Spent a few days here. Overall: this is a nicely designed new property in a relatively quiet location, but still convenient to downtown. Geographically, it's about midway between the Grand Hyatt and the Thompson on foot (kind of hard to estimate given the curves and upper/lower level streets around the Gulch) and about a 15 minute car ride from the airport without traffic. Others have complained about the parking situation; there seems to be some confusion about whether parking is valet only or not. I was on foot or using transit the whole time so I can't speak to that.
I would stay here again. The distance from the crazier parts of downtown Nashville is nice for the quiet, while still being close enough to walk to most places quickly. You can get some noise from the nearby roads, but I don't think that's avoidable anywhere in Nashville at this point; the Tin Can Muffler Crowd seems to be growing.
Check-in: no wait on a Friday evening. Very friendly and efficient welcome. Front desk staff told me that the water bottles that come with Explorist status were already in the room and gave me a quick rundown of the hotel. Elevators are the type where you tap your key card, then your floor number and it tells you which car to use, which is highly preferable to not realizing you need your key card until you're already in the elevator as everyone seems to fumble for it and hold things up.
Ended up with a king room on a high floor. Not much of a view, but good light. Was surprised to find a handwritten welcome note recognizing Explorist status and a gift of flavored popcorn (certainly not expected, but a nice touch). Rooms aren't over-large, but it was plenty of space for me. Single-cup coffee maker plus a mini fridge in the room. The layout is well thought out, and the bathroom - oh, the bathroom! FINALLY, a hotel bathroom designed by someone who has actually used one. Nicely sized shower stall with a door that keeps all the water IN the shower instead of all over the floor; a towel hook right next to the shower door instead of clear across the room; a good-sized vanity and good lighting. Shower water pressure was the only slight negative. Not terrible, just not great. But it did have decent fixtures, both a fixed showerhead and a hand-held wand. Apotheke shampoo/conditioner/wash products.
Some folks have complained about the HVAC in the rooms. Mine was set to 63 on A/C when I arrived (yikes!) but I set it to 68 on auto and it came up to temp nicely. On another day, though, I set it to 70 and it never got there, so this may be something they still have to figure out. One thing I liked: you can set the fan speed manually and have it stay on continuously, which I appreciate as it's a good white noise source. The thermostat display is always on, though, and can be a bit bright while trying to sleep at night.
Breakfast is available in the ground floor lobby. Nothing fancy, but there are some decent options and the prices are reasonable. Coffee is hit or miss. The same area serves as a bar and offers bites at dinner. There's a small fitness area on the second floor that I did not use.
Staff is very friendly and helpful. This was my first time staying at a Caption property and I was pretty happy for the price, especially while they're doing new-hotel-discounted rates.
I'd say the Centric location in Nashville has a similar vibe and a slightly more convenient location if you're looking to quickly walk to downtown (plus the pool and outside deck area) but if you don't mind walking a bit further and aren't looking for club access/fanciness, this is a nice option.
This is one of the better designed hotel bathrooms I've seen in the last year, including in five-star properties. Simple and functional beats fancy but poorly thought out.
