trevor01

Hi
In Memphis early April and seeking advice on wether the Comfort Inn Downtown is in a safe area of town.
Any other suggestions?
Thanks
Trevor

girlonthego

No. Do not stay downtown. It is unsafe.
Stay on Poplar ave near Germantown at the Hampton Inn. It is about 89 dollars a night. The Hampton inn is in a safe area with restaurants all around you. Nobody stays downtown. This comes from my husband who does a lot of business in Memphis.

Lee4

I've stayed in downtown Memphis multiple times with no problems at all. For the past few years, I've got some great deals through priceline and stayed at the Marriot. I was very pleased and did not experience anything that was "unsafe." I realize that things that can go wrong in any part of town, but I've never personally had problems there. Some of the other places that people like to stay in downtown Memphis are the Peabody and the Hampton Inn at Peabody Place. Check tripadvisor.com for some hotel reviews.

reidsmom

Downtown Memphis is relatively safe. It's become much safer in the past five years with the new baseball park and the growth on Beale Street. I'd recommend the Hampton Inn Peabody Place far above the Comfort Inn Downtown. East Memphis (where the Hampton is located in another poster's message) is in a nice area of town, but a good 45 minutes from downtown.

Traveler_A

I'll agree with most of the others. Downtown Memphis is perfectly safe. The comfort in is right along the river near Mud Island. When I'm there on business, I've stayed at the Holiday Inn right across the street from the Peabody. It's two blocks from Beale Street, meaning there are plenty of people out and about.

girlonthego

Hubby says the Hampton Inn on Poplar is about 20minutes out of the downtown area. He says there is no way he would ever want to stay downtown.

SusanCS

My husband and I stay in Memphis frequently and we always try to book rooms downtown. We've stayed at the Peabody, Radisson, Holiday Inn, Hampton Inn at Peabody Place, and our newest favorite which is the Marriott Residence Inn. Memphis is like all other cities: if you exercise normal caution, you'll be fine. And downtown Memphis is by far the most entertaining place to be.

Clifton

I live in Memphis and not far from Germantown. If I were coming in from out of town, I'd stay downtown. This area out here is suburban, just like any city. If you travel on business (I do), that sort of thing is fine as you tend to worry about eats and sleeping and that's about it.

For a tourist though, this area out here would be boring. Tons of people stay downtown. Beale St, the Pyramid, Mud Island, the FedEx forum and the Convention Center are all downtown. So are most of the hotels. There's a reason for that.

bennnie

I often spend a week at the Hampton Inn on Poplar and would never recommend it for anyone visiting Memphis for vacation. I would agree that is about 20-30 minutes from downtown and it is a nice area for business travelers but downtown is where Beale St is and the Pyramid and most of the stuff that a tourist would like to see.

SusanC

I'm staying downtown 2 of the 3 nights I'm in town but hotels are booked my 1st night. Since I'm planning to go to Graceland, thought it might be fun to stay in Elvis Hotel! Does anyone know anything about it? Is it kitschy in a fun Elvis sort of way or will it be horrible and filled w/ tour groups?

SusanC

OK I'm not staying in either of the hotels in last post but rather at Sleep Inn (can't beat $60 for what is described as a better than avg hotel!). My question is regarding safety of location...it appears to be a few blocks from Beale/Peabody area and guide books all say downtown is desolate outside of Beale/Peabody. Will this be an OK walk for me? I live in NYC and am very comfortable walking alone late at night but then again, I'm used to a million people on the street at all hours!

nancy161

Downtown Memphis is quite safe, especially on weekends.
What is the address of Sleep Inn?
The crowd tends to stay near the area from Union Ave. down to Beale Street. I think the huge shopping/cinema complex "The Peabody Place" stays open late.

Also, check out the "Memphis In May" festival : events going on all through May. The honored country this year is Ireland.

Dianmf

We stayed at the Comfort Inn last August. It's a nice hotel. If you can, get a river view room. They had a nice breakfast to get you started in the morning.I went with my brother, sister-in-law, and niece. We'd meet at breakfast and plan the day. It's a few blocks from Beale St. and we did walk a couple of times but Main St. trolley runs by the hotel. You can get an all day pass and hop on and off. It stops at Union St., Beale St., and the Civil Rights Museum. We also took a ride on the Loop Trolley which runs along the river and into a few neighborhoods. The tram to Mud Island is also right across the street from the hotel. I recommend the hotel.

cd

We stayed at The Sleep Inn a few years ago because the price was good. It was a nice hotel and the breakfast served each morning was decent. The trolley runs right behind it to downtown. However, we never wanted to wait for the trolley when the walk was short. During daylight it was fine but once dark I felt uncomfortable as once you leave the Beale Street, Peabody Hotel area's it is pretty isolated.

SusanC

Just got back from my 3 days in Memphis - stayed in the Sleep Inn ($79 corp rate, I think reg is $89[my earlier $60 was wrong]). Decent facilities, many rooms have good views (I requested a river view; the other option is the park view), convenient and relatively cheap parking at $5/day (this is an issue in downtown), better than average breakfast and right on Main Street Trolley. Right next to another hotel and the Madison Hotel is around the corner so there are other people.

I have to admit though, that I thought it was uncomfortable walking around. It's not that the Sleep Inn is in a bad part of downtown, it's just (as CD said), outside of Peabody Hotel and Beale Street the area is very desolate. Even at 10am Saturday morning, the place was a bit deserted! At least 50% of the stores are shuttered, some of the operating ones aren't open on weekends and there were some vacant lots and construction sites. Plus it was very cold which further discourages people from walking around (so if you are here in summer it may be better). I live in NYC, have no problem taking the subway alone at 4am and I work in community banking so often go to economically depressed areas but this was more stark than anything I remember. Nobody did anything menacing and I don't know if it really is dangerous or not but it was a bit scary. That being said, I did go out on Beale St until after midnight all 3 nights and made it home safely.

Re other options:
The new Madison Hotel was recommended to me as being more downtown - available on Expedia for $159. I considered but since I'm not really that into "boutique" hotels, I decided it wasn't worth the additional $$. Good thing as it was less than a minute away from the Sleep Inn! So don't stay there for the location but rather for the boutique experience.

The Peabody also had (only) one night available for $159 - - although twice the price, this would be a good value for the money if this was available the whole time!

There are several chains across st from Peabody (Radisson etc)that are mid priced.

The Sleep Inn was less than 10 minutes on the main street from the Peabody and near 2 other hotels (including the swanky Madison). As I said, it's not in a bad area, but you should be aware. It probably is the best value (other than Peabody at $159!).

SusanC

ttt for Genamarie