and Germantown views, primed for social gatherings. There is a 700-square-foot boardroom (shown here) that can accommodate 26 guests in several configurations, including theater style, conference and u-shape. The 300-square-foot Parlor Room can hold eight for intimate conferences or 15 for receptions and comes equipped with a seating area and kitchen.

The 392-room Sonesta Nashville Airport opened this month after rebranding the former Nashville Airport Marriott. It boasts 27,870 square feet of flexible meeting, conference and social event space, spanning 11 spacious meeting rooms. The Nashville Ballroom (pictured here) boasts 7,812 square feet and can accommodate 660 for a seated dinner and 1,000 for receptions. The Cumberland Ballroom has 7,500 square feet and can hold 950 for receptions and 500 for a seated dinner, while the Capitol Ballroom has 3,432 square feet and can hold 280 for seated dinners.

Take your team-building events to the newly opened full-service Blu Ox Bar and Restaurant at Bad Axe Throwing Nashville, which features expansive downtown views. The 3,000-square-foot restaurant opened in January and can accommodate 100 guests for private events. The Northwoods-inspired menu has a southern twist, and there’s a full bar with local draft beers and custom cocktails and an outdoor seating area. For private corporate events, the Bad Axe Stage is excellent for live music acts. Bad Axe Throwing Nashville is the largest in Tennessee and features over 14 axe-throwing lanes within its 9,000 square feet. There are two 3,000-square-foot event rooms that each have a 100-person capacity.

As of October, a little over two hours southeast of Nashville is the newly opened Hotel Indigo Chattanooga, in the heart of downtown. The 117-room hotel has 5,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space. The Bessie Smith Room is the largest meeting space boasting 1,105 square feet, and can accommodate 40 guests in a classroom-style configuration or as many as 80 for receptions. The 390-square-foot Tom Thumb Boardroom can hold 10 guests for intimate conferences. Some available equipment for meetings includes a digital projector, LCD television, podium and whiteboards. Hotel Indigo Restaurant and Bar is located on the lobby level, serving globally infused pub grub and hand-crafted cocktails. There is also a 24-hour state-of-the-art fitness center on-site. Team-building ideas and nearby attractions include exploring the 22-mile Riverwalk, biking through Coolidge Park and the Bluff View Art District or enjoying a night out at Tivoli Theatre or Chattanooga Symphony and Opera.