9 November 2016
The family of the King of Rock and Roll, or Elvis Presley, made extra room for his guests to stay in when the new Guest House at Graceland hotel opened its doors on Oct. 27 in Whitehaven- a neighborhood that has struggled in recent years despite being home to Memphis’ biggest tourist attraction: Graceland.
Graceland promotes itself as the third-most-visited home in the United States, bringing in more than 600,000 visitors every year. Yet most of those tourists see little else in the area surrounding Graceland and spend little money in the Whitehaven community of Memphis.
But now the new hotel has a goal to “serve as a catalyst for the redevelopment of the Whitehaven neighborhood, particularly along Elvis Presley Boulevard,” according to officials at Graceland.
Chad Bowman, founder of Bow and Aero Planning Management, currently oversees a project plan to create an “aerotropolis” in Memphis that will rejuvenate the areas surrounding the airport, which includes Whitehaven.
Bowman said that the Guest House hotel is a positive change for the Whitehaven area.
“I think it will make a tremendous difference to the community. It will attract vendors and investors that will cater to tourists and people in the area,” he said. “It’s an injection of profit every time people come to Graceland. This hotel gives the government the incentive to improve infrastructure in the area.”
The Guest House is quite an addition to the Whitehaven community. Located at 3600 Elvis Presley Blvd., it is a 450-room hotel, which includes a full-service conference center, two restaurants, a pool and valet parking service and is conveniently located about one-third a mile from Graceland. The price for a standard-room stay is around $200 per night.
Graceland’s project plan stated that $94 million in total was invested in the Guest House planning and building and that potential room revenue for the hotel is expected to be at least $14.6 million per year.
The opening not only reflects the image of Whitehaven as one of the most popular tourist areas of Memphis, but also brings potential economic growth to citizens living in the Whitehaven community.
Dollie Massey, 71, a former deputy sheriff, has lived in the area for more than 40 years, and even recalls meeting Elvis once. As someone who owns and sells real estate, Massey said that Whitehaven’s economy is thriving, especially with the spike in property sales she’s seen over the years.
“Whitehaven is the bomb. I don’t care what nobody else says” Massey said. “I’ve been in real estate since 1971, and I’ve bought and sold 50 houses in my lifetime. I used to think that other places in Memphis were the hotter areas like Collierville, Germantown and Cordova, but I’ve come to find out that during the time I was in real estate, and even now, people still want Whitehaven.”
Bowman also said the Whitehaven economy is doing well.
“I don’t think the economy is down. I believe there is disposable income and a lot of residents tend to go out of the community to buy what they want instead of shopping in Whitehaven,” he said. “We have the oldest mall in the city, and people wouldn’t shop there if there wasn’t enough funding for it.”
Other Whitehaven residents don’t seem to share the same perspective. Whitehaven resident, Denise Smith, 55, a retired employee of Smith and Nephew, voiced her concern on the state of the neighborhood.
“From what I’ve heard from other parents, the schools in Whitehaven are suffering because the tax base is not very high, and since it’s a predominantly black area, pretty much blacks get lower-paying jobs,” she said.
Also, Daniel Braxton, 34, a camp aid affiliated with the Whitehaven Community Center, said Whitehaven is need of improvement.
“Right now, I see more jobs moving into the area, but as of now, if you look around the outer skirts of Elvis Presley Boulevard, I still think there are things that need to be done, as far as just fixing up a couple of things. I mean, they just build the hotel, but I still think there’s more that needs to be done around the area that’s not just on Elvis Presley Boulevard.”
Although perspectives vary on the area as a whole, all seem to see the Guest House hotel as a potential economy booster.
Massey sees its potential in a positive light, although she is not too fond of the price of the rooms.
“It’s really good because people from all over the world come over here. The only thing that I would say is that they need to reduce the room prices,” she said.
Braxton shares a similar perspective.
“As long as community people are able to go and get a job there, then I’m glad it’s there. It’s a source of income for people in the community who can’t just get out and get a job, but still have the option to just walk and go to work, so to me, I think it’s a good thing,” he said.
Graceland stated in its promotional materials that the new hotel created between 150 to 180 jobs. Also, those jobs are bringing in between $2.5 million to $3 million every year in payroll to employees.
At the Oct. 27 grand opening, Priscilla Presley said that the hotel’s goal is to bring the spirit of her late husband to all people who come to stay as a guest.
“He had amazing taste, as you all know. It’s quite stylized here, but comfortable, warm and inviting, just as he was,” she said. “This is something that has been so close to all of our hearts–to make it Elvis Presley’s, to make it yours, to make it so that all of us can feel comfortable and feel his spirit.”
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