Guest House at Graceland

Memphis


Intimate in name only, the Guest House, Graceland's new flagship, is a 450-room hunk of burning hotel. Stylish slate-gray standard rooms are spacious, with Dreamcatcher beds, three-sided display clocks, work-station desks and 55in flat-screen TVs. Suites, whose designs were coordinated by Priscilla Presley, all evoke themes from Elvis' life (one features a red-draped TV on the ceiling above the bed!).

But the best thing about the hotel is that the Elvisness of it all is kept subtle. In fact, if you didn't know in advance you'd be hard-pressed to notice that the lobby ceiling replicates the design from one of the King's stage jumpsuits, that 'EP'-initial lampshades flank the room doors (reached by sparkly wallpapered hallways) or that the bar stools in the lobby lounge are swathed in blue suede. A 464-seat state-of-the-art theater (for concerts and Elvis movies), a heart-shaped fire pit on the festive back porch and a pretty upscale sports bar round out the fun.

Heartbreak elements? The $31.25 daily resort fee and a front desk that could be a tad more helpful. The pet fee is $50 per pet per day.


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