Madison Hotel: Style Magnet for the Whole Spectrum, Even Tom Waits

August 7, 2006 at 1:24 PM | by Tim L. | 0 Comments

[Ed. Note: Hotel Maven Tim Leffel continues his summer jaunts by checking in on the hotel scene in Memphis. Enjoy.]

At the Madison Hotel in Memphis, jocks, rock stars, and us regular folk can all enjoy a dish of style with the blues and barbeque.

In the dark days of Memphis hotel history, there weren't a lot of choices for the discerning traveler. You either stayed at a faceless chain hotel or you stayed at the grand and historic Peabody. Since the Madison Hotel opened in a restored bank building at the end of 2002, however, Memphis visitors have been able to add some much-needed pizazz to their options. (And celebrities can stay somewhere that isn't designed for their grandmother's tastes.)

When you step into the lobby of The Madison, your senses get a welcome jolt: dark blue and red velvet sofas, colorful paintings, and a soundtrack that is a million miles from Muzak--real Memphis music with soul. The homage to the city's history continues with oversized photos of the blues greats, framed cymbals,and a hotel logo that's formed from two music notes. A "Smashed Brass" sculpture by the mezzanine stairway is composed of four saxophones, two trumpets, and two trombones--all run over by a truck and framed in their flattened state.

More on the hotel including its famous clientele after the jump

The Grill 83 restaurant has become known as the best place in town to get a great steak or a meaty fish plate (and one of the best spots to impress a date.) Or just stop at the bar for a Madison Martini, featuring bourbon instead of vodka since we're in the south. There's no outdoor pool, but a roof deck offers one of the best city and river views in town. The well-equipped exercise room here is situated inside the vault of the original bank that occupied the property, with the door gears and heavy steel walls framing the treadmills and weights.

The eight rooms on each floor are as stylish as the public areas and wouldn't be out of place in a major city. Sleek furniture, upscale linens, and baths of stone and marble compliment nice touches like quality robes, minibars with a wet bar area, and CD players. Of the 110 rooms, 40 are suites--many with whirlpool tubs.

We pegged this as a jock jam hotel a while back since it's the hotel of choice for many visiting basketball teams playing the Grizzlies. But it has also become the primary go-to place for hip music acts playing concerts in the area as well. The hotel wouldn't confirm that Tom Waits was staying there last Friday night, but considering that guys with "Tom Waits Crew" shirts were milling around the lobby and bar, it's a sure bet the raspy one knew where to best nurse his muse.

Image via Carthartic Flux/Flickr

Related Stories:
· Madison Hotel reviews [TripAdvisor]
· Jock Jam Hotel: The Madison [HotelChatter]

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