Elvis' Guest House at Graceland opens to public Sunday

The Guest House at Graceland doesn't scream Elvis, but there's no escaping his sense of style in the new Memphis resort hotel.

From a lobby ceiling evoking his bejeweled cape to lightning bolt-motif lamps to a replica of Graceland's staircase, the 450-room resort is a contemporary translation of the late singer's aesthetic.

"It's basically his personal style, and of course, it's inspired by Graceland," said Priscilla Presley, his former wife. "You don't have pictures of Elvis everywhere, but you do have his style: a little bit of his jumpsuit, his guitar, TCB, his belt. But it's not in your face." The letters TCB with lightning bolts (Taking Care of Business - In a flash) comprise Elvis' motto.

The $92 million hotel marks its "soft opening" in private events Thursday before hosting a full house of VIPs this weekend. The hotel, lobby and restaurants will open to the public on Sunday afternoon.

There was a whirlwind of activity Wednesday at 3600 Elvis Presley Boulevard as workers put finishing touches on the building and grounds and members of an exclusive fan club checked in. Crews from the "Today" show and "Entertainment Tonight" filmed segments that will air Thursday.

Priscilla Presley, who helps manage their only child Lisa Marie Presley's interest in Graceland and the Elvis estate, believes Elvis would be pleased.

"I think he too would absolutely be blown away by the attention to detail, the attention to color and the lightness of it all. It's not heavy. It's not dark. It's stylized, and he was always a man of style. It has that little extra touch that he always had," Presley said.

"It's warm, and it has that Southern hospitality look and feel," she continued. "That's something Elvis always had in his home."

Graceland, a Southern colonial-style structure next door to The Guest House, has been open to public tours since 1982, five years after he died there. Some detractors have turned up noses at its 1970s decor, which is dated by the very nature of a house museum.

But Keith Hess, vice president and managing director of The Guest House, said Elvis was merely ahead of his time.

"If Elvis was living today, this would be his style: very contemporary, cutting edge. In fact, there are lots of pieces here that are almost what he had in the mansion 40 years ago. You know, he was that far ahead of the curve on this contemporary (design)," Hess said.

Hess paused in the Founders Club, a members-only space for frequent visitors, to point out gold-flake vinyl wall covering and hanging lamps pierced by lightning bolts. "He loved the golds and the silvers and the gold flake. That definitely would be his touch."

In EP's Sports Bar & Grill, a billiard table replicates Elvis' table but substitutes red felt for green. "Elvis loved TV and he loved sports, so this is a sports bar," Hess said. "He was a big football fan and he had TVs all over the mansion, so we have 12 high-definition 50-inch TVs" in EP's.

The hotel also has Delta's Kitchen, named for Elvis' paternal aunt Delta Mae Presley Biggs, and Shake Rattle and Go, a grab-and-go concession with a Starbucks.

Visitors turn off Elvis Presley Boulevard at a traffic light at the main entrance, sign in at a security checkpoint and proceed to a valet parking station beneath a porte cochere. Inside, bell captains await, smartly attired in retro-looking uniforms with accent-striped shirts the color of blue suede shoes.

The hotel has 159 king rooms and 271 queen rooms plus 20 suites on the uppermost, seventh floor. The suite level is referred to as "The Upstairs" after family quarters on the second floor of Graceland, which is off limits to visitors. Suite configurations are the King's Suite, the Vernon and Gladys, after Elvis' parents; the TCB; and the Palm Springs, where he had a California home.

The largest suites rent for as much as $3,000 a night, while a regular room starts at $149 a night.

Priscilla Presley collaborated on the suites with key players: operator Pyramid Hotel Group, developer DreamCatcher Hotels, architect HBG (Hnedak Bobo Group) and contractor Flintco. She was involved in selecting furniture, fabrics, flooring and other materials.

"I do like the King's Suite," she said. "I'm actually staying in it right now. It's inspired by his private quarters."

Hess said the hotel is already sold out for Elvis Week 2017, and bookings are strong for the St. Jude Memphis Marathon weekend in December.

The Guest House is seen as a game-changer, especially when coupled with a $45 million entertainment complex, "Elvis: Past, Present and Future," slated to open in March.

As The Guest House opens, another Elvis Presley Enterprises-owned hotel, the 128-room Heartbreak Hotel, is closing to make way for new construction.

"Game changer is maybe a too-often used term, but this is kind of a game changer," said Jack Soden, president and chief executive of Elvis Presley Enterprises. The Guest House "is big enough at 450 rooms to host meaningful conferences and smaller gatherings, conventions, and it will bring visitors to Graceland that are there because their conference was at The Guest House. The hotel will sell Graceland and Graceland will sell the hotel. It's a rising tide that will raise all boats."

It all adds up to more business for Graceland, the surrounding Whitehaven neighborhood and Memphis, Soden said.

"I think it will start to increase attendance at Graceland, sooner as opposed to later," Soden said. "I think it will cast a wider net for tourism, and honestly, it will invite back the 20 million people who have been here in years past."