Put on my blue suede shoes and boarded the plane. Touched down in the land of the Delta Blues, in the middle of the pouring rain.

So I have a confession. I don’t own blue suede shoes, and we didn’t board a plane. And when we drove into the land of the Delta Blues, it wasn’t in the middle of the pouring rain.

Though as a diehard music fan, I couldn’t help but sing Marc Cohn’s famous lyrics as we arrived in downtown Memphis…at DoubleTree by Hilton, on Union Avenue!

Bold text indicates Marc Cohn lyrics which I may (or may not) be singing as I type!

DoubleTree by Hilton Memphis Downtown.

Truly in the heart of downtown Memphis, we heard those iconic warm DoubleTree chocolate chip cookies calling as we made our way in from New Orleans. No stranger to DoubleTree properties by now, our accommodation in Memphis lived up to the standard we have come to expect of the Hilton brand; it had character, colour, incredibly friendly staff, first-class service, and, because we were in Memphis, it had soul!

An attraction in itself, with beautiful artwork lining each wall, the hotel entrance was more of an trendy, upscale museum than a lobby. An exhibit of colorful, handpainted, one of a kind pieces, depicting famous streets scenes which truly captured Memphis’ rich musical heritage hung from the walls.

Vintage black and white pieces were featured in the corridors and walkways as we made our way to the elevators, and a stage was set in the center of the lobby for a glistening Grand Piano, which was so shiny I couldn’t help but to touch!

Street scenes.

I played a little number, and I sang with all my might!

Nothing better than live music.

Spacious lobby with gorgeous guest furniture, computer stations and a grand piano.

Artwork depicting old Memphis.

Lobby halls. A beautiful exhibit of art.

I played a little number, and I sang with all my might. The receptionist said “Tell me, are you a Christian child? And I said, Ma’am I am tonight”!

So the receptionist didn’t actually come over, but I saw the opportunity to work in more lyrics! I did begin to play a little number, but Mike hissed at me to shut up before I could sing with all my might in a public space. After all, we were falling in love with the hotel, and didn’t want to be kicked out because my attempt at covering Marc Cohn shattered the windows and doors!

Our room was just as spacious as the lobby (almost anyway!), and had just as much artwork lining the walls. Score sheets by W.C Handy hung in the bathroom, and beautifully framed depictions of composers graced the walls of our main room.

A comfortable bed, complimentary wifi, and a gorgeous view of the iconic Peabody Hotel next door, boy we had a prayer in Memphis.

Our beautiful room in Memphis.

Then we went walking in Memphis. So close were we to all of the main Memphis attractions, we were walking with our feet 10 feet off of Beale. 

On foot we managed to take in the Beale Street Street Entertainment District, where trumpets and saxophones filled the air, the Rock ‘n Soul Museum, Sun Studios, the National Civil Rights Museum and the monument erected in the image of W.C Handy.

Oh, and hitting up the live music scene that Sunday evening meant we also “saw the ghost of Elvis, down on Union Avenue.” The bar scene was filled with impersonators who knew how to work a room!

While Downtown Memphis is a fabulous location to be based, if you’re looking at basing yourself closer to Graceland for everything Elvis, DoubleTree has a second property in East Memphis.

Other DoubleTree properties we have reviewed include Savannah, Georgia, Roanoke, Virginia, and Puntarenas, Costa Rica.

 About Megan Claire

Megan is an Australian Journalist who has been travelling and blogging around the world for the last 7 years to inspire others to embark on their own worldwide adventure!  Her husband Mike is an American travel photographer, and together they have made the world their home.

Follow their journey on Facebook, Google+ and Twitter.