Nashville continued to push forward with large-scale development projects in 2009, signaling long-term confidence in the city’s growth.
The Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency selected Phelps Portman Nashville LLC to develop a 1,000-room convention center headquarters hotel adjacent to the planned Music City Center.
A Major Component of Downtown Expansion
The hotel was designed to play a central role in the convention district.
Plans included approximately 100,000 square feet of meeting space, along with retail and restaurant components. This type of mixed-use integration is essential for supporting convention activity and attracting large-scale events.
Economic Impact Through Job Creation
Projects of this scale generate both short-term and long-term economic benefits.
Construction was expected to employ up to 800 workers at peak activity, while ongoing operations would support approximately 725 full-time jobs after completion. These employment effects contribute directly to local economic stability and growth.
Why a Headquarters Hotel Matters
Convention centers depend on adjacent hotel capacity.
A large headquarters hotel allows cities to host major conferences and events that require significant room inventory within close proximity. Without this infrastructure, convention centers often struggle to compete for national and international events.
Development During a Challenging Market
The timing of this project is notable.
In 2009, many real estate sectors were still stabilizing. However, long-term public and institutional projects continued to move forward, reflecting confidence in Nashville’s economic trajectory and future demand.
Broader Implications for Real Estate
Large-scale developments influence multiple segments of the market.
Increased convention activity can drive tourism, business travel, and job growth, all of which support demand for residential, retail, and commercial real estate in surrounding areas.
Historical Context
This announcement represents a key step in the development of Nashville’s modern downtown core.
While the housing market was still working through the effects of the downturn, infrastructure investments like the convention center and hotel positioned the city for future growth.
Why This Still Matters Today
Major infrastructure projects often shape long-term real estate trends.
They influence where businesses locate, where people choose to live, and how cities evolve. Nashville’s continued investment in its downtown core has been a major factor in its growth over the past decade.
For a broader look at how development and economic investment shape real estate demand, explore Nashville commercial real estate trends.
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Design and development currently are underway for the convention center building, and the selection of this team will now get the hotel under way which is a good way.
November 23, 2009, 8:54 am
Design and development currently are underway for the convention center building, and the selection of this team will now get the hotel under way which is a good way.
May 13, 2010, 1:09 am
The Phelps Portman team has completed more than 30 LEED certified projects and this hotel also will be highly energy efficient in the world while i think it is expanding in india.
May 13, 2010, 6:09 am
The Phelps Portman team has completed more than 30 LEED certified projects and this hotel also will be highly energy efficient in the world while i think it is expanding in india.
May 27, 2010, 10:22 am
Design and development currently are underway for the convention center building, and the selection of this team will now get the hotel under way is quite best way to do so.
May 27, 2010, 1:42 pm
It's really absurd that that Metro isn't finding a way to reach agreement with Tower to secure the preferred hotel site. Regardless of when they finally start to build they need to know where it will go ASAP. Not nailing this down now does a few really bad things. First, the MCC project is required to spend lots of design $$'s figuring out the 3 other options where a hotel could go. This significant cost would be better spent on bridging the $ gap between Metro and Tower. Second, they have now passed or are rapidly approaching the point where they must commit to a final MCC design without knowing with certainty where the hotel will be. This is effectively cutting the design baby in half (or thirds). By leaving all options (hotel location) on the table for down the road they'll almost certainly incur inefficiency and loss of functionality forever in the final design. And given the value of the MCC the monetary costs associated with loss of function will be many multiples of the dispute over value they're having with Tower over the land price. Maybe this is what happens when you install a committee with no development experience to oversee the outcome. I hope I'm wrong.
May 31, 2010, 4:09 am
I agree with you Falcon. Some of the local folks who may or may not be on the MCC committee appear to have a beef with the Marks leadership, but I don’t see a good reason to continue this adversarial approach. The second best location for this hotel is the Baptist surface lot on the north side of the MCC, but it seems as though the church has absolutely no intension of giving up its parking lot at any price. This leaves us back on Tower’s site. Perhaps the Marks family could extend a public olive branch even though it’s not their turn to do so? They’ve been very quiet lately. The other question is: why don’t they simply develop a hotel themselves?
June 4, 2010, 9:32 am
The Phelps Portman group has been involved with the development of 10 hotels with 1,000 or more rooms, including the 1,190-room Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel, which recently opened on time and on budget to rave reviews.
June 9, 2010, 11:18 am
I think its good if this 1,000-room hotel will make the reservation and stay to a cheap and affordable price at their first launch opening so that many people can try the new hotel. As soon as the hotel earn and progress more, its time for the management to increase the fee or they may do so is to increase the fee if there is a special holiday. In that way I guess it will boom its hotel business.
June 19, 2010, 1:20 am
That development will be a great opportunity for the tourism aspect to be boost because there will be a another hotel that can accommodate thousands of guest at the same time. The best thing to do then is that the owner must train well those who works in that hotel so that they can do a good services for a numerous number of guest so that they will keep on back and forth on that hotel.
July 1, 2010, 10:08 am
Phelps Portman is composed of Phelps Development,a subsidiary of Hensel Phelps Construction Company, a leading construction company while there are other source of finance available in the blog.
July 2, 2010, 6:34 am
The Phelps Portman group has been involved with the development of 10 hotels with 1,000 or more rooms which is quite good to share in the blog.
July 2, 2010, 7:32 am
Design and development currently are underway for the convention center building
July 6, 2010, 5:57 am
The Phelps Portman team has completed more than 30 LEED certified projects and this hotel also will be highly energy efficient in doing it more.