NASHVILLE, Tennessee — Opening a new hotel is always a major undertaking for a general manager.
For Shannon Foster of Dolly Parton's upcoming SongTeller Hotel in Nashville, finding the right team to work more than just nine-to-five at the property is her biggest challenge.
"There's a lot of responsibility with selecting the right people to really bring this dream to life, so I think that's probably one of the biggest challenges," Foster said in a video interview at the recent Hotel Data Conference. "Hospitality is certainly alive and well here in Nashville, so there's a lot of interest in these positions, but really finding and selecting the exact right person for each of these key positions is a challenging and exciting opportunity."
Dolly Parton's The SongTeller Hotel is slated to open in downtown Nashville in spring 2026, and the 250-key upper upscale conversion will feature specialty suites, music venues and a special exhibit on Parton's career and life.
"This hotel and Dolly's Life of Many Colors Museum is really Dolly's love letter to Nashville, to thank Nashville and the fans for supporting her over her entire career. I mean, it's almost seven decades of this amazing career that she's had," Foster said.
During a general session at the Hotel Data Conference, Foster talked about how the design of the hotel in some ways will be a direct visual representation of Parton's career.
"On the mirror in the bathroom it says, 'Dear Nashville, I will always love you,' and then heart Dolly,'" she said. "And it's her signature in the mirror. And probably one of my favorite elements of the traditional guestroom is that mural behind the bed, which is somebody's personal collection of Dolly Parton concert tickets that this gentleman donated to the project. And our creative studios team turned it into a mural behind the bed."
Foster said it's been a joy working on the hotel as a project and with Parton, specifically.
"If I get to work with a celebrity, I'm really glad that it's her because she's just so kind and thoughtful and incredibly smart, and she adds really great value to the project," Foster said.
One of the hotel's venues, Jolene — a top-floor lounge — will have a music program that will showcase the city's creativity and talent.
"We're going to have two live entertainment venues, and the offerings that we provide in our live entertainment venues I think will complement what already exists in the city, but it's also different than what already exists in this city," Foster said.
Beyond just being a reflection of Parton's career, Foster said she's hopeful the hotel will be a fun and modern interpretation of Southern hospitality in Nashville. And that includes recognizing the unique reasons tourists come to the bustling and growing entertainment destination city.
When asked how she feels about catering to bachelorette parties — a popular demand segment in Nashville — Foster said she expects hotel demand of all types.
"Well, Dolly loves everyone, so we will welcome everybody to the hotel," she said. "But we do have one special room that I think will be especially appealing to bachelorette parties and divorce parties. ... [Divorce parties] are a thing, and those are actually really fun. They're similar and different [from bachelorettes]. A lot of these people are a little bit further along in their careers and just have a little bit more disposable income."
For more from The SongTeller's Shannon Foster, watch the video above.