Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Nashville – Opryland

Guests at this Holiday Inn Express are greeted in a spacious lobby that includes a distinctive living room-like area with multi-color carpet, burnt orange walls, a gas fireplace framed by granite, music-themed artwork, and clusters of designer-quality, oversized armchairs. The open and spacious dining area is equally nice, with two-story, square black columns with sconces, black wood chairs with green upholstered pads, red bench seating along an outer wall, floor-to-ceiling windows, and colorful carpeting. The dining area is busy on most mornings, but it handles the crowd without feeling cramped. It includes a casual sitting area with black leather armchairs facing a flat-screen TV in a large black bookcase. With its free shuttle service to the Grand Ole Opry and Gaylord Opryland Resort, this hotel is popular with both music fans and people attending conferences at Gaylord’s convention center. 

The Holiday Inn Express is located just off busy Briley Parkway, about a 20-minute drive to downtown Nashville. It's across the main road that leads to Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center, which is a three-minute drive or 15-minute walk. The hotel operates a free shuttle service to Gaylord as well as to the Nashville International Airport, which is a 15- to 20-minute drive away. Nearby attractions include the Grand Ole Opry, Opry Mills Shopping Center, and General Jackson Showboat, all of which are about a five-minute drive. But most of the attractions in downtown Nashville are approximately a 15- to 20-minute drive, including Nissan Stadium, Tennessee State Capitol, Bridgestone Arena, Music City Center, Printer’s Alley, Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum, and Music City Walk of Fame Park. The hotel operates a shuttle service downtown for a fee. Vanderbilt University is about a 20-minute drive, as is the Hermitage Farm. Gaylord Springs Golf Links can be reached in six minutes by car. There are a few restaurants within a five-minute walk, and several others a short drive away.

The clean and quiet guest rooms feature pleasant decor -- if a bit bland and chainlike -- in a beige-and-gold color palette with burnt orange accents seen on bed runners topping crisp white linens and accent walls. Framed modern art add a bit more color, while king or queen beds are framed by large headboards. Dark brown furniture includes nightstands, desks with media plug-ins and office chairs, and dressers that hold coffeemakers, microwaves, mini-fridges, and 32-inch flat-screen TVs. Bathrooms continue the color scheme with gold patterned wallpaper, light tan granite-topped vanities, beige tile on the floor, and beige inserts framing the shower/tub combos. Suites are significantly larger and have separate sitting areas with sofa beds and flat-screen TVs as well as dining nooks with tables and chairs, plus wet bars. Some suites have whirlpool tubs outside of the bathroom. Speaker phones with voicemail and free Wi-Fi are standard. Views are primarily of the busy streets below. 

The hotel has a lovely heated indoor pool as well as a small fitness center equipped with various cardio and weight-training machines and free weights. Though there is no restaurant or bar on-site, a hot breakfast is included in the rates, plus there's a small convenience shop that sells snacks, beverages, sundries, and microwaveable entrees. There are two meeting rooms and a 24-hour business center with Internet access, two computer stations, and a printer. Same-day dry cleaning is offered, and coin-operated laundry facilities are also on-site. The hotel runs a free shuttle to the airport, Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center, and General Jackson Showboat. Paid shuttle service that travels downtown can also be arranged. Free Wi-Fi is accessible throughout the hotel.