Wanderlust Inspires Gresham Smith-Designed Renaissance Hotel Renovations
Gresham Smith has completed public-space renovations at the 600+ room Renaissance Nashville Hotel. The design team aimed to capture a sense of wanderlust throughout the new space, based on branding queues from Tracy Smith-Woodby, senior interior design manager at Marriott. Her cues within Renaissance Hotels’ brand language help create a refined sophistication with a sense of luxury that pays homage to Nashville’s renowned music scene.
Upgraded facilities include the front desk/check-in area, a Johnny Cash-themed lounge/studio, and Little Fib bar and restaurant with two private dining rooms. Three floors of pre-function and meeting space and restrooms were also upgraded, as well as the balance of the hotel lobby and a new market. These updates connect to the conference center renovated by the firm earlier this year.
“It was a pleasure working and collaborating with Gresham Smith,” commented Smith-Woodby. “They created a spot-on design narrative for Renaissance Nashville Hotel. The brand pull-through and detailing is evident in this transformational renovation.”
“From the moment walls were taken down during demolition, we immediately felt the sense of arrival that the new layout provided – opening sightlines from the lobby to the lounge,” said Mary Reed, NCIDQ, hospitality interior designer at Gresham Smith. “The new floor plan creates a more open and inviting feel, while still providing intimate, discoverable moments throughout. In a limited amount of square footage, we’ve made bold statements that allow the hotel continue to stand out in Nashville’s competitive tourism market.”
“Valli and her team did a fantastic job creating the vibe that ownership was visualizing for the spaces. I loved the fact that they are local to Nashville and acted as our “check” to prevent things from getting too kitschy. They inserted just the right amount of local flavor into the project,” said Carla Niemann, Senior Vice President of Design at Premier Project Management.
“It was a truly collaborative spirit that allowed us to dream up these amazing, cohesive new spaces and coordinate the upgrades with the functionality and technology of local operations,” said Valli Wiggins, LEED AP ID+C, NCIDQ, hospitality design leader at Gresham Smith. “The new spaces capture Nashville’s spirit and offer countless Instagrammable moments for guests while enhancing operational functions. Our design features a lot of unexpected details like retro microphone sconces, a ‘Make Your Mark’ wall, and a quirky Johnny Cash mural in the studio. We embraced the brand language of high/low finishes throughout, contrasting a maker vibe with more refined finishes to create a calm yet invigorating experience. Little Fib purposefully feels more like a local hangout than a typical hotel lounge/ restaurant; the atmosphere, food and drinks create an experience on par with the city’s trendsetting dining spots.”
