What is the total hotel tax rate in Memphis?

The combined occupancy tax on a Memphis hotel room is about 16.75%. That figure stacks Tennessee's 7.0% state sales tax, Shelby County's 2.25% local sales tax, the 3.5% Memphis hotel-motel occupancy tax, and roughly 4.0% in tourism and convention-center assessments.

Why is my Memphis hotel bill higher than the room rate?

Hotels advertise the pre-tax nightly rate, but lodging is taxed far more heavily than ordinary goods. On top of the 16.75% percentage taxes, some downtown and Beale Street properties add a flat per-night tourism fee, pushing the real cost well above the headline price.

Does the 16.75% apply to resort or parking fees?

The occupancy tax applies to the room charge itself. Separate resort, parking, or amenity fees may carry their own tax treatment and are not always part of the occupancy base, so your folio can differ slightly from this estimate.

Is the Memphis hotel tax the same everywhere in Shelby County?

The state and county portions are uniform, but the city occupancy levy and tourism assessments apply within Memphis city limits. Hotels in suburban Shelby County municipalities may carry a slightly different combined rate.

Are long-term stays taxed the same?

Many jurisdictions exempt stays beyond a continuous threshold (often 30 days) from the occupancy portion. For typical traveler stays of a few nights, the full 16.75% applies as estimated here.

Memphis Hotel & Occupancy Tax Calculator

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A Memphis hotel room is taxed far more heavily than a typical purchase. The advertised nightly rate is only the starting point — by the time the folio prints, a combined occupancy tax near 16.75% has been layered on, and some properties add a flat per-night fee on top. This calculator shows the real out-the-door total before you book.

How it works

The combined Memphis occupancy tax is the sum of several overlapping levies applied to the nightly room charge:

percentage tax = room rate × 16.75%
  where 16.75% = TN state sales 7.0%
               + Shelby County 2.25%
               + Memphis hotel-motel occupancy 3.5%
               + tourism / convention assessment ~4.0%

per-night cost = (room rate × 16.75%) + flat fee
grand total    = (room rate × nights) + total tax + total flat fees

The tool computes the percentage tax per night, multiplies it across your nights, adds any flat fee you enter, and sums everything into a grand total.

Example

A $150 room for 3 nights: the percentage tax is $25.13 per night, or $75.38 across the stay. The room subtotal is $450, so the grand total is about $525.38 — before any flat tourism fee a property might add.

Notes

The rate shown is an estimate. Resort, parking, and amenity fees can be taxed differently, suburban Shelby County properties may vary, and stays beyond a continuous 30-day threshold are often exempt from the occupancy portion. Always confirm the line items on your final folio.