Arrive Hotel / Holly Whitfield
New & Wish-List Hotels for Your Next Stay in Memphis
New lodging options are springing up left and right, making 2020 the perfect time to visit Memphis. Let’s take a look at what’s new, what’s in the works and what’s unique as ever to help you book your perfect stay in the Bluff City.
New hotels for 2020
Central Station
Once one of Memphis’ busiest train stations, this gorgeous historic building now welcomes hotel guests. Imagine: You check in at the old station lobby. Retire to a room with sweeping windows that frame your view of retro South Main Street and downtown Memphis. Then see what’s happening throughout the Art Deco train station—try Bishop restaurant, one of Vogue's most anticipated American restaurants of 2020, for French cuisine with a southern flair, grab a drink at the Memphis-themed Eight and Sand bar (target weekend evenings to hear a DJ spinning Memphis-connected music from the "album wall") and catch a flick at the new state-of-the-art movie theater, Malco Powerhouse.
Arrive
This 1916 warehouse (and former Memphis College of Art space), located in downtown’s vibrant South Main Historic Arts District, was a spot-on choice for the fifth hotel in Arrive’s ultra-creative portfolio. From Hustle and Dough’s coffee and legendary toast to Bar Hustle’s delicious craft cocktails—and don’t forget the shuffleboard bar, Longshot—Arrive Hotel is Memphis’ new one-of-a-kind hangout spot.
Moxy
Check-in and receive a poker chip that’s good for a snack or drinks onsite. Join a game on the bocce ball court, then lounge at the bar or around a firepit. Social spaces like these, combined with hip rooms and a prime location on downtown’s Court Square, make this Marriott concept one to check into this year.
Hotel Indigo
You won’t be able to miss this new façade on the downtown scene: a modular design robed in white and glass, then embellished with LED lighting and bold yellow accents. Featuring an upscale diner (3rd & Court) and a unique retro bar in the diner's basement, as well as a central pool and some rockin’ tributes to Memphis’ legendary music scene, you have to see Hotel Indigo’s modern take on the soul of Memphis.
Hu. Hotel
Though its Beaux Arts-style building was designed as a bank in 1905, it’s served as a hotel before. Only now, all 110 rooms (including 44 suites) have been updated, local touches like Phillip Ashley chocolate bars for guests have been added and the new restaurant—the upscale Hu. Diner—joins a rooftop bar starring iconic downtown views.
Hilton Garden Inn
Located in the lobby of the new Hilton Garden Inn, The Greyhound—Memphis’ first gin bar—has excited locals and travelers alike! The bar, which was named in homage to the former Greyhound Bus Station which sat where the hotel now stands, offers over 50 varieties of gin. These local touches and modern amenities—such as a luxury indoor pool and Hilton Honors app check-in and digital room keys—make this popular hotel chain a unique option for your stay in downtown Memphis.
You haven't seen Graceland like this before!
Unique-as-ever stays
These accommodations have the city buzzing, having already earned a reputation as bucket-list stays for travelers to Memphis.
The Guest House at Graceland
With the opening of this luxury resort in 2016, you can stay steps away from the most famous rock ‘n’ roll residence in the world. The Guest House combines Southern charm with Elvis’ swagger—suites were designed under Priscilla Presley’s direction—to create a stay with one-of-a-kind glam, four onsite restaurants and easy access to Graceland Mansion and the new Elvis Presley’s Memphis entertainment complex.
Big Cypress Lodge
Relax at a luxury spa, take in stunning views of downtown and the Mississippi River on glass-bottom observation decks, and lounge at the all-new 7,000-square-foot patio bar, The Mississippi Terrace at the Pyramid. You can do all this and more when you stay at Big Cypress Lodge, the hotel inside Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid (which both opened in 2015). Rooms and suites resemble treehouses—plus cozy fireplaces and, in some cases, porches that overlook an indoor cypress swamp, alligator pool, aquariums, restaurants and an aquatic-themed bowling alley.
Hotel Napoleon
Downtown’s historic Winchester Building was beautifully restored to launch this 58-room boutique hotel in 2016. Today, marble, wood, glass and stainless steel accentuate original design elements, creating a rich, luxe vibe, echoed in the offerings at the onsite Luna Restaurant and Bar. Stop in at dinner for seasonal tapas and craft cocktails.
James Lee House
The Lee family moved into this mansion on Memphis’ Millionaires’ Row in 1890. In 2014, after a meticulous restoration, another local family opened it as a bed-and-breakfast on the east side of downtown. Guests are treated to gourmet breakfasts, five well-decorated suites to choose from (each featuring luxe linens and spa-inspired private bathrooms), a lush parlor and art gallery space.
River Inn of Harbor Town
This spot on Mud Island, a residential enclave in north downtown, is all charm: Gas lanterns, wrought iron and flowering window boxes invite you in, where 28 rooms and suites await with Mississippi River views and posh amenities from linens to bathrobes. Listen to live piano music in the lobby before doing dinner at any of three restaurants onsite—Paulette’s is a longtime local-favorite for French cuisine while the rooftop Terrace specializes in small plates and panoramic views.
Talbot Heirs Guesthouse
Look for the colorfully painted door in the heart of downtown Memphis to discover this hidden gem in plain sight. Inside, eight suites feel more like studio apartments, outfitted with kitchenettes generously stocked with staples, indoor and/or outdoor seating areas and an eclectic mix of bold paint colors, local art and other surprises (one suite houses a baby grand piano!). The cozy set-up and friendly owners will make you feel right at home.
Add these Memphis hotels to your wish list
If you’re already feeling spoiled with options, consider this: Everyone’s talking about the next generation of hotel projects emerging in Memphis, including:
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A second 500-plus-room hotel for the Renasant Convention Center (to go along with Sheraton Memphis Downtown) by Loews Hotels, scheduled to open in September of 2022.
- At least three more boutique properties scheduled to open in 2020, including Aloft downtown, the Memphian in the Overton Square Entertainment District and Canopy by Hilton downtown across from AutoZone Park (home of the Memphis Redbirds and 901FC).
- One mixed-use development, One Beale, to feature two hotels—including the Hyatt Centric—as well as Mississippi River views (estimated completion: 2020).
- One billion-dollar mixed-use development, Union Row, to feature two hotels and views of AutoZone Park (estimated completion: 2021).
- The $47 million redevelopment of the DoubleTree located downtown at the corner of Union Ave. and B.B. King Blvd. (estimated completion: 2021).
