Memphis-based Cooper Hotels, owner and operator of the DoubleTree by Hilton Memphis, completed the hotel’s $5 million renovation and redesign. While planning and design work began months before, physical renovation work began in March 2020 on the 264-room East Memphis hotel.
The top-to-bottom project was accomplished in phases, to take advantage of low occupancy during the pandemic and to avoid inconveniences to the guests and event attendees that returned during the final months of work.
“Fortunately, most of our renovation was completed before supply chain and labor issues became as problematic as they are today,” said Candace Selecman, general manager, DoubleTree by Hilton Memphis. “Before the renovation ended, leisure guests and smaller event business began returning, and we are seeing increases in business travelers and larger events at our beautifully redesigned hotel.”
Guestrooms were first in the renovation schedule. All furniture and amenities were replaced, as well as carpet and wall coverings. Bathroom doors were replaced with “barn door” entryways. At the same time, complete renovations were done on all hotel corridors and elevator lobbies. These improvements were completed in April 2021.
Renovations to the hotel’s 6,000-square-feet of meeting and event space began in last January and were completed six weeks later. Improvements included new carpet, wall coverings and new LED fixtures and lighting in the hotel ballroom and prefunction area. Boardrooms also received new tables and chairs. With the increased public interest in outdoor functions and gatherings, a 1,600 square-foot, private patio was created with intricate stamped concrete flooring, new landscaping, new furniture and a fire pit.
The hotel lobby makeover began in April. New front desk “pods” and illuminated artwork were installed adjacent to a new Made Market offering snacks and beverages. A convenient Connectivity Zone with computers and functional seating was also added. The four public restrooms on the ground floor received new flooring, wall covering, sinks with automated faucets, backlit and full-length mirrors and hardwood walls replacing conventional toilet partitions.
The final phase of the renovation project, which began in late June, was the demolition of the hotel’s existing restaurant and bar to accommodate a new restaurant, Erling Jensen Small Bites with Topgolf Swing Suites. In the dining area, new tables, seating, flooring and window treatments were installed surrounding two Topgolf Swing Suite simulator bays with their own new seating and tables. Large TV screens were placed in the elevated bar area, which also got new seating and tables, some overlooking the hotel lobby after the removal of an existing wall.