The Guest House at Graceland Readies for Unprecedented Grand Opening Elvis Celebration

With construction of The Guest House at Graceland in full swing just steps away from Elvis Presley's iconic Graceland mansion in Memphis, reservations are now being accepted for the new 450-room, full-service, world-class resort hotel for late October through December 2016, starting with the historic, four-day, star-studded Grand Opening Celebration to be held October 27-30, 2016. Reservations can be made by calling Graceland Reservations at 800-238-2000 or 901-332-3322 or visiting Graceland.com/GuestHouse.

Members of the Presley family will join an extraordinary roster of Elvis' close friends, music artists, performers and celebrities for the Grand Opening weekend at The Guest House at Graceland one of the most anticipated hotel openings of 2016. Special guests will include members of Elvis' legendary entourage, musicians from Elvis' original "TCB Band," co-stars from Elvis' movies, session players and back-up singers from many of Elvis' biggest hits, and more. These special guests, who were welcomed to Graceland through the years by Elvis himself, will now mingle with new guests and music fans from around the world. Opening activities during this unprecedented celebration will be highlighted by a Guest House ribbon-cutting ceremony, red carpet VIP events and cocktail receptions, special live performances, photo opportunities and much more.

Special VIP guests scheduled to attend the Opening Celebration include Elvis' entourage members Jerry Schilling, Dick Grob, Sam Thompson, and George Klein; musicians who performed with Elvis, including DJ Fontana, James Burton, Ronnie Tutt, David Briggs and Norbert Putnam; former members of JD Sumner and the Stamps Quartet Bill Baize, Donnie Sumner, Ed Hill and Larry Strickland; Elvis' tour producer Charles Stone; Elvis' Imperials member Terry Blackwood; Elvis' co-stars Marlyn Mason, Cynthia Pepper and Annie Helm; and Elvis' girlfriend in the 1950s, Dixie Locke Emmons. Many more guests will be confirmed in the coming months.

In addition to booking rooms for the opening weekend, fans worldwide have the opportunity to book rooms for The Guest House at Graceland for November and December 2016, with special events planned throughout these debut weeks, including Graceland's annual Christmas Lighting weekend, with the Lighting Ceremony to be held on Thursday November 17, 2016.

The Guest House at Graceland, the most significant enhancement to Graceland since it opened to the public in 1982 and the largest hotel project in Memphis in over 90 years, was recently named by the Sydney Morning Herald in Australia as one of the 16 most exciting hotel openings worldwide in 2016 - the only U.S. hotel to receive this recognition. Inspired by Elvis' iconic home, aspects of The Guest House at Graceland will reflect Elvis' personal style and the unique character of Graceland, from the southern colonial exterior to themed specialty suites, many with designs supervised by Priscilla Presley.

"When Elvis had friends and family visit Graceland, he would have them stay at a hotel nearby. He would have been thrilled to have had his own hotel where they could stay," stated Priscilla Presley. "Lisa and I, and our entire family, are excited that visitors from around the world will soon get to experience our unique resort hotel The Guest House at Graceland."

The Guest House at Graceland will feature spacious rooms and a range of elegant and contemporary facilities, including two full-service restaurants, expansive meeting and special events space, a large outdoor pool and a 464-seat theater for live performances and movies.

"The Guest House at Graceland will be an extraordinary 'home away from home' for music fans, Graceland guests and Memphis visitors from around the world," said Joel Weinshanker, Managing Partner of Graceland LLC. "We're pleased to be taking reservations now and look forward to providing an unprecedented visitor experience, starting with our incredible opening celebration in October 2016. The Guest House will bring guests closer to Graceland than ever before and offer the same warmth and southern hospitality that Elvis was known and loved for."

Graceland's new, exclusive, Diamond-level "Founders" program will provide its members with VIP privileges at the new resort, including early, exclusive access to Guest House room reservations, special room rates, room upgrades, priority admission to opening weekend celebration events, VIP invitations to special events and priority reservations for restaurants, live events and concerts. Founders can now exclusively book priority room reservations for January 2017, including the 2017 Elvis Presley Birthday Celebration weekend (January 5-8, 2017). Founders membership details are available at Graceland.com/TheFounders.

For more information about The Guest House at Graceland, visit Graceland.com/GuestHouse. To make reservations, call Graceland Reservations at 800-238-2000 or 901-332-3322 or email reservations@graceland.com.

About Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.

Elvis Presley's Graceland, in Memphis, is music's most important and beloved landmark, with hundreds of thousands of fans from around the world visiting the historic home each year. Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. (EPE) manages the operations of Graceland, its related properties, including the recently-announced Guest House at Graceland 450-room hotel to be built in Memphis, as well as the Graceland Archives, featuring thousands of artifacts from Elvis' home and career. EPE also produces and licenses Elvis-themed live events, tours and attractions worldwide, including "Direct from Graceland: Elvis at The O2" in London, and the new "Graceland Presents ELVIS: The Exhibition" at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino. Graceland Holdings LLC, led by managing partner Joel Weinshanker, is the majority owner of EPE. In 2015, Graceland was named the world's "Best Musical Attraction" and "Best Historic Southern Attraction" in the USA Today 10Best Reader's Choice Awards and in 2013, voted the #1 "Iconic American Attraction" in the same poll. For more information on EPE and Graceland, visit www.graceland.com.

To post a comment, you must register and login.