While most people headed out to have pancakes with mom yesterday, Memphis battled flooding from the Mississippi River that's expected to reach 48 feet on Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. However, downtown Memphis hotels are safe and open for business.

We called the Holiday Inn Select Downtown Memphis to see how it was faring, and the front desk said that downtown, which is perched on a bluff, isn't affected at all. "I'm not even wearing a swimsuit or anything," the front desk clerk joked. ]]> Jennifer Kester 2011-05-09T09:32:14-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2008/12/3/5401/52925 <![CDATA[<img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/3873/Pencil_Set_from_Shutters_Online_Store.jpg" class="top"><p> <p>We're pretty geeky about knowing which of our favorite hotel room items we can buy to take home and enjoy, so when we found <a href="http://hotels.about.com/od/hotelsecrets/a/hotel_shops.htm?nl=1">About.com's</a> list of hotel swag we didn't really expect to learn anything new. Sorry, About.com people, but we think our <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/Hotel%20Swag"><b>hotel swag list</b></a> is longer than yours.<p>For example, we've been keeping tabs on the sales of <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2005/7/5/144327/9970/hotels/Hotel_Swag_For_Dollars">Westin Heavenly beds</a> for a while, and we've got a long list of crazy stuff being sold by the <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2008/8/11/23599/4832/hotels/W_Hotels_Store_Sells_Cute_Dresses_Fug_Accessories_275_Sex_Toys">W Hotels store</a>.<p>But wait, as all the best late night advertisers say, there's more! We didn't realize you can get so much duck-themed joy from <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/Peabody%20Hotel">Peabody Hotels</a>--there are duck books, duck ties, even amandak 2008-12-03T09:40:24-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2007/6/1/131923/4804 <![CDATA[<img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/3/peabody_hotel_memphis_eat.jpg" class="imgborder"> <p> <p> For everyone with an oil portrait of Robert E. Lee hanging in the Billiard Room, you and your fellow Daughters of the American Revolution should venture from the plantation to enjoy a fantastic meal at Chez Phillipe, a <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18746249/">Forbes Traveler story</a> on the best hotel food reports. <p> <p>The French-Asian establishment, located within <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/The+Peabody+Memphis/local/611"><b>The Peabody hotel in Memphis</b></a>, is one of the highest rated restaurants below the Mason-Dixon. <p> <p>Apparently, all the restaurant buzz proves the hotel now has more than marching ducks to offer its travelers. Since 1932, when a few drunken aristocrats left their duck decoys in the hotel fountain after a day of hunting, fowl have achieved royalty status at ced138 2007-06-01T15:02:05-05:00 35.141898 -90.052022 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2006/9/10/223819/413 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/admin/comment.jpg"><p>We've <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2006/1/22/181530/461/misc/The_Job_of_Your_Hotel_Dreams%3EThe%20Job%20of%20Your%20Hotel%20Dreams%3C/a%3E%20%5BHotelChatter%5D%3Cbr%3E%3Cp%20class=">written about hotel inspectors</a> before, in cases where someone tirelessly checked into motels on behalf of AAA, or cases where (more fortunate) inspector viewing properties for the Leading Hotels of the World.<br><br> This past summer <a href="http://www.smartmoney.com">Smart Money</a> magazine ran an article in the print version only about a sort of "secret shopper" inspector whose job it is to go around staying at hotels and then presenting the manager with the good, bad, and ugly findings. (A full written report is sent later.) It was all good fun, but what we like even better is the letters the magazine received from readers, now printed in the current issue of the magazine.<br><br> As road warrior Mark from Port Tim L. 2006-09-11T13:44:09-05:00 Search HotelChatter string http://www.hotelchatter.com/search/