The Best Hotels in Louisville, Kentucky, for Every Traveler

The early bird gets the worm, but the guest who sleeps in gets the better breakfast at the Inn at Woodhaven. The continental spread is laid out at 7am, but please, dear traveler, lay ever so still on your Stearns and Foster mattress. Take a soak in the in-room whirlpool, if you must. The real renowned breakfast hits the table between 7:30am and 9:30am. We won’t spoil the menu, but we will send you salivating with three little words: caramel french toast.

The Galt House Hotel is the largest hotel in the state and dates back to the 1800s. However, it might be a front – this “hotel” in Louisville is actually a bourbon lover’s paradise that happens to have places to sleep. Sip your way from the ground-floor Down One Bourbon Bar up to Swizzle on the 25th floor, offering sