Best Historic Hotel: Even if The Peabody Memphis, 149 Union Ave. (tel. 800/PEABODY or 901/529-4000), weren't the only historic hotel in the city, it would likely still be the best. From the classically elegant lobby to the excellent restaurants, and from the renovated rooms to the horse-drawn carriages waiting at the front door, everything here spells tradition and luxury.
Best for Business Travelers: Under the same management as the Peabody, The Ridgeway Inn, 5679 Poplar Ave., at I-240 (tel. 800/822-3360 or 901/766-4000), is convenient to East Memphis business and is geared toward the business traveler. The pastry shop is a great place to start the day.
Best for a Romantic Getaway: The sleek new Madison Hotel, (79 Madison Ave. (tel. 901/333-1200 or 866/44-MEMPHIS) is a treasure tucked inside an historic bank building downtown. What could be more romantic than watching the sunset from the rooftop garden?
Best Trendy Hotel: The Talbot Heirs Guesthouse, 99 S. Second St. (tel. 901/527-9772), across the street from the Peabody, is a small B&B done in a boldly contemporary style, a first for Memphis. Each guest room conjures up the pages of Metropolitan Home. Automatic Slim's Tonga Club, one of the city's hippest restaurants, is just a couple of doors away.
Best for Families: With its atrium lobby (complete with stream and resident ducks), indoor pool, and two-room suites with kitchenettes, the Embassy Suites, 1022 S. Shady Grove Rd. (tel. 800/EMBASSY or 901/684-1777), is a good bet if you've got kids with you.
Best Moderately Priced Hotel: Its lavish refurbishment and garden-like courtyards, as well as its proximity to the convention center and the Main Street Trolley, make the Wyndham Garden Hotel, 300 N. Second St. (tel. 901/525-1800), especially appealing.
Best Service: The Peabody Memphis, 149 Union Ave. (tel. 800/PEABODY or 901/529-4000), offers the most consistent and professional service in town. The employees here just seem to try a little bit harder to please the guests, even when overwhelmed by hordes of duck-watching daily visitors.
Best Location: In the heart of downtown, the Holiday Inn Select Downtown, 160 Union Ave. (tel. 901/525-9141), offers an elegant lobby, a sushi restaurant, and a prime location near AutoZone Park and Beale Street.
Best Hotel Pool: Though it isn't very large, the guitar-shaped pool at the Days Inn at Graceland, 3839 Elvis Presley Blvd. (tel. 800/329-7466 or 901/346-5500), may be the most unique hotel pool in Memphis.
Best View: Ask for a west-side room on an upper floor of the Marriott, 250 N. Main St. (tel. 888/557-8740 or 901/527-7300), and you'll get sunsets with the Mississippi River and the Pyramid in the foreground.
Best for Elvis Fans: You just can't get any closer to Graceland than Elvis Presley's Heartbreak Hotel, 3677 Elvis Presley Blvd. (tel. 877/777-0606 or 901/332-1000), which has a walkway straight into the Graceland parking lot. And what romantic could resist booking the "Burning Love Suite"? Here you can also make a splash in the outdoor, heart-shaped pool, and indulge in Elvis videos 24 hours a day.
For a complete listing of Frommer's-reviewed accommodations, visit our online hotels index.
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