Hey Gary, I had been performing it exactly as you suggested and while yes, it works, the accents/stop time/break are not like the original. To me those accents are sort of iconic but probably your average person wouldn't notice the difference...

Phillip, thanks for the style however it sounds nothing like the Heart Break Hotel I'm familiar with. The style that you posted sounds like a fast C&W train beat not a slow 12/8 blues. Good style though, that I'm sure I'll be using for a different tune.