HUTTON HOTEL, NASHVILLE
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Visitors to Nashville were long forced to alternate between the sprawling Vegas-without-vice Gaylord Opryland, the stodgy Hermitage, and a smattering of chain hotels that cheesily play off the city's musical heritage (think glowing jukeboxes and "Ring of Fire" on repeat sound tracks). At the Hutton, the first hotel to truly capture the city's sophistication, you're greeted by striking local art and friendly staff eager to point you toward underground bluegrass shows, hip vintage boutiques, and the newest resto-lounges. The 1808 Grille bar/restaurant draws Music Row power players, who close deals over haute home-cooking (try the pulled-pork risotto balls). Guest rooms have a comfy polish: Plush pillowtop beds are backed by tufted headboards, and cozy reading nooks are lit with sultry red pendant lamps. You'll find the luxury standard bearers—spacious rain showers, flat-screen TVs—as well as green initiatives like sensors that turn the power off when you're out, bamboo furnishings, and low-flow toilets. A hybrid car shuttles guests from the hotel's West End location to downtown's tourist attractions and honky-tonks, and you're a short walk away from Vanderbilt University, the kitschy concrete Parthenon, meat-and-three-sides diners, and chichi wine bars.

Which room to book: Upgrade to a room with additional media offerings, or business amenities, or fitness equipment for less than the cost of a round of drinks.

Hutton Hotel
Tel: 615 340 9333

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See more hotels on Condé Nast Traveler's 2010 Hot List.

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