The Bristol Hotel

Restoring Bristol, Virginia’s historic 1925 architectural landmark, The Bristol Hotel opened last October within the city’s former downtown Executive Plaza building as the first and only boutique hotel in the area reflective of the eclectic mountain city’s industrial roots, musical soul and adventurous Appalachian spirit.

Straddling the state lines of Virginia and Tennessee, the 65-room property is located adjacent to the Smithsonian-accredited Birthplace of Country Music Museum and features historic design elements from the 1920s including exposed brick with original pressed lettering, the former hand-crank elevator displayed in the lobby and Roman-arched entryways. Keeping true to Bristol’s local roots, visitors can fully immerse in the Tri-City experience with personalized curated hikes along the Appalachian Trail, wildcrafting classes led by local herbalists and interactive banjo sessions. In tandem with Southern Appalachia’s culinary boom, the hotel also features the city’s first rooftop bar, Lumac, offering panoramic views of the nearby Blue Ridge Mountains, a lobby bar boasting elevated Southern bites and hand-crafted cocktails, as well as a street-side restaurant, Vivian's Table which showcases the region’s traditional scratch-made cuisine and local bounty. Hotel highlights include:

Refreshed Southern Architecture:

Built within the town's former Executive Plaza, the hotel's redesign still embodies the 1920's southern architecture that can be seen throughout most of Bristol's downtown. Parts of the building's original structure and design elements remain in the newly renovated space including interior columns and vintage doors in the guest room hallways.

Meeting Rooms

Tell a Story: In addition to the pre-function events space being housed within the building’s former ‘Arcade’, the hotel’s meeting spaces are named after impactful members of Bristol's history. The Reynolds Boardroom is named after the original hotel structure's builder, Dr. Hardin Reynolds, while The King Ballroom and The Shelby Ballroom honor the town’s original owners, James King, and Evan Shelby.

Wood, Metal and Glass Design Elements:

Reflecting Bristol's major industries, the hotel has incorporated wood, metal, and glass features throughout each guest room and common area. The ground floor bar and Vivian’s Table boast dark wood and metal accents, while the lobby features a front desk made of recycled glass and a locally-produced hanging glass sculpture made from vintage soda bottles.

L.C. King, one of America’s longest family-run denim companies based in Bristol, will produce the denim railroad conductor pattern cloth found on the seats of the chairs in the hotel’s regionally-inspired Appalachian restaurant, Vivian’s Table.

Authentic Flooring:

Footprints made by employees of the original Executive Plaza building can be found on the polished concrete floor of the lobby bar.

Railroad-Inspired Furnishings:

Mirroring the major historic railroad that runs through Bristol, the guest rooms feature train-inspired furnishings including decorative train lanterns and the carpet will embody train track-like designs.