The Joseph is Nashville at its most refined.
The honkey-tonk bars and plethora of historical music attractions and museums are musts on first or second visits to Nashville. Having hit the tourist checklist during previous stays in Music City, this year, I was looking for a more refined and subdued weekend away. With husband and child in tow, I found it at The Joseph, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Nashville, located in the heart of downtown’s SoBro (South of Broadway) district.
One of the 297-room hotel’s most distinct features is its more than 1,100 original artistic works decorating every space including a full gallery on its conference room floor. Pulling up to the valet, we were greeted by a giant living wall and neighboring video screen playing performance art that set the tone for the artistic presentations inside. A most beautiful front desk, embellished with custom-designed leather by bootmaker Lucchese featuring monarch butterflies and state flowers, awaited us at check-in. On the way to our room, I caught a glance at the lobby bar chandelier by Misha Kahn. Made of copper and colorful blown glass, it looked like a UFO preparing to land on the copper bar, where the team was hosting a monthly wine tasting. Inside our executive king room, a bold nature print by Jason Middlebrook hung on the wall.
As we settled in, the hotel graciously sent up additional Frette linens so that we could carve out a sleeping space on the midcentury leather couch for our 3-year-old. She was over the moon about her first hotel stay and having the bellman hand her a new backpack (designed by Margherita Missoni for the Luxury Collection) with a coloring book inside. However, it was confusing why the in-room iPad wouldn’t play Frozen and the landline didn’t have FaceTime (oh boy, thought her parents).
We made our way up to the rooftop for lunch at Denim, a relaxed indoor-outdoor poolside bar. The glimmering heated pool with rows of lounge chairs and curtained cabanas looked divine but hadn’t opened for the season yet in March. So we sat at a high-top table inside and admired the view of the city from 21 stories above. The adults enjoyed kale and little gem salads along with bites of the kid’s brick-oven-made Margherita pizza.
Denim is also a great spot to chill after a workout at the fitness center featuring Peloton bikes or a treatment at the 5,500-square-foot Rose spa and salon on the same floor. I tried the 90-minute Healing Herbs & Botanicals Massage ($215) that began with a lovely warming foot bath steeped with rose petals followed by a CBD-infused massage to soothe aches and pains.
After some downtime back in the room, an early dinner at Yolan, The Joseph’s fine dining Italian restaurant by the revered Tony and Cathy Mantuano, was next on the agenda. My husband and I braced for our first Michelin-chef-prepared dinner with a toddler. Lifting up her legs to show off her gold shoes to everyone who walked by aside, it ended up being fine. She scarfed down housemade cacio e pepe pasta like it was mac ’n’ cheese, as her parents toasted with Champagne brut and an old fashioned in asymmetrical crystal stemware made by Bottega del Vino in Verona, Italy, using centuries-old techniques.
We settled into the C-shaped leather booth for a four-course meal, which turned out to be the highlight of our stay. Every morsel of my delicate scallop crudo with smoked trout roe; linguine fra diavolo with clams, mussels and black garlic; and pesce of the day, was devoured. With scant room for dessert, I split the Torta Caprese, a dark chocolate delight with honeyed pear and pecan brittle, with my daughter and then called it a night.
On this short weekend away to Nashville, The Joseph turned into our destination. Next time, perhaps we’ll venture out a bit more—but we know where we’ll be staying when we do.
DETAILS:
The Joseph, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Nashville
Room rates from $399
615.248.1990
thejosephnashville.com
Yolan
yolannashville.com
