Nashville can teach Las Vegas about luring young tourists, experts say

In recent years, Nashville, Tennessee, may have taken one of Las Vegas’ most prized tiaras: Bachelorette parties.

A panel of hospitality experts last week declared Music City is the new capital for groups of women in matching outfits celebrating a friend’s final days before the wedding.

“It’s one of those places where you can’t not have fun,” Gary Dollens, global head of brand development for Hyatt Hotels, said during the Hospitality Design Expo and Conference at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. “It truly is the new Austin.”

Earlier this year, Hyatt opened the nearly 200-room Holston House in downtown Nashville. By the 60-day mark, the property already exceeded performance expectations, Dollens said.

Nashville can expect to hit around 53,000 hotel rooms by 2020, said Bruce Ford, director of global business development for hotel services firm Lodging Econometrics.

“Everybody feels like they have a good project here,” Ford said.

That number may not seem as impressive as Las Vegas’ approximately 125,000 rooms, but what helps Nashville separate itself is an ability to appeal to all age ranges, Dollens said.

What’s more, the city expects a 60 percent growth in available upscale hotel rooms over the next few years. Nashville now has about 7,000 of those type of rooms, Ford said.

The Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. reported a record 14.5 million visitors in 2017, a 4.6 percent increase year over year. The group attributed the increase to more leisure travelers, the solar eclipse and seven concerts by country singer Garth Brooks.

A spokesman for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority did not respond to a request for comment Monday.

Dollens said the growth of Nashville doesn’t take away from Las Vegas. But the valley can still learn from the success of Tennessee’s capital.

Both cities have made gains with the introduction of young professional hockey teams. But gambling can intimidate younger and novice travelers and dissuade them from visiting Las Vegas, Dollens said.

Las Vegas hotel-casinos have invested in and experimented with destination entertainment and attractions to draw younger visitors. But the universal enjoyment of music has made Nashville appeal to visitors in their 20s as well as 60s.

The Strip still needs time to build that reputation, Dollens said.

“It’s where Vegas will go,” he said.

Contact Wade Tyler Millward at wmillward@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4602. Follow @wademillward on Twitter.