During our time in East Nashville, we decided to spend our nights in a remodeled and repurposed church named The Russell. The Russell is nestled in a beautiful urban up and coming neighborhood boasting young and mature families. Walking up to The Russell your attention is instantly drawn to the huge stained glass windows on the side and front of the building, letting you know that this is definitely a 115-year-old church, but then after you can tear your eyes away from the beautiful windows you then notices the beautiful mural painted along the fence.

As you enter the building your eyes immediately scan the room, not knowing where to land. The bright colors and eclectic furniture invites a young and hip crowd and makes you feel more welcomed. The wall of the hanging tapestry and the exposed beams only enhance the beauty of the original structure. Although being a 115-year-old church, The Russell now hosts 23 guest rooms, all boasting unique designs, and layouts repurposed for comfort and an enjoyable stay. One of the cool things that amazed me while staying here, was the beauty of the original church that could still be seen throughout the entire property; from the huge stained glass windows as you are walking up. To the exposed beams in the ceilings as you walked into this beautiful lobby of the building.

Once you make it past the lobby and into your rooms, you are once again mesmerized by the cute and quaint feel that rooms have. Our room in particular was located on the first floor, straight to the back. And although the room was only 200 odd square feet or so it really had a nice calming effect on us. The walls were painted a pretty shade of baby blue and the bed was lovely (a King) with nice fluffy and supportive pillows. When walking into the bathroom, I was even more taken aback ( in a good way) by the funky orange-colored tile and the black fixtures. I definitely had never seen another hotel rock these colors the way The Russell does.

Overall our time there was amazing. I especially liked how safe it was being that you had specific key codes to enter into, not only the hotel itself but into your room. Not only did they have safe locks but they were also COVID-19 aware. They had signs up everywhere encouraging you to wear masks as you enter/exit the building and if you were in the shared space. I would definitely recommend The Russell to any of my friends traveling into the East Nashville area. Not only would you be getting to stay next to the heart of Nashville, with Music City within a twenty-minute car ride but you’re also located near a bunch of delicious restaurants within walking distance from the hotel. Another cool and amazing bonus to staying at The Russell is that they believe in giving back to their community. A heavy majority of The Russell’s proceeds are gifted to local homeless ministries that help to feed, clothe, and shelter the homeless and the less fortunate. How cool is that? Especially in today’s world, I believe that we need more people and business owners like the people who run and make The Russell as amazing as it is.

I give The Russell 5 MG stars and I highly highly recommend this hotel. I cannot stress enough how awesome this place is.

– Blog review by Marissa Smith available on MindingGemini blog.