Sponsored by The Peabody Memphis. All opinions are my own.
1. Elegance and Charm
Imagine walking back in time to another world of glitz and glamour tempered with old Southern charm. As soon as you walk into the hotel lobby you can tell that there is something magical about this place. The Peabody Hotel in downtown Memphis, Tennessee has been the “South’s Grand Hotel” for over 145 years. Originally built in 1869, it was rebuilt where it is now in 1925.
The Peabody Hotel is a National Historic Landmark and continues to captivate guests with unmatched luxury, elegance, and southern charm. Over the years it has become a social and business hub of Memphis. It has even been called the “living room of the Mid-South.”
Some of the most influential and famous people of the world have sought to stay at the Peabody, and although I grew up in Memphis I had never stayed here until now.
Growing up, one of the best treats over the holidays was to visit the Peabody lobby during the Christmas holidays when there is an enormous several-story high decorated Christmas tree.
There is just so much history in the Peabody of Memphis. (Check out some of the fun facts at the end of this post). Generations of guests have included the Peabody as part of their life stories. Many memories have been made here: special occasions have been celebrated, business deals have been made, networking meetings have happened, and entire futures have been planned here. People say that The Peabody is living history.
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2. The Comfortable Rooms
The rooms are magnificent. Every detail reveals the thought and care the staff has taken to make guests feel comfortable and pampered. Ours was a corner room with two windows, which created great natural lighting. The room was very spacious, and the bed was the most comfortable I’ve slept in in a long time. My husband and I got the best night’s sleep!
There are lots of special touches in the elegant bathroom. There was a small television in the corner and complimentary toiletries such as a shaving kit, lotion, and a beauty kit.
The entire hotel and especially our room were immaculate. I like things clean, and I was pleasantly surprised at the level of cleanliness. Special precautions were taken to keep visitors safe and healthy.
3. Awesome Customer Service
The staff was more than friendly. Every employee from the bellman to the front desk has customer satisfaction as their highest priority. The Peabody displays southern hospitality at its finest!
4. The Grand Lobby and Lobby Bar
The first thing you see when you enter the building is the large lobby. The lobby of the Peabody is gorgeous. There are high ceilings decorated with ornate wood-carved beams and paintings. As you walk in you immediately hear the beautiful piano music from the piano in the corner, and it just puts you in a good mood. There is comfortable seating sprinkled around with everything from couches to comfortable tables. Right in the center is a beautiful large fountain.
The Lobby Bar has been referred to as the “living room of Memphis” and the place to see and be seen. You can sip on hand-crafted cocktails, relax and talk, and watch the Peabody Ducks swim around in the fountain.
5. The Delicious Food
The hotel offers several delicious dining options with cuisine unmatched anywhere else prepared by highly rated top chefs. And if you want to leave the hotel, you can walk right across the street to one of several Memphis restaurants including Huey’s, Automatic Slims, Kooky Kanuk, Margaritas, and Flying Fish. Texas de Brazil and the Rendevous are also nearby.
Signature Drink Comes with a Duck! 
Creme Brule
The Peabody Deli and Desserts has an array of tempting signature desserts such as the White Chocolate Duck, Bourbon Pecan Pie, and Red Velvet Cupcakes with a yellow duck on top.
I did not see it, but I have heard that they also have delicious house-made ice cream. In the morning there is hot coffee as well as Continental breakfast, croissants, and sandwiches. For guests of the hotel, coffee is complimentary. This is also where you can purchase official Peabody merchandise.
Near the deli is The Corner Bar, a casual and cozy spot for after-work cocktails. The menu consists of Jack-Daniel’s- inspired upscale bar food and drink specials as well as local beers on tap. The Corner Bar is decorated in a quaint Jack Daniel’s theme. There are even real Jack Daniels handcrafted oak barrels all around the seating area.
6. Afternoon Tea
This food option deserves a category all its own. Monday through Saturdays from 1:00 – 3:30 PM afternoon tea is served in the Chez Philippe Restaurant. And this is not just any old tea. It is an entire experience.
Surrounded by European décor, the environment makes one feel like royalty. The ornate columns, elegant tapestries, and elaborate wall murals made us feel like we were part of an old-fashioned expensive gala in Europe. Remember the scenes from the Titanic movie that showed the fancy dining events of the upper-class elite on board? That’s what it felt like.
7. The Pool, Athletic Club, and Feathers Spa
After a nice workout in the Athletic Club, you can indulge yourself in a swim in the beautiful Grecian-style heated indoor pool or get a massage or facial at Feathers Spa. Spa packages or single-session treatments for everything from deep tissue massage and facials to hair treatments, manicures and pedicures are available for the ultimate spa experience.
8. The Famous Duck March
Some say I might have saved the best for last because one of the things the Peabody Hotel in Memphis is famous for is the celebrated Peabody Ducks. The ducks stay in their large “penthouse” Duck Palace on the roof of the Peabody, and visitors can gain access daily, weather permitting.
