The Great Gatsby Comes to Life at Louisville’s Seelbach Hotel
The Historic Hotel Celebrates Connections to the Novel Ahead of its 100th Anniversary
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Jan. 15, 2025): Louisville’s oldest operating hotel is celebrating its rich history with a newly unveiled Great Gatsby suite ahead of the novel’s centenary this April. Opened in 1905, the Seelbach Hotel has a storied past with a guest list that includes former U.S. Presidents, Academy Award winners, and famous musicians. F. Scott Fitzgerald, author of the classic American novel The Great Gatsby, is said to have frequented the hotel to imbibe in its infamous Rathskeller while on break from Louisville’s Camp Taylor, where he was stationed in 1918 during World War I.
In honor of The Great Gatsby’s 100th anniversary on April 10, 2025, the Seelbach Hilton Hotel has unveiled a newly renovated two-room suite embellished with Art Deco décor reflecting the opulence, bold colors, and glamour of the era. Designed by Louisville native Terra B. Nelson, founder of boutique consulting firm T.B. Nelson Hospitality Design, the two rooms of the suite were designed to highlight the dichotomy between The Great Gatsby characters Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchannan.
In the Daisy-inspired bedroom, guests will find the look of established old money of Tom and Daisy: lavish but delicate. The room features a pair of gold peacock table lamps, a 1920s Victorian settee, and a vintage phone covered in a string of pearls. In the connected Gatsby Lounge, guests will get the feel of new money, with over-the-top design, plush velvet armchairs, and an Art Deco dresser turned mini bar. The first thing that will catch guests’ eye when entering the lounge is the gold luxurious textile adorning the ceiling, which converges at the center of the room on a three-tiered crystal chandelier.
“In order to get people talking, you have to give them something to talk about, and one of the best ways to do that is by creating spaces that go beyond functionality and aesthetics to offer vivid and unforgettable experiences,” said Terra B. Nelson, designer, and Founder of T.B. Nelson Hospitality Design. “We were able to add some really nice vintage pieces, a few sourced from my personal collection, and others sourced from local antique dealers. One of my favorite features that brings the rooms together is the vintage green light that hangs by the door leading into the Daisy bedroom. The green light at the end of Daisy’s dock is a recurring theme in the book, always calling Gatsby to her.”
Other Easter eggs that The Great Gatsby fans may notice can be found throughout the suite. Find hints of the book’s characters and places on the walls, featuring photos of F. Scott Fitzgerald, Tom Buchannan, and Jay Gatsby, as well as coastal art representing the fictional towns of East and West Egg. A pearl necklace draped over a vintage telephone pays homage to the incessant always-ringing phone that recurs in the book and films. Guests will also find a variety of Art Deco design books and, of course, copies of The Great Gatsby.
The Seelbach’s Great Gatsby Suite will officially be available to book on the hotel’s website beginning February 1. For guests who want to experience more of the hotel’s opulent history, the Hilton property provides free hotel tours at 4:30pm on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. The tour includes facts about the hotel’s 120-year history, with stops in the Oakroom, where Al Capone was said to have played cards, The Grand Ballroom, which Fitzgerald penned as the location of Tom and Daisy’s lavish June wedding, and the Rathskellar, a one-of-a-kind historic space that was a USO during World War I and where Fitzgerald is to said have imbibed during his time off.
For food and beverage options, guests can visit the hotel’s in-house breakfast spot, Gatsby’s on Fourth, for an East Egg or West Egg omelet. Or, stop into the Old Seelbach Bar for a Seelbach Cocktail, a decades-old Prohibition-era-inspired libation that mixes Bourbon, champagne, and orange liqueur. The bar has also announced three new Jazz Age-inspired cocktails coming to the menu this spring with the addition of the Jay Bird, Jazzhound, and Angry Diamond.
To make reservations for the Seelbach Hilton Hotel’s Great Gatsby Suite, or for more information on the hotel’s history, visit www.seelbachhilton.com. For information on upcoming The Great Gatsby-themed events, tours, and other information on Gatsby’s guide to Louisville, visit www.gotolouisville.com/Gatsby.