Stillness and Style at 1 Hotel Nashville

Douglas Friedman

It’s not hard to feel good at 1 Hotel Nashville, but it’s rare to feel this grounded. The hotel sits just steps from Broadway, but the moment you enter, the city noise falls away, and is replaced instead by beautiful pale wood, potted plants, filtered light, and the soft hush of linen on linen. The hotel is designed to feel like a natural extension of the city’s landscape and abundant green space, and it really does: even within the rooms, with their floor-to-ceiling windows and views of the Nashville skyline, there’s a sense of calm and quiet that holds even on the busiest of days. When I checked in for a recent stay to explore the hotel and its myriad offerings, I started each day drinking my morning coffee on a chaise just outside on my balcony, wrapped in a whisper-soft throw blanket, watching the city wake up below. It was a small thing, but the tone of the entire stay seemed to gather itself around that moment, which was unrushed, thoughtful, and steady.

Every part of the 1 Hotel Nashville’s interiors mirrors that same grounding and ethereal ethos. Each of the rooms are spacious and clean-lined, with open floor plans and light flooding in from every angle. Walls are done in natural plaster and reclaimed wood, offset by soft textiles and earth-toned upholstery. Each room includes its own living plant, along with filtered water in glass carafes, abundant neutral toned soft textiles, and beautiful linen furniture. There’s a quiet elegance to it the design that is rooted more in material choices you can touch and feel rather than in flash, and the effect is one of being gently and unmistakably cared for.

That balance runs through every part of a stay at the 1 Hotel Nashville. The hotel’s gym is one of the best-designed I’ve seen: all clean lines, warm wood, and floor-to-ceiling glass, so you never lose sight of the city while you move. I booked a private yoga session with the excellent in-house instructor in a bright, open room that felt more like a studio than a hotel facility. The session was focused and quiet, tailored exactly to what I needed that morning.

Afterward, I headed downstairs to the Bamford Wellness Spa, which offers a wide range of treatments built around the brand’s organic philosophy. The spa itself is softly lit and soothing, with pale wood, white stone, and herbal scents that begin to work on you before anything actually begins. I tried the “Be Stretched” experience, a new signature treatment that blends assisted stretching with bodywork. My practitioner moved me through a series of sustained holds and light kneading on a perfectly heated table, and I left feeling not just limber but deeply relaxed; like someone had quietly rearranged my nervous system while I was busy breathing. It was one of the rare massages that manages to feel both technical and truly restorative.

That sense of lightness carried into the excellent food. The property’s restaurant, One Kitchen, is serious about its sourcing and prioritizing sustainability. Dinner was a standout: seared scallops flown in from Japan, crisp-edged brussels sprouts glazed with honey and dates, and an heirloom tomato salad I’m still thinking about. Everything was layered, fresh, and deeply flavorful without being heavy. It’s the kind of food that truly satisfies without slowing you down. I also tried all three of the house wellness juices – fresh blends of fruit and vegetables – that were available both at the bar and in the in-room mini-fridge. I drank one in place of a cocktail one night and another first thing the next morning, and somehow they worked as both a wind-down and a wake-up.

As special as the entire experience was, the staff’s hospitality and thoughtfulness was the real standout of the stay. Everything is available, but nothing is performative at the 1 Hotel Nashville. You can go full wellness retreat – yoga, massage, cold-pressed juices, early nights – or just read a book by the window and order room service. Either way, the experience feels considered, thoughtful, complete. It’s a true pause that doesn’t ask you to become a different version of yourself, just a slightly more rested, revitalized, and thoughtful citizen of the world.