Across the street from the FedExForum and Gibson Guitar Factory, and only a block from famous Beale Street, the new hotel is the first Westin in a five-state area and only the sixth Westin in the southeastern United States, outside of Florida. 

�It�s a unique opportunity for this city � unlike anything Memphis has had before,� said Barry Gambold, the hotel�s general manager. �The city now has a new standard for excellence for lodging, meetings and entertainment. It will be a different hotel experience; something people have not seen here.� 

Located on Lt. George W. Lee Avenue between Second and Third Streets, the hotel�s developer is Senate Hotel Partners, which is comprised of Nashville-based Senate Hospitality Group, LLC, and Memphis-based Hnedak Bobo Group. One of the nation�s leading hospitality architectural firms, Hnedak Bobo also provided the hotel�s architectural and interior design.

�This is an exceptional hotel in an exceptional area of Memphis,� said Dave Jones, president and CEO of Senate Hospitality Group. �We selected The Westin brand because it has by far the most to offer � their amenities are incomparable in the industry. And, of course, everyone appreciates the significance of Beale Street and its impact on the American music scene. It�s easy to understand why we are so obviously excited.�

Hotel guests will certainly be excited about all the special touches, such as the four-fixture bath in every guest room. According to Jones, �Every guest bathroom in the hotel includes a separate walk-in shower and a separate tub so guests will not be inconvenienced by a combined shower and tub.�

Glenn Malone, chief operating officer and chief financial officer for Senate Hospitality Group, says the new hotel is a perfect home for visiting NBA teams � and not just because of its proximity to the FedExForum.

�Matching the innovative services of a Westin with specially designed accommodations makes The Westin Memphis Beale Street Hotel a natural choice for traveling NBA teams playing the Grizzlies,� Malone said.

�The rooms on the ninth floor have nine-foot doorways and shower heads that are placed higher than the average height,� Malone points out. �We have had discussions with the NBA during construction so we could be as accommodating as possible.� 

The hotel offers the signature Westin Heavenly Bed® and Heavenly Bath®. The Heavenly Bed consists of a custom-designed pillow-top mattress set; a down blanket; three crisp sheets ranging in thread count from 180 to 250; luxurious duvet; and five of the best pillows in the business. The Heavenly Bath includes a custom-designed Speakman shower with two heads that provide guests with a therapeutic shower spa, oversized Brazilian combed cotton bath towels and a custom-designed white velour robe. Both wireless and wired high-speed Internet are available in every guest room. Additionally, each guest room has a 32-inch flat screen high definition TV as well as two phones, one being wireless. The suites have 42-inch TVs.

Designed to serve as an important meeting and special event destination, The Westin Memphis Beale Street Hotel will offer the highest quality meeting facilities in the city. With its elegant 3,030-square-foot ballroom and breakout meeting rooms including Westin�s state-of-the-art audio/visual equipment, the hotel will specialize in catering to business and social events.

Wireless high-speed Internet access is available throughout all meeting and public areas of the hotel.

In addition, customers of the hotel�s banquet and catering services can arrange for packages that include hotel accommodations and event space, plus venue and entertainment options at the FedExForum, Gibson Guitar and the Rock �n� Soul Museum.

For the fitness conscious, Westin offers a state-of-the-art WestinWORKOUT® Powered by Reebok facility, complete with cardiovascular equipment, weight machines, free weights, Cardio Theater, and Reebok-designed workout regimen. For guests who prefer to work up a sweat without leaving the privacy of their own room, guests can request a WestinWORKOUT Room, offering workout equipment including a Reebok Tomahawk XL Indoor Cycle or Life Fitness Treadmill. All Westin hotels are 100 percent smoke free. 

The Westin Memphis Beale Street Hotel includes a number of unique offerings for its guests, including the nationally acclaimed Daily Grill restaurant, an upscale restaurant that serves classic American cuisine for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The restaurant is located in the southeast corner of the first floor facing the FedExForum and seats about 250.

The hotel includes a Starbucks coffee shop that opens onto Third Street. Starbucks is the complimentary in-room coffee service for hotel guests as well.

The Westin Hotels & Resorts brand has 135 hotels and resorts in 31 countries and territories. Westin, the fastest growing upper-upscale hotel brand in the United States, is a division of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. The opening of the Westin Memphis Beale Street brings the number of Westin Hotels in North America to 78.

�Westin has aspired for years to have a hotel in Memphis, so this is clearly a dream come true for us,� said Sue Brush, senior vice president, Westin Hotels & Resorts. �Guests, and especially athletes, love Westin�s signature Heavenly Bed and other innovations, so we are confident that we will provide a memorable experience for all visitors to this great new hotel.