The Guest House at Graceland Offers Luxurious Suites and Elvis-Inspired Décor at New 450-Room Memphis Resort

Published On: October 19th, 2016

From its southern colonial exterior to 20 specialty suites with designs supervised by Priscilla Presley, the design and décor at The Guest House at Graceland® is inspired by Elvis Presley’s™ personal style and his iconic Memphis mansion.  The 450-room, world-class hotel offers luxury accommodations with truly southern hospitality and service.

“Our guests will enjoy a luxurious resort experience as well as the celebrated southern hospitality for which Elvis was known and loved,” said Jerry Jensen, vice president of sales and marketing for The Guest House at Graceland.

The Guest House, situated just steps away from Graceland® mansion, has been named by Travel Weekly, Business Insider and The Points Guy travel blog as one of the most anticipated hotel openings worldwide in 2016.  The Sydney Morning Herald in Australia, listed The Guest House as one of the 16 most exciting hotel openings worldwide in 2016 – the only U.S. hotel to receive this recognition.

Since opening, the hotel has received numerous accolades for its design and décor, from the Lobby to guest rooms and suites and meeting spaces.

The Guest House at Graceland was designed by Hnedak Bobo Group (HBG) based in Memphis, one of the top leading hospitality design firms in the country. DreamCatcher Hotels, a Memphis-based hotel brand known for its innovative approach to the hotel experience, has overseen development of the resort and managed the design and construction of the Graceland-inspired architecture and interiors, including the themed suites, guest rooms, restaurants and meeting spaces.

“We put our very best thinking and planning into every detail of this property,” said Greg Hnedak, CEO of DreamCatcher Hotels, the firm that developed The Guest House.

“The hotel easily fits right into the context of the Graceland Mansion,” said Mark Weaver, FAIA, HBG principal and lead designer for The Guest House at Graceland. “From the main entry door to the large gabled roof and columned entry portico, our goal was to make this hotel look as if it was built not long after Graceland itself.”  It feels like it has always been here.”

Design Aesthetic

The primary design goal for the design firms was to create a hotel which would complement and celebrate Graceland — almost as if Elvis was simply adding a guest house to his original home — without taking away the mansion’s prominence as the focal point.

Throughout the development process, the designers asked “What would Elvis want in his guest house?  What type of experience would he want his guests to have?”

Originally built in the 1940s, the classic revival style Graceland mansion features a signature front portico that is one of the home’s most recognizable features and reflects the stature of a stately southern home. This design element is echoed in the resort as the centerpiece of The Guest House facade. The central portion of the hotel’s exterior celebrates the original mansion in form, scale and in the materials used.

The warm, welcoming spirit of southern hospitality that Elvis embodied at Graceland was a big inspiration to the design process and a key driver of the design. The expansive southern porch, a quintessential attribute of that southern hospitality, is another prominent design feature. Both the hotel’s restaurants and lounge are designed to embrace the front porch with outdoor seating and dining on the veranda to capture that southern family gathering feel.

Inside the hotel, the designers took cues from Elvis’ unique design style, but used contemporary pieces to pull it all together.   The focus was on creating a sense of intimacy between guest and property, creating a way for visitors to have an informal and personal experience as if they were true guests of Graceland.  The designers carefully integrated Graceland’s history to celebrate the future and evoke a place that speaks to where Graceland is going, both today and tomorrow.

The Lobby

The lobby features a dramatic ceiling inspired in pattern and movement by one of Elvis’ signature capes.

Themed Suites Capture Elvis’ Favorite Places

The exclusive top floor of the resort, known as “The Upstairs,” is reminiscent of the upstairs at Graceland mansion, which was the private living quarters for Elvis and his family, and is not part of the mansion tour.

The centerpiece of the suite offerings are The King’s Suites – two luxurious, one-of-a-kind two-bedroom suites located Upstairs, providing guests with an unparalleled opportunity to live like The King™.

The first King’s Suite draws inspiration from Elvis’ master bedroom at Graceland and features rich red and black tones with metallic gold and silver finishes and a custom draped canopy bed, with TVs overhead.

The second King’s Suite is inspired by Las Vegas décor and features a royal blue and purple color palette with plush fabrics and furnishings, vintage touches and contemporary twists. The two bedrooms are separated by the living and dining rooms and a kitchen and bar area.  Photos of The King’s Suite is available here.

Named after Elvis’ beloved parents, the two exclusive one-bedroom Vernon & Gladys’ Suites, also located Upstairs, are inspired by Elvis’ Palm Springs home and feature natural hues of terra cotta and gold and a custom, serpentine sofa, showcasing a mid-century flair.  Photos of the Vernon & Gladys Suites is available here and here.

