Courtyard by Marriott Nashville Vanderbilt/West End — Hotel in Nashville-Davidson

I travel a lot for both work and leisure, and I’ve stayed at countless hotels across the country, but rarely do I encounter someone who leaves as strong of a positive impression as Nancy, the valet attendant at the Courtyard by Marriott. I honestly don’t even know where to start because she goes so far above and beyond what you’d expect that I feel compelled to write this very long review just to do her justice.

From the moment I pulled up to the property, Nancy greeted me with the warmest smile. You know how sometimes hotel staff will give you the polite “welcome” but it feels a little robotic? This was the complete opposite. She radiates genuine kindness, like she actually enjoys helping people and takes pride in setting the tone for your stay. Before I could even finish getting out of the car, she was already offering assistance with my bags, making sure I felt comfortable, and explaining exactly how the valet process worked in a way that was clear, efficient, and somehow cheerful at the same time.

What struck me the most wasn’t just her professionalism, though that’s absolutely top-notch—it was her attention to detail and her memory. On my second day, before I even said a word, she greeted me BY NAME, asked me how I was enjoying my stay so far, and even remembered that I had mentioned I was in town for both meetings and a little sightseeing. She then went out of her way to give me a couple of local recommendations that weren’t just the generic tourist spots, but actual insider suggestions that turned out to be amazing. That’s the kind of personal touch you can’t teach—it’s just who she is.

Every single time I came or went from the hotel, Nancy was consistently upbeat, efficient, and accommodating. Need your car brought around quickly? She somehow makes it happen. Have heavy bags? She’s already helping before you even have to ask. Unsure about directions? She’ll pull up the info and make sure you leave confident about where you’re headed. She somehow balances being incredibly fast and organized with being genuinely friendly—it never feels rushed, and it never feels forced.

And I have to point out: valet jobs can often go unrecognized. People are quick to notice when something goes wrong, but when everything is seamless, it’s easy to overlook. But in Nancy’s case, her work deserves recognition. She isn’t just doing a job—she’s elevating the entire experience of staying at the Courtyard by Marriott. Honestly, I’ve stayed at five-star hotels where the service didn’t feel this personal or this consistently excellent.

By the end of my trip, I felt like I had a friend at the hotel. It wasn’t just a transactional “give me my keys” situation—it was someone who genuinely cared about making my stay smoother, easier, and more enjoyable. That type of energy is infectious, too. I noticed other guests being put in a better mood just from interacting with her. She sets the tone not only for the guest experience but also, I imagine, for her coworkers, because that kind of positivity rubs off.

I could honestly go on and on, but here’s the bottom line: Nancy is the type of employee who makes you want to come back to this specific Courtyard by Marriott, even if there are other hotels in the area. Her professionalism, kindness, attention to detail, and genuine warmth transform what could be just a “standard hotel stay” into something memorable. If management sees this review, please recognize her, reward her, and do whatever it takes to keep her on your team—because she’s the type of person who makes your brand shine.

If you’re thinking about staying here, know that the hotel itself is solid, clean, and comfortable, but the real secret ingredient is Nancy at valet. She is an absolute rockstar, and I can’t thank her enough for making my trip so much smoother and more enjoyable than I expected. Five stars all the...

The Courtyard Marriott at 1901 West End Ave, Nashville September, Friday- Tuesday in a Suite overlooking the pool. Bedroom Room was comfortable. Living Room space- sparse but functional. Refrigerator, sink, coffee maker- table for 2. Patio, roomy enough to sit out on and enjoy listening to the music from Division Street. Bathroom spacious. Love the large soap/shampoo/conditioner dispensers, instead of the tiny individual ones. Could use to clean the back of hairdryers of the accumulated dust, which causes it to shut off when too hot. Staff friendly and accommodating. Due to no service to rooms unless requested, the staff quickly accommodated my requests for coffee and towels. The Location is good if you want to visit the bars on Division Street, one block over- which were packed with young local people. Lots of restaurants, not easily noticeable, to choose from. A nice upscale Italian restaurant hidden away. Whole Foods is a mile walk. Shell gas station is a 1/2 mile walk for bottled water and other snacks. Although the hotel has a little snack area, they were out of water the evening I arrived but was replenished the next day.

The hotel has an area to have drinks but didn’t feel inviting at all. The hotel also has areas you can sit inside on sofas and chairs plus watch tv and an area to sit outside.

The bars on Broadway in the Downtown area are a 2 mile walk. An Uber for 3 was $25.00. The hotel did not offer a shuttle.

Overall a nice hotel to stay in, but I would have rather been closer to Downtown, so I could go in and out of the hotel to visit Broadway Street whenever I pleased without a long walk or Uber costs. The hotel does have major construction going on next door to them, although hardly any noise while I was there, due to rain. One note-be Weary- at the airport when I told the taxi driver where I was going he charged me $40.00 flat rate because he said midtown is further than Downtown. Midtown is closer to airport than Downtown- a 15 minute drive. My sister was charged $30.00 from another Taxi driver at airport to same hotel. On the return to the airport, the taxi driver only charged us $25.00 which is what the Nashville...

The hotel was clean and adequate. However I had a rather negative encounter with one of the front desk clerks.

It was late at night- probably almost 1 in the morning, and my key card was not working to get into my room, for whatever reason. I was sure that I had my room number right, but wanted to make sure to avoid knocking on the wrong door, so I visited the lobby to verify the room number with of the staffers. I saw one wandering in the lounge area and asked me what I needed and I told her I needed to verify that I had my room number right. She waddled very slowly to the desk, and in a way I had a feeling this might be an unpleasant experience. The two ladies stared blankly at me before asking, “Sir, have you been drinking?” I found this odd and was quite perplexed. Yes, I had a few drinks earlier but not enough to impair my thought processes. But what an inappropriate and irrelevant question to ask. I was there for help, not to be questioned for my choices. I merely dismissed it, and asked if the room number I thought was the correct room. She proceeded to ask for my ID, another thing I found odd, since I had already given the name for the room. I took out my ID to show them and they made absolutely no attempt to take it from my hand and stared blankly at me until I slid my ID under the plexiglass window to the desk right in front of the clerk. Then instead of looking at it, she asked, “Why did you throw your ID at me?” I quickly responded, “I did not throw it, and you made no attempt to take it from me.” She gave me another blank stare. Then she literally said nonchalantly, “I’m not giving your ID back.” What?? This really threw me off guard so I very uncomfortably had to reach around the window to take back MY ID that was right in front of her. I am a government employee, so I exhibit great patience when dealing with incompetent people. However, this is no way to treat a paying customer. It was such a weird situation that I did not know what to think of it, so I’m writing this review to let it be known that some of the workers here do not exercise professionalism in the workplace and treat other...