Without overhead cabinets, you don't have a "natural" stopping point.

While a lot of people tend to want the backsplash to extend from the countertop to the bottom of the overhead cabinets, it is at least worth considering to use only a single row of tiles as a backsplash and paint the area above that. That makes it easier not only to hang items such as spice and S&P shelves and/or knife holders and/or colorful trivets but easier to change the look of the kitchen as well by repainting the painted surface.

Without overhead cabinets, the single row backsplash would likely be the better choice.

The area above your stove top would, of course, need extra attention.

One afterthought: if you're going to have a "window wall", the bottom of your windowsills could be the "natural" stopping point for your backsplash.

This is the range hood.

My contractor thinks we should put tiles up one row past the hood and I was thinking up to the bottom of the hood...

You could stop the tiles at the bottom of the hood (my preference).

Another option could be to stop the tiles --- adding a curved cap for the tiles -- a couple of inches higher beside the short straight sides of the hood at its bottom but not beside the slope.

Why not tile all the way to the ceiling? I dislike the look where tiles end in a straight line with another feature. Like the bottom of a hood or the top of a door frame. For the same reason you don't hang a picture even with the top of a window. It makes a line that you eye is drawn to but not for a good reason.

You could also frame an area to give your backsplash some boundries.

Don't put a single line of tile as a splash. That will look dinky and cheap.

Behind the hood, tile all the way to the ceiling could, I suppose, work -- if it is the right (easily cleanable) tile; however, I'd much rather have a solid sheet of stainless steel from stove top to ceiling behind the hood.