When I walked into Dolly Parton’s new SongTeller Hotel in downtown Nashville during its opening week, her legacy captivated me. From top to bottom, every inch was unmistakably hers: the sparkly tiles, airbrushed glamour shots hanging on the walls and the hum of banjos and acoustic guitars playing over the sound system.
Parton's presence commands the entire 11-story building, embodying the “gaudy and flamboyant" style on which she prided herself.
I was lucky enough to be one of the very first guests to stay overnight at the SongTeller. What I found was more than her name slapped onto a place for tourists to stay; it was an authentic ode to the girl from Appalachia who became the Queen of Country Music.
A large patchwork-patterned guitar statue hangs
over the front entrance on the corner of Commerce Street and Third Avenue. After handing my car over to the valet for $65 per night, I walked beneath it, into a pristine lobby lined with screens playing a montage of Parton images and lyrics.
Butterflies hanging from a custom chandelier shimmered over my head as an employee guided me to the second floor for check-in. The hotel seems to prioritize security. No one is allowed entry beyond the lobby without a reservation or express permission from an employee guarding the elevators.
The total for one weeknight's stay in a room with one king bed facing the newly revitalized Second Avenue, Cumberland River and Nissan Stadium was $503. That's higher than downtown Nashville's $331 per night average, but in line with the average 4-star hotel in the area, according to travel site Kayak.
The sound of Parton's twangy voice is a constant. Her hits play throughout the hotel at the top of every hour, screens featuring her most famous performances are projected from the elevator bays on each floor and a peppy "Well, hey there," greets guests from the television as they enter their rooms.
What to do inside Dolly Parton's SongTeller Hotel?
On my way to drop off my bags, I passed a gift shop full of Parton's jewelry, perfume and T-shirt lines, the SongTeller Cafe and the Listening Lounge, where dozens of her albums hang on the walls. There's also a top-floor speakeasy named for Parton's famous fictional rival Jolene.
Then came the star of the show: Parton's Live, the hotel's central performance venue, bar and restaurant on the second floor. Patrons must purchase tickets online or in person at the hotel, and prices range from $39 to $300 depending on what kind of seat you choose and the performer of the night — not including the $25 minimum food and beverage requirement per guest.
I found myself in the least expensive option, sitting on a velvety yellow barstool with tiger stripes.
The food menu included Southern essentials like cornbread biscuits, pimento cheese, brisket, a catch of the day with a green tomato sauce, collard greens and white bean stew. The cocktails were similarly decadent and carried niche references. One is inspired by Dollywood's cinnamon bread, and two others are named for old-school Nashville haunts, The Stock-Yard and Ace of Clubs. The latter was a restaurant between Germantown and downtown owned by Buddy Killen, the producer who helped launch Parton's career. The former was a '90s-era dance club downtown.
Even though I was toward the back of the jewel-toned room, I had no problem hearing Nashville singer-songwriter Emily West belting out her rendition of "I Will Always Love You." At least one table burst into tears as she began the third verse with a heartfelt "I hope life treats you kind."
The former America's Got Talent finalist headlined the debut show at Parton's Live, teasing her blonde hair high in honor of Parton and filling the set list with classics like "Hard Candy Christmas," "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind" and "Real Love" as the crowd danced along with their phones in the air.
Parton once called the music venue "the heartbeat of the hotel," and it certainly felt that way. Behind the stage, windows stretching from floor to ceiling display a perfectly framed view of Lower Broadway, a central driver of Davidson County's $11.6 billion tourism economy. As I looked over Blake Shelton's Ole Red, Luke Bryan's 32 Bridge and Kid Rock's Big Honky Tonk, the country music theme park that is Nashville's core entertainment district came into full view.
And Dolly Parton's SongTeller Hotel rose above all of it, just underneath the city's iconic Batman building.
"A lot of my core memories, Dolly is in them," West said on stage. "I think that's why a lot of us are here."
The SongTeller features plenty of never-before-seen photographs of Parton, guitar-shaped pillows with her signature, Southern food, top-shelf cocktails and multiple entertainment venues showcasing all kinds of talented musicians. Plus, there is a 24-hour fitness center, complimentary dry cleaning, custom $275 bathrobes imported from Turkey and Nashville Tea Co. teas in every room.
But the true allure is in the feeling of staying in a place Parton helped create, the last major project she worked on leading up to her death.
"Dolly's fingerprints are all over this project," Herschend Family Entertainment Regional Director Brian Angello previously said. "She has been in the process every step of the way, and I think that's what makes it really, really special. It's a legacy, and she wants to make sure that it's done right."
In the wake of Parton's death, it became clear just how wide her reach extended, from her Imagination Library helping millions of children learn to read to reinvesting so much of the money she made back into the communities she lived in and loved.
In her birthplace of Sevier County, Parton built Dollywood into a more than $1.8 billion economic engine, and in her chosen home of Nashville, the SongTeller and Life of Many Colors Museum are already attracting hundreds of tourists daily.
When Parton first started working on the SongTeller in 2023, she planned to open the hotel and museum herself, welcoming the public into her world. Now, her vision is left to speak for itself.
The hotel and museum will celebrate their grand opening on Sept. 29.
Hadley Hitson covers business news for The Tennessean. She can be reached at hhitson@tennessean.com. To support their work,subscribe to The Tennessean.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: I stayed at Dolly Parton's SongTeller Hotel. Expect sparkles, music, hospitality
