NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — While many hotel rooms in downtown Nashville were booked up long before the NFL Draft this weekend, there are still some reasonably priced rooms available in the heart of the city.
Hotels in the immediate downtown area currently booked at 92% and expected to sell out, according to the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp.
By comparison, 75% of the 31,545 hotel rooms across all of Davidson County are booked this week, too, according to NCVC data.
Some of the rooms still available are at the DoubleTree by Hilton Nashville Downtown on 4th Avenue.
“We are not quite sold out yet, so we do still have availability,” said DoubleTree’s Director of Sales and Marketing Nathan Henry.
Just in time for the Draft, the DoubleTree has completed a $5 million renovation, including upgrades to its 341 guest rooms.
“We’ve updated our bathrooms with new countertops and lighting,” Henry explained. “In the sleeping area, we’ve provided a new bed, new furniture, [and] added some lighting. We’ve also added refrigerators.”
Henry said they are ready to welcome an influx of visitors for the Draft.
“We are very excited — lots of plans are going into place in preparation [so] that it’s a great experience not only for your normal travelers but also for the people coming for the NFL Draft,” Henry said. “We are very excited to have them come into town.”
According to Henry, rooms as his hotel cost about $300 a night on average, but visitors planning to stay in Music City for multiple nights tend to save a little more.
“The longer the stay the more affordable price,” he said. “Kind of like buying in bulk.”
While the DoubleTree is known for their signature, warm-cookie welcome, Henry said they are stepping up their treat game for those coming for the Draft — just one more way they can assure guests get the “Nashville experience.”
“We are going to have some activities in place to make sure people enjoy the experience of it all,” Henry explained. “We are going to put some extra amenities in the rooms — some food and beverage items — to make their stay more comfortable.”
He hopes the Draft weekend will not only mean more business for their hotel this weekend but continues to spur tourism growth across all of Music City in the future.
“If they see that it goes well, it sets the stage for the Super Bowl and for soccer leagues and other major events that Nashville has not been able to house before,” he said.
The NCVC says there are 21 new hotels with a combined total of 3,110 rooms scheduled to open this year in Nashville.
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