TN Memphis Doubletree Hotel East

[millerman]

Hotel was located in a nice neighborhood. Many shops and restraunts within walking distance. The drive downtown was a straight shot down poplar dr.. Took us about ten minutes to drive to beale street where al the action is going on in memphis. Also took about ten minutes to get to graceland using the freeway. As for the hotel checkin was not a problem. They gave us chocalate chip cookies which were warm and yummy. I had called ahead to make sure I got a smoking room which was no problem. The room was on the second floor and overlooked the pool. Which was kind of a disappointment cause it was very loud with the pool noise. We were also closest to the elevator which was nice, but you could hear people in the hallway quite clearly. The room came with a small refridgerator, desk and chair, coffee maker, chair with foot rest, TV with cable and HBO, nice comfortable bed with down pillows and blanket. The bathroom was big and spacious. The hotel was in a very nice and safe area. Parking was free and no issues finding a spot to park. There is a very nice heated indoor/outdoor pool where you can swin outside by going under a divider. There is a fitness room next to the pool with TV inside and couple treadmills and exercis bikes and a weight system. We were told that the pool and fitness center was open 24 hours yet there was a sign for designated hours. We had checked to see if it was open after hours and it was not locked. So not sure if it was 24 hours or not. There was a restraunt in the lobby that looked nice but did not get a chance to eat there.

Overall I really liked the hotel. Only problem was noise from pool and people in hallway.

[bazzmc]

Stayed here one night in June 2006. I neglected to call ahead to specify a non-smoking room, and I was given a smoking room on the first floor between the elevators and some conference rooms. They were having a VERY busy time with some visiting soccer teams, plus some kind of religious youth group. Noise was not a problem in the evening or during the night, but early in the morning one of the youth groups was congregating in the hall by one of the conference rooms, and they woke us up.

It's amazing how much of a difference the smoking vs. non-smoking room can make. My impressions of this hotel suffered greatly because we were in a smoking room. That smell pervades everything, and I immediatly had the impression of a lack of cleanliness. The room was in fact clean, and the bed linens seemed fresh. The building itself seemed a little old though, as there were several patches in the ceiling of the bathroom. The air conditioner was loud, and the cycling on and off during the night prevented me from getting a good night's sleep.

The things I liked about this hotel were the location (not terribly convenient to the sights, but the neighborhood was safe), the free parking, and the free internet access. This hotel lacked the polish that I usually associate with a three-star hotel. We stayed at a 2.5 star Hampton Inn on this trip with a very clean, fresh non-smoking room, free Internet access, and free breakfast, and I thought that hotel was much nicer than this three star Doubletree.

I guess what I'm saying is that although there wasn't anything overtly WRONG with this hotel, I expected more from the Doubltree name. I wouldn't pay their rack rate or internet rate, but getting a Hotwire deal for this hotel would be a good value. Getting a non-smoking room (if that's what you prefer) on a higher floor would probably make for a much more positive experience than what I had, which again wasn't terrible, just not what I was hoping for.