MEMPHIS, Tenn. – March 1, 2016 – Hotel industry veteran Keith Hess has been appointed vice president and managing director of the under-construction, full-service, 450-room resort hotel, The Guest House at Graceland, which is located just steps away from Elvis Presley’s Graceland® in Memphis. The announcement was made by Jim Dina, chief operating officer of the Pyramid Hotel Group, which is managing the hotel for Elvis Presley Enterprises/Graceland.
Hess brings more than 30 years of hotel and resort experience. For the past seven years, he has served as Pyramid Hotel Group’s vice president of operations, overseeing hotel and resort teams with Hilton, Hyatt, Westin, Sheraton, Marriott as well as Independent Brands.
“All of us at Pyramid look forward to being part of this unprecedented, world-class resort and conference destination in the heart of Graceland,” said Dina. “We are pleased to announce Keith Hess as the managing director of The Guest House at Graceland. He is a strong leader, with a talent for cultivating and building top-notch hotel teams.”
“Graceland is delighted to have Keith join us in such a key role at The Guest House at Graceland,” said Jack Soden, CEO of Elvis Presley Enterprises. “The Guest House is our most exciting project since opening Graceland in 1982, and we know that with Keith and Pyramid’s invaluable support, we’ll be providing extraordinary guest, conference, meeting and event experiences for the Memphis community and Graceland visitors from around the world.”
The Guest House at Graceland is scheduled to open on October 27 of this year with a three-day gala grand opening celebration.
“It’s an honor for me to be leading the team at The Guest House at Graceland” said Hess. “We will be expanding our team in order to deliver the one-of-a-kind experience for guests as Elvis would have expected himself. I look forward to working closely with our Team and participating in the vibrant Memphis community.”
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.
The Guest House at Graceland is 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. It 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.
The hallmarks of the Guest House will be the gracious service and warmth and friendliness of the staff, combined with the celebrated southern hospitality for which Elvis was known and loved. Visitors from around the world and the local environs will enjoy an extraordinary “home away from home” that will delight all, no matter the purpose of their visit. And as the resort hotel destination for the most famous musical landmark in the world, The Guest House will also present ongoing music and entertainment programming on the property, intended not only to enhance the visitor experience for overnight guests, but to attract Memphians as well.
The resort will feature spacious rooms and a range of elegant and contemporary facilities, including two full-service restaurants, expansive meeting and special events space for conventions, meetings, weddings and gatherings up to 1,000 people, a 464-seat theater for live performances and movies, a large outdoor pool and green space with capabilities for a 400-person tent for special outdoor events.
The timing of The Guest House opening coincides with the explosion of tourism, cultural and entertainment options in Memphis., Considered the cultural capital of the mid-south, Memphis has undergone a radical change with a vibrant culinary scene, unlimited entertainment and sports activities, a burgeoning arts scene, and the huge popularity of other attractions such as the National Civil Rights Museum, the Beale Street Historical District, Sun Studio, the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, the Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum, the new Memphis Music Hall of Fame, the new Blues Hall of Fame, the Gibson Guitar Factory, the Pink Palace Museum and Planetarium, the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Children's Museum of Memphis, the Dixon Gallery and Gardens, the National Ornamental Metal Museum, the Cotton Museum, and the Orpheum Theatre, among others.
For more information, to book room reservations, and for group/event inquiries for The Guest House at Graceland, visit Graceland.com/GuestHouse, call Graceland reservations at 800-238-2000 or 890-332-3322 or email reseravations@graceland.com.