The rooftop is also the venue for special parties and events. Each day at 11 am the “Duck Master” escorts the ducks from the roof onto the elevator where they descend to the lobby and “march” on a red carpet to the fountain in the center of the lobby where they swim until they march back up at 5 pm. If you plan to watch be sure to show up early for the best views. What began as a joke, the twice-daily march of the ducks is now world-famous. You can see them in action in the video below.
Fun Facts About the Peabody Hotel
All of the Fun Facts come from literature provided by The Peabody Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee.
The Legend of the Ducks
“The Legend of the Ducks” was printed on my napkin at the Peabody. Here is the story in a nutshell:
How did the tradition of the ducks in the Peabody fountain begin?
Back in 1933 Frank Shutt, General Manager of the Peabody, and a friend, Chip Barwick, returned from a weekend hunting trip to Arkansas. the men had a little too much Tennessee sippin’ whiskey and thought it would be funny to place some of their live duck decoys (it was legal then for hunters to use live decoys) in the beautiful Peabody fountain.
Three small English call ducks were selected as “guinea pigs.” And the reaction was nothing short of enthusiastic. Thus, began a Peabody tradition that was to become internationally famous.
The original ducks have long since gone, but after more than 80 years, the marble fountain in the hotel lobby is still graced with the ducks. Today, the Mallards are raised by a local farmer and friend of the hotel. The ducks live in the fountain until they are full-grown and, on retirement from their Peabody duties, are returned to the wild.
The Fountain
The Peabody’s lobby fountain is cut from one enormous piece of travertine marble made and shipped from Italy for the hotel’s 1925 opening.
The Skyway
The Skyway opened in 1939 and quickly became the sought-after attraction for big band dancers, and entertainers such as Tommy Dorsey, the Andrews Sisters, and Lawrence Welk. The Peabody’s supper club and dance hall were one of only three national live radio broadcast sites for CBS Radio during the 1930s and 1940s. One such weekly program was hosted by a young man named Sam Phillips before he launched Sun Records and the career of Elvis Presley.
Entertainers such as Paul Whiteman, Harry James, Jan Garber, Les Brown, Ted Weems, and Smith Ballew were regulars. Blues musicians like Furry Lewis, Frank Stokes, and Tommy Johnson all made their first recordings in guestrooms at The Peabody in the late 1920s and early 1930s, playing for talent scouts from big record labels like Vocalion and Paramount.
History of The Peabody
The hotel was built by Colonel Robert C. Brinkley in 1869 and was originally called The Brinkley House. But shortly before the grand opening, Brinkley received news of the death of his good friend, philanthropist George Peabody, so he decided at the last minute to change his hotel’s name to The Peabody Hotel as a sign of respect for his friend.
The original Peabody Hotel opened at the corner of Main and Monroe at the cost of $60,000. It had 75 rooms with private baths, a ballroom, a saloon, and a lobby. It cost $3 – $4 a day for a room and meals, extra for a fire or gaslight. It closed in 1923 to make way for a larger and more grandiose Peabody Hotel. The current Peabody Hotel opened on Sep. 1, 1925, with 625 rooms and 40 shops and offices. It was designed by noted architect, Walter Ahschlager, and cost $5 million.
In the 1970s, downtowns across America were experiencing an economic downturn, and Memphis was no exception. The Peabody changed ownership several times and actually had to close its doors mid-decade, leaving the community shocked and in mourning.
But in 1975 the Belz family save the Memphis icon from the wrecking ball and began a four-year, $25 million restoration project. Twenty-five hundred yards of velvet, 18,000 rolls of grasscloth, and 21,000 rolls of carpet were used. Even the magnificent lobby skylight was recreated true to the original 1925 design.
The Peabody reopened with great fanfare on Sep. 1, 1981, with a month’s worth of festivities. I was still in high school then, so I don’t remember any of this, but this marked the beginning of a downtown renaissance for Memphis.
Elvis and The Peabody
Elvis Presley received the $4,500 “signing bonus” of his first national RCA recording contract at The Peabody on Nov. 21, 1955. The signature of Elvis Presley and his father Vernon Presley appears on the receipt, which is typed on the official Peabody Hotel stationary of General Manager Frank Schutt. Elvis’ manager, Colonel Tom Parker, was a guest at The Peabody at the time.
Elvis also visited The Peabody for his L.C. Humes High School junior-senior prom, which was held in the Continental Ballroom in 1953. He wore a pink and black ensemble designed for him by Beale Street clothier, Bernard Lansky.
The Duckmaster
According to legend, ducks were not the first residents of The Peabody’s lobby fountain. If stories are to be believed, the hotels’ management tried out turtles and baby alligators before General Manager Frank Schutt placed ducks in the fountain as a practical joke in 1933.
In 1940, The Peabody hired a bellman by the name of Edward Pembroke. A former circus animal trainer, Pembroke volunteered to care for the hotel’s resident ducks and to bring them to and from the lobby each day, thereby inventing the now-famous Peabody Duck March and the coveted title of Duckmaster. Pembroke served as Duckmaster for 50 years. He was featured in People Magazine and appeared onThe Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.
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Most of all, have fun!
Please leave a comment below!
This hotel is on our list for the next time we visit Memphis. The first time, we did not spend the night, and did not have the opportunity to see the hotel. Great photos, by the way!!
Thank you! 🙂