Review: Hyatt Centric Beale Street Memphis

In a nutshell: the Hyatt Centric Memphis Beale Street is a new property for the brand that offers comfortable rooms, tasty breakfast options, and a lovely rooftop terrace and bar. The location makes it an excellent choice when visiting the Home of the Blues. Downsides include a somewhat poor award value and an outdoor pool and terrace that is apparently only seasonal.

A new addition to the Hyatt Portfolio, the Hyatt Centric Memphis Beale Street opened in Spring 2021. It’s located in the heart of the city, a typical feature of the lifestyle brand.

Centric continues to be one of my favorite Hyatt brands. It nicely bridges the gap between their select-service brands and their luxury offerings, such as Grand Hyatt. The properties have character and cuisine reflective the local culture (though not always, as you’ll see here), which makes for a much better stay than a cookie-cutter Hyatt Place or bland Hyatt Regency.

Hyatt Centric hotels also offer full-service amenities, and award rates are usually affordable. Of the 48 Hyatt Centric properties worldwide nearly 70% are award Category 4 or less.

Booking the Hyatt Centric Memphis

I booked two nights at the Category 4 Hyatt Centric Memphis Beale Street. My stay cost 15,000 points for the first night, and I used a Category 1-4 free night certificate for the second. In general, rates at the Hyatt Centric are very reasonable, less than $200 for many dates. This makes award value generally low. In my opinion, the Hyatt Centric Memphis should be reduced to Category 3.

It would have been three nights, but I decided to burn a Marriott Chase free night at the Westin Memphis for the first night. I’m still burning all the free nights I accumulated in 2021.

Arriving at the Hyatt Centric Beale Street

The Hyatt Centric Memphis is located a block off Beale Street near the Mississippi River. It is a 5-minute walk from the pedestrian section of Beale Street and less than 10 minutes from the National Civil Rights Museum. If you’re arriving at Memphis International Airport, an Uber or taxi will bring you to the hotel in under 30 minutes.

As I was already staying along Beale Street, it took me just a few minutes to walk over from the Westin. There was a bit of activity outside the hotel when I arrived. Two buses were parked right in front of the entrance. The lobby feels industrial with its concrete pillars and general aesthetic.

Check-in was not the typical Hyatt experience. The agent at the front desk was aloof and hardly spoke. There was no loyalty recognition or welcome to the property. But I did have my key in hand in under two minutes and headed upstairs to drop my bag in my room.

The art at the elevator landings intrigued me. The choice to display a thrashed old warehouse made me wonder if these are of the previous structure that was on the site. I totally forgot to ask while I was there.

Hyatt Centric Beale Street Memphis: Standard Room

If there is one word that sums up a standard room at the Hyatt Centric Memphis, it is compact. If you like plenty of space, this isn’t your hotel. The upside is that the rooms have a pleasant color scheme, nice furniture, and great character. I love the art on the shower door and above the headboard.

Another downside besides the size is the lack of a desk. Some brands have done away with desks in rooms. I don’t understand this. Even if it’s small, I really like a workspace, as I often work an hour or two per day (if not much more) while on the road.

The bathroom is equally as small, but the excellent design makes up for this. The shower is quite spacious and nice. For better or worse, though, it opens directly into the room. The sink, counter, and mirror were spotless, and all towels and amenities were stocked. Thankfully, the toilet gets its own little room.

As for other room features, the Hyatt Centric offers a board with information on the hotel and local area, a mini-fridge, and a closet that reflects its 4-star, full-service nature.

My room didn’t have much of a view. The best are likely those facing the Mississippi. The hotel may be on Beale Street, but you’re far enough from the action to have any real view. Not to worry. The rooftop terrace makes up for this.

Breakfast at the CIMAS Restaurant

Mexican-inspired food in Memphis? CIMAS, the downstairs hotel restaurant, had me a hair worried. I expected cuisine reflective of Memphis. Barbecue (but not for breakfast) and southern comfort food is what I would have expected.

But CIMAS did not disappoint. I ordered chilaquiles one morning and breakfast tacos the next, plus a side of eggs. Both were quite good.

The CIMAS menu is better on the weekends than on weekdays. Sunday morning had more options than Monday’s menu (below), which was pretty limited.

Service at CIMAS was excellent, and the restaurant has a nice setting, much nicer than the Westin restaurant a few blocks away.

If you’re in a hurry and want to grab something to go, the Hyatt Centric also offers a coffeeshop and market. To get to the restaurant, continue around to the left past the market and lobby bar.

Beck & Call: The Rooftop Bar and Terrace

Even if you’re not staying at the Hyatt Centric Beale Street Memphis for your Blues City stay, you must check out the bar and terrace on the top floor of the hotel. The terrace offers lovely views of the Mississippi River, and the bar offers excellent cocktails and live music some weekend nights. You have to check out Beck & Call!

The Hyatt Centric Memphis has a nice cocktail menu if you want to grab a drink before you turn in. It’s not the same sort of nightlife that you’ll find a couple blocks away at the heart of Beale Street, but it has its own appeal.

I caught the sunset over the river on my second night at the Hyatt Centric. A lot of others had the same idea, even though it was chilly. The terrace also features an outdoor fire pit that makes things a bit more comfortable in the winter.

The night views are also lovely.

Other Hotel Amenities

The Hyatt Centric Beale Street Memphis has both a fitness center and a small outdoor pool in the central courtyard. The pool was closed while I was there at the end of January, though. I’m not sure if it is supposed to be seasonal, but the hotel was clearly not keeping it up. THe pool area looks like it would be fantastic in the summer.

Location in Memphis

While the Westin might be the best located hotel in town, the Hyatt Centric Memphis Beale Street is a fine choice as well. It’s a block from the Orpheum Theater, and two blocks from the main section of Beale Street. You can also head down the hill and be at the riverfront in under 3 minutes. Downtown is an easy walk away. If you’re out in downtown and looking for a good cup of coffee, I recommend The Crazy Gander Coffee Shop.

Hyatt Centric Beale Street Memphis Review: Final Thoughts

If I had to choose again between the Westin Memphis or the Hyatt Centric Beale Street Memphis, the latter would win. The hotel has character, a great breakfast, and an awesome terrace and bar. The few downsides included a check-in that didn’t meet Hyatt standards, small rooms, and a pool that wasn’t open at the time. Even considering these, I’d be more than willing to stay here again.