The Best Budget-Friendly Hotels to Book in Alabama, USA

Originally opened in 1837, this Downtown hotel is set on the banks of the Alabama River, a few meters (several feet) from the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Book a river-view room, and you can look out over the water from your balcony, which the original architect designed to be wide enough for women in hooped skirts – the hotel is full of historical features like this. The lobby, restaurant, bar and rooms are dotted with period furniture, fireplaces, chandeliers and 19th-century paintings, too.

Set in Downtown Mobile, the Malaga Inn is a Southern belle of a hotel. It’s fronted by cast-iron balconies with calligraphic curls, its rooms are full of period features, and it’s backed by a pretty fountain-filled courtyard. The timeline of the hotel can be traced back to the early years of the Civil War, and you can take short heritage tours when you stay here, which includes a visit to the underground tunnels that were once used to hide Confederate soldiers.

This 14-storey hotel, near the Civil Rights Institute, was opened in the Roaring ’20s, and there are nods to the Jazz Age everywhere – not least in the art deco-style lobby, with its huge crystal chandelier, silver sofas and velvet drapes. To really tune into your inner Gatsby, head to the rooftop bar. Up here, you can drink champagne cocktails from coupe glasses and look out over the rooftops of the nearby Theatre District.

Set within a pretty red-brick building, SpringHill Suites is within walking distance of some of the top sights in Montgomery, including the Civil Rights Memorial and Alabama State Capitol. Despite being surrounded by history, the hotel is ultra-contemporary inside. Rooms have a New York loft look to them, with exposed-brick walls and modern modular furniture. There’s no restaurant here, but there’s a good breakfast spread that includes everything from hot eggs and bagels to fruit loops.

This comfortable hotel puts you right in the bull’s eye of Alabama, making it a great base for exploring the state. Attractions like the Oak Mountain State Park are close by. Drive north for 20 minutes, and you’ll reach Birmingham; drive south for 20 minutes, and you’ll get to the American Village, where costumed guides teach visitors about America’s quest for independence. If you need a break from exploring, the hotel has an outdoor pool to relax in.

There’s no denying you’re in America when you stay at Hometown Inn. Its exterior walls are painted in red, white and blue, an American flag and a Captain America shield fill the wall behind reception, and the corridors are lined with memorabilia. The hotel is in Thomasville, midway between Montgomery and Mobile – the ideal way to break up a journey from the state capital to the coast.

The rooms at the Stricklin Hotel mix modern industrial features like exposed-stone walls with art deco touches such as sun-ray mirrors. They pool out across the second and third floors of the 1940s Stricklin Building in downtown Florence, a short walk from the Tennessee River. The ground floor of this building belongs to the Big Bad Breakfast restaurant – try the scrambled egg skillet with a biscuit (bun) on the side. The basement, meanwhile, conceals a vintage bowling alley.

This hotel has one of the best addresses in Homewood, a 12-minute drive from Birmingham. It’s right on Soho Square, with its collection of cafes, restaurants and boutiques. The hotel itself has an industrial look to it. In the bar, for example, exposed metal ventilation pipes snake across high ceilings. Don’t miss the cocktails here – the menu features seasonal specials for occasions like Halloween, Saint Patrick’s Day and Valentine’s Day.