A striking turquoise and gold color palette accentuates the sleek decor found in the seven TCB™ Suites Upstairs, which draw from Elvis’ personal motto of “Taking Care of Business.” The one-bedroom, open-plan suites Upstairs offer custom-designed headboards featuring the iconic lightning bolt found in Elvis’ signature TCB logo, often seen in his custom-made jewelry and the tail of his plane, The Lisa Marie.  An additional four TCB Suites, with variations on décor, will be located on other floors of the resort.  A photo of the TCB Suite is available here.

Channeling Elvis’ TV room at Graceland, the four Living Room Suites feature a colorful navy and deep yellow tone with brilliant white and silver metallic accents. Anchored by a dining space and living room, each elegant, southern-style, one-bedroom suite creates a warm and inviting atmosphere for guests. A photo of a Living Room Suite is available here.  A spacious Hospitality Suite near the Lobby offers similar décor and provides easy access for corporate meetings, press rooms, and other functions.

Guest Rooms Feature High-End Amenities 

The Guest House also features 430 spacious guest rooms with king or two queen size beds, and a host of distinctive room amenities, including:

  • The proprietary DreamCatcher Simmons Beautyrest® Bed, featuring 300 thread-count linens with an innovate blend of cotton and eucalyptus fiber for the coolest and most comfortable sleep experience
  • A spa-like Kohler overhead rain shower and wall-mounted body spray that features 120 jets of water
  • Nature-inspired custom toiletries contained in a collection of Elvis-inspired bottles;
  • Dimmable, color-correct LED lighting in the bathroom
  • A large high-definition flat-screen TV
  • A state-of-the-art, Bluetooth-enabled media hub
  • A small refrigerator
  • A wireless iPhone charging clock radio that displays the time on three sides
  • In-room safe
  • A Keurig coffee brewing system
  • Easy-to-use iron that also steams clothing
  • The unique ability to personally set the mood and atmosphere of the guest room by having direct control over changing light levels of 15 different LED light sources
  • A photo of the king guest room is available here.
  • A photo of the double queen guest room is available here.

The Guest House also features a range of elegant and contemporary facilities, including two full-service restaurants with indoor and outdoor seating, expansive venues and special events space for conventions, meetings, weddings and gatherings for up to 1,350 people, a 464-seat theater for live performances, presentations and movies, a large outdoor resort pool and green space with capabilities for a 400-person tent for special outdoor events.

For more information about The Guest House at Graceland and to book reservations, visit Graceland.com/GuestHouse, call Graceland Reservations at 800.238.2000 or 901.443.3000 or email reservations@graceland.com.

About DreamCatcher Hotels

DreamCatcher Hotels, a Memphis-based hotel brand known for its innovative approach to the hotel experience, has overseen development of The Guest House and managed the design and construction of the Graceland-inspired architecture and interiors, including the themed suites, guest rooms, restaurants and meeting spaces.

About The Guest House at Graceland

The Guest House at Graceland, along with the new Elvis Presley’s Memphis exhibit and entertainment complex, is the most significant enhancement to Graceland since it opened to the public in 1982 and the largest hotel project in Memphis in over 90 years. The AAA Four-Diamond world-class resort, just steps away from Elvis Presley’s iconic mansion, features 430 spacious guest rooms and 20 luxury suites, two full-service restaurants, expansive meeting and special events space for conventions, meetings, weddings and gatherings for 1350 people, a 464-seat theater for live performances and movies, an expansive outdoor pool and a manicured lawn space with capabilities for a 400-person tent for special outdoor events.  Reservations for The Guest House at Graceland may be made by calling 800.238.2000 or 901.443.3000, or online at www.GuestHouseGraceland.com.

About Graceland and Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.

Elvis Presley’s Graceland, in Memphis, is music’s most important and beloved landmark, with hundreds of thousands of fans from around the world visiting the historic home each year. Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. (EPE) manages the operations of Graceland and its related properties, including Elvis Presley’s Memphis, Graceland’s new entertainment and exhibition complex over 200,000 square feet in size; the AAA Four-Diamond Guest House at Graceland 450-room hotel; and the Graceland Archives, featuring thousands of artifacts from Elvis’ home and career. EPE also produces and licenses Elvis-themed live events, tours and attractions worldwide. Graceland Holdings LLC, led by managing partner Joel Weinshanker, is the majority owner of EPE. Graceland was named “Best Tennessee Attraction” for 2018 by USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards. This marks an impressive fourth USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Award win for Elvis Presley’s legendary home, which was previously voted the world’s “Best Musical Attraction” and “Best Historic Southern Attraction” in 2015, and the #1 “Iconic American Attraction” in 2013 by USA Today 10Best readers. For more information on EPE and Graceland, visit www.graceland.com

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