Memphian Hotel Review in Tennessee

/ Lodging, Tennessee, United States / By /

Searching for a boutique hotel in mid-town Memphis, Tennessee? The Memphian, a Tribute Portfolio hotel, is a new hotel in Overton Square. Read my Memphian hotel review to learn about this Marriott Bonvoy property.

Colorful baby blue-colored walls of street-level hotel lobby. Two leather brown chairs with bright pink pillows sit underneath large, square still life photos of 4 men around a biker on a pink motorcycle. The second photo is of 2 young women, probably from the 1960's, playing at a pinball machine. Two blue chairs are across from a low table. To the right is the beginning of the Memphian Hotel reception desk.

The 7-story Marriott is one of the few hotels in Memphis with a rooftop bar. Opened in May, 2021, the Memphian Hotel, near Overton Square, is designed for those who enjoy a hip social scene. Watch the video below to see what I mean.

What makes Memphian Hotel unique?

Falling under the Marriott hotel brand, the Memphian Hotel is an independent property. With 30 brands under Marriott’s corporate belt, it’s important to make your property stand out. The Memphian is design-heavy with bold, bright colors that would make Elvis Presley green with envy.

The Memphian Hotel features 106 rooms with 5 junior suites and 4 suites. Thankfully, there are no resort fees at the hotel. The hotel offers a 24-hour Fitness Center. Self-parking is available – currently $15 on our visit. If you are flying into the recently renovated Memphis Airport, you’ll find that you really don’t need a car. Uber is available everywhere.

Memphian hotel lobby with baby grand piano. Above the piano is a large sign that reads, "All drama must remain on stage." Three leather sofas and two leopard print chairs form a square with a glass, oval coffee table in the center. An oriental rust colored rug sits above the oak hardwood floor.

Tribute Hotel piano lobby

In the bright and cheerful hotel lobby, a sign above the piano reads, “all drama must remain on stage.” Someone clearly had a sense of humor and whimsy when they decorated this statement room. The Memphian Hotel is bold with its color palate and sense of design. It’s almost like they designed this Memphis Overton Square hotel with Instagram in mind.

Deep blue hotel room wall is behind king bed with light, chocolate brown headboard. Beige, waffle weave sheets and 4 pillows are on top of bed. A small rectangular white pillow, with blue bunny outline is on center of pillows. Two petite brass reading lamps are mounted on wall of either side of king bed. A wall of windows in covered by sheer drapes to the right of the bed.

Tribute Portfolio hotel rooms

We stayed in a standard king, room #610. Our room was light-filled for a rainy day in April. Our view looked out to a multi-story parking garage in mid-town Overton Square. I appreciated the wall of windows when it came to watching the magnificent lightening show from the comfort of my cozy bed.

The room included a flatscreen tv, complimentary WiFi and coffee maker, as well as a mini fridge. Being an eco-friendly hotel, I appreciated the hydration stations located on each floor. Complimentary plastic water bottles were available in guest rooms.

READ  Kimpton Hotel Monaco Seattle Review

The Memphian hotel is pet-friendly. Hotel rooms on the 2nd and 3rd floor are dog-friendly. Currently, there is a $100 non-refundable pet fee per dog. Dogs should be under 25 pounds – sorry folks like me with large breed dogs.

Life size black and white stripped zebra is on the bar of the Tiger & Peacock bar at the Memphian Hotel. Two tear drop glass chandeliers are suspended from the bar's ceiling. A wall of glass windows look out to Overton Square in mid-town Memphis, Tennessee at sunset. Cocktail bottles line the bottom of the window sill behind the bar.

Memphian drinking and dining

There’s a whole lot of shakin’ and eating going on in Memphis. Bring your stretchy pants because you’re not going to want to miss out on Memphis barbecue. We ate breakfast at the lobby restaurant – Complicated Pilgrim – serving breakfast, lunch and dinner on weekdays. Try the salmon Benedict and the chocolate almond overnight oats. The Greek yogurt parfait is good for a grab-and-go breakfast.

I don’t like that our drinks always came with straws, perhaps that’s a Southern thing? At least they were compostable straws. However, I think eco-conscious restaurants should only serve (compostable) straws upon request.

Capitalizing on the Tiger and Peacock bar name, a metal peacock sculpture sits on the rooftop inside bar. Two tea light candles are to the left of the peacock sculpture. A cement head bust of a woman is wearing an ornate display of real peacock feathers, fanned out above her head. To her right is a line of glass alcoho bottles and a small, wood, mini cask. A bank of windows rise above the bar, looking out to Overton Square in mid-town Memphis, Tennessee at sunset.

The rooftop bar and lounge – Tiger and Peacock, offers light bite appetizers and shareable plates for the 21 and older crowd. Reservations are recommended on OpenTable. There’s an express elevator to the rooftop bar. Hotel guests will be able to exit Tiger and Peacock from a special door, allowing access to the hotel elevator. I liked the added sense of security that hotel guests had to swipe their key card to gain access to hotel rooms via the elevator.

Seven story Memphian Hotel exterior on South Cooper Street at dusk in April. White faux brick and white cement facade with square windows, facing Cooper Street. The Memphian letters are mounted on the top floor of the hotel exterior in mid-town Memphis, Tennessee.

Things to see and do in mid-town Memphis

On our 4-day visit to Memphis, we quickly learned that Memphis should not play second fiddle to Nashville. In addition to making the requisite pilgrimage to Graceland, we visited Sun Studio to walk in Elvis Presley’s musical footsteps. We also walked the line across the street to Second Line restaurant.

For something completely different, why not go horseback riding in Shelby Farms Park? I took an Uber to Shelby Farms Stables and met my husband for dinner at Coastal restaurant.

READ  InterContinental San Francisco Hotel Review

The Memphian, a Tribune Portfolio Hotel (901) 276-9311

21 South Cooper Street

Memphis, Tennessee 38104

Memphian hotel review in Tennessee , YouTube video and all photography by Pacific Northwest travel writer Nancy D. Brown. I was a guest of Memphis Travel while working on additional travel assignments.