The Best Hotels to Book Near the Indianapolis Motor Speedway

From a distance, this concrete slab of a building looks unassuming, but once you’re at the drawbridge-like porch entrance magically lit up like a jewelry shop, you’ll understand how the Conrad earned its five stars. Inside, wood and natural colors create a cozy atmosphere – and leather accents, carpets and marble-floored bathrooms add elegance. Suites offering city views come with a fireplace, soaking tub and futuristically shaped lamps. Melt away during a massage, sweat in the gym overlooking the indoor pool, or sip cocktails at this high-end hotel’s lounges.

Be it Charlie Chaplin looking at the blood-smeared “Vandal” on the parking’s wall or the lobby’s hawks and pigeons exploding skywards like fireworks – art hails from every corner of this hip hotel. The foyer’s living room-style design – complete with a fireplace – exemplifies the homey vibe, continued in earth-colored rooms showcasing sleek furniture and colorful rugs. Amenities include a 24-hour gym and restaurant. Thirsty? Take a seat in the lounge below lantern lights, or watch the world go by on the terrace.

The Crowne Plaza brilliantly combines history with modernity. Step inside the red brick complex and you’ll be met with a soaring banquet hall, high ceilings and gothic arches. The highlight of this hotel, however, is the rooms installed within decommissioned 1920s train carriages – not that you’d know it from the presence of the twin queen-sized beds and a large flat-screen TV. Complete with an indoor pool and 24-hour gym, this is one classy palace.

Le Meridien celebrates the industrial heritage of the US with exposed brickwork on show throughout – complete with modern light fittings, carpets and sleek leather sofas bringing things bang up to date. The look is continued in the guest rooms – painted a sober, sophisticated grey, but softened with plush bathrobes, espresso makers, LED TV and blackout drapes. A bit monochrome for your liking? With the Indianapolis Artsgarden and restaurants within walking distance, you’ll find local color right on your doorstep.

This intimate hotel hides off the main drag, in a quiet corner of Broad Ripple Village. An exterior of wood and natural stone is a clue to the warm, cozy vibe you’ll find inside. While each room’s style is one-of-a-kind, all offer in-room entertainment and comfortable pillow-top beds, plus Egyptian cotton linens. If you book one with views of the Monon Trail, you can sip on an ice-cold beer on your deck and listen to the babbling White River.

The Sheraton sits in the middle of downtown Indianapolis, just steps from the Soldiers and Sailors Monument. This modern hotel has spacious, earth-colored rooms with sleek furniture, mirrors and posh marble sinks. Downstairs, Alexander’s Bar and Grill serves up stiff cocktails and a side of contemporary urban charm – with its exposed brick walls and modern art. Art also beckons at the gym, with its digital art-inspired mural spurring you on as you push through the miles.

As you might expect from the name, unapologetic industrial design is all the rage here – with exposed brickwork, wrought iron and aluminum piping throughout. Guest rooms have allowed for some more conventionally chic details with marble sinks, soft fabric headboards – albeit bound together with masculine leather straps – and squishy leather sofas. Slip on your robe – another welcome touch – and dine in front of your floor-to-ceiling window, or take things outside at the hotel’s excellent on-site bar and restaurant, Provision.

It’s hard to place the look of this downtown hotel, as there are moments of classical grandeur in the soaring lobby, complete with the largest chandelier we’ve ever seen, a grand piano and a thick floral carpet. But then, other areas feel decidedly 70s retro, such as the Severin Bar with its ochre-yellow velvet banquette seating, or its 1913 restaurant, decorated head-to-toe in steak brown. Things tend to meet in the middle in the guestrooms, which – by some miracle – really works.