Guest House at Graceland — Hotel in Memphis

As someone who stays in over 100 hotels annually and holds Platinum or higher status with Marriott, Hilton, and Sonesta, I’ve developed a strong sense of what to expect from top-tier hospitality. Even at properties where I don’t hold elite status, it’s common practice across major hotel brands to proactively upgrade frequent travelers—often before check-in—with better rooms, higher floors, or club access.
||In cases where I’ve booked through a third party or held only base-level status, front desk teams are still usually accommodating when asked about upgrades, either offering a complimentary bump (if available) or an upsell option in the $50–$100 range per night. This practice mirrors what you’ll find with most major airlines like Delta, American, or United: upgrades are prioritized for elite members, but unsold premium seats often become available at steep discounts within 24 hours of departure (I have been able to upgrade to First Class for $35-50 without holding top-tier status on AA and Delta).
||Why? Because hotels and airlines manage perishable, capacity-constrained inventory. Once a night or flight passes, any unsold room or seat is lost revenue. Even marginal revenue from last-minute upgrades—say $100 for a suite that would otherwise sit empty—adds up. Just eight unsold suites per night could mean a potential $2.5 to 3 million in annual lost revenue opportunity. Offering these rooms to transient guests staying one night should be low-friction and high-yield.
||Unfortunately, our experience at The Guest House at Graceland didn’t reflect this understanding.
||We arrived around 5:00 PM on a Friday and had booked a standard room through a third-party site for a little over $400 (this price included a guarantee from with the third-party to be able to cancel reservation and get 100% back up to 4pm day of arrival). Before leaving the car, I checked the hotel’s website and saw that at least six specialty suites were still unreserved. Based on my travel experience, this presented an ideal opportunity for the property to upsell us—especially given we were staying just one night.
||The check-in process was underwhelming from the start. The front desk staff wore bright blue, extremely casual shirts that clashed with the "modern luxury" vibe the hotel promotes. I later learned these shirts reference a costume Elvis wore in a movie—but the execution didn’t complement the ambiance. Staff were more preoccupied with chatting among themselves than assisting guests, and no welcome information was provided about amenities or events.
||When I inquired about a possible upgrade, the front desk agent seemed unsure and eventually said he needed to check with his manager—a red flag, since front desk associates at most luxury properties are empowered to handle these requests on their own. The manager, Tamika Davis, appeared and immediately dismissed the request, citing the booking source. She claimed we paid $149 and said we’d need to pay the full difference to the suite’s rack rate, which was $383 more. I clarified that we actually paid over $400, and I showed her the receipt. Her response? “That’s what you paid—the hotel only receives $149 from the third-party.”
||By then, it was clear we weren’t getting upgraded, and frankly, I didn’t want to deal with that management dynamic further.
||The stay itself was equally lackluster:|- The room was basic and uninspired, aside from a photo of Elvis on the TV.|- The sheets were extremely wrinkled—likely from being overcrowded in the laundry.|- Staff pointed vaguely toward the wrong elevator bank.|- Worst of all, the door to our room didn’t lock. We could push it open repeatedly without a key. When I flagged this at checkout, the staff shrugged it off as if it wasn’t a serious concern.|- In the end, we wouldn’t return. If I were managing this property, my first priority would be retraining—or replacing—the front office team. ||Hospitality starts at the front desk, and when there’s no professionalism, no empowerment, and no attention to basic guest needs, the brand...

Rooms are clean, but wallpaper was peeling off the walls in my room and a regular single king size bed room is not any different than in any other hotel, Staff is very friendly, Elvis themed which is good! Convenient location for Graceland mansion tour with a shuttle, which is good. However the food isn't great at all other than the buffet breakfast at Delta's Kitchen for $30 per person which is a little pricey for breakfast food, but not overly terrible. They don't have a very good selection of dinner food or desserts that pleases everyone. I asked the shuttle to take me to eat elsewhere, but they said they can't do that because they won't take you elsewhere so they lose food business at those prices in their hotel restaurant which enforces people to eat at the hotel and go broke and my stay was 4 days. Paying those prices for 4 days I wouldn't be able to afford to get home as I wasn't expecting any food that expensive. I am a very picky eater and sometimes I couldn't eat at all because of the limited menu, and the prices and I could not afford for what I could eat. So I went hungry until breakfast for 4 days! Not nice. Food is wayyyyyy over priced and if you order a meal everything is Ala Carte ($10 extra price) per side, not a complete meal like it is everywhere else. If you order a steak be prepared to pay at least $100 per person or more and without any drinks hard or soft and without any dessert, very unreasonable! So I had to pass on that before I ordered and than left the restaurant hungry. Alcoholic mixed drinks are $20 per drink. The hotel charges tourist tax and regular tax on food on top of those prices, drinks and everything you purchase. The hotel even charges an extra $20 to use the pool which I did not know and was not ever told , which is very crazy & highly unreasonable! They call it a resort fee, same thing. Should be included in your stay like everywhere else. Basically your room charge only pays for a place to sleep and that's it, nothing extra other than Elvis movies nightly which we didn't do as we've seen them all on TV for free, and free very limited peanut butter and jelly sandwiches until they're gone late at night after the movie is over which we didn't have those sandwiches either which are on a first come first serve basis & when they are gone you're tough out of luck! Should have Elvis tribute concerts every night would be nice instead of movies for the prices they charge. Unless you are rich and have money to throw away I wouldn't recommend staying here. I do a lot of traveling all over and I have never ever encountered anything like this before and have never ever had any issues with food I like and affording to eat what I like and I have been in some fancy upscale places. Good place to go if you want to lose weight and I'm thin to begin with and can't afford to lose weight! The only thing I enjoyed was the Graceland mansion tour. It's a fairly nice hotel as far as cosmetic appearance, but definitely not worth the prices they charge for every little thing you do by any means! All of my vacations I have been on I was very sad to leave, but unfortunately this one I couldn't wait to leave this hotel and get on my flight home!!!!! 😢😥😢 Elvis himself would never approve of such things in his name as he was a very generous person and did a lot for people for free, not a FEE!!!!! If I could leave 0...

If the King were alive, he’d be appalled. Don’t be fooled by the glitzy exterior—this resort is far from what it promises. BEWARE OF THE AI reviews on here because apparently most ARE! The experience was disappointing on almost every level and felt more like a run-down roadside motel than a destination worthy of Elvis’s name. Housekeeping was unacceptable. Staff entered the room despite the Do Not Disturb sign, asking when we were leaving—completely ignoring privacy. Conversations in Spanish that were clearly about guests felt inappropriate, and their behavior bordered on harassment. The rooms were filthy: stray hairs (pubic too) everywhere, blood-stained sheets, stained carpets, shower smelled of urine like someone peed on the shower wall, possibly termite-infested furniture, and a broken toilet seat. The showers had visible mildew and the entire room reeked—not like pets, but something far worse. Ironically, they claim to be pet friendly, but I wouldn’t recommend bringing your dog here. Bring your own cleaning supplies—you’ll need them if you dare to stay. Customer service was just as disappointing. One front desk employee was especially rude, acting more like a performer than someone there to help. The GM actually asked to meet me during my family vacation, which was wildly inappropriate. Not once was I offered an apology, a voucher, or any form of compensation for the unacceptable conditions. The food? A disaster. It tasted old, the chicken wings literally splintered in my mouth, and the beer was warm and musty. After that, I had to get Pepto from a vending machine. The next night, I opted for M&Ms and a dirty martini from the bar—out of desperation. The Shake Rattle & Roll Cafe staff didn’t even wear gloves while handling food. Cleanliness and food safety seem to be foreign concepts here. The facility is riddled with health and safety violations. If you're heading to Memphis and want a truly memorable experience, stay at the Peabody. Watch the ducks, enjoy clean accommodations, and avoid getting scammed. The Guest House uses its Elvis branding to draw people in, but what you’re really getting is an overpriced, low-quality experience that doesn’t honor the legacy it claims to represent. Jack Soden CEO of Elvis Presley Enterprises ignores all my emails. Apparently, they will never get back to you or return a call because they are too busy milking the King with Lilo & Stitch, Baz Lurhman's ELVIS (and his upcoming Elvis documentary), Riley filming a CHANEL-clad video, and whatever they continue to push to the Elvis lovers. So sad that the hotel can't even make this experience right. My love for Elvis remains, but this resort? Never again. Stay away! GO ELSEWHERE then go...