First thing's first...the hotel is expensive in many ways, yet affordable in others. For instance, it is WAY cheaper than the hotel across the street...The Peabody. Same location...big price difference. The cost difference made it easy to choose between the two!
The pros:
1.) Location- if you're into the downtown scene, Beale St., history, entertainment then this hotel is a good one to choose to be right in the middle of all of it and then some.
2.) Helpful- the staff was very helpful and polite. We didn't have any rude treatment but we also weren't demanding. The bar & grill staff was also very polite and made us feel very welcome.
3.) The rooms are pretty but somewhat small. I guess it just depends on how much time you plan on spending in it.
4.) The pool was WONDERFUL! It's a saltwater pool and is heated. Was great to swim in it after walking all over downtown.
The Cons:
1.) Considering how much the rooms do cost, you'd think that breakfast would be included just like at most every other Holiday Inn. Wrong. The Continental breakfast was $6.95 per person and the breakfast buffet was *gasp* $12.95 per person. There was a menu in the breakfast area to order off of if you choose to do so. I just think these prices are a little outrageous considering the food you had to choose from on the buffet is the same kind of food you get free at other Holiday Inns. The coffee was good though...
2.) If you're not familiar with Beale Street and Union Ave and the entire downtown area, then be prepared for the noise at night, especially on the weekends. This is no fault to any of the hotels, just a heads-up for those who aren't familiar with this area. :-) It seemed especially bad when we stayed because of a rivalry football game that was played at the FedEx Forum.
3.) The elevators are very slow in this hotel. Very, very slow. Just be prepared to wait.
4.) Parking is a bit of a challenge. It's $12 per day and there's no guarantee that you will have a parking space. Also....big trucks/SUV's might have trouble parking in some of the spaces. There's not a lot of room to manuever.
5.) The rooms are a bit smaller than I had expected. We had a suite and we were still pretty cramped. We did stay for 4 days so maybe that just made things seem even more cramped lol.
Other than that....the hotel is a pretty nice place to stay. I will recommend it to friends that travel to Memphis. I just don't recommend it to anybody that is on a budget and likes the sleep with peace and quiet. :-)
hotel reviews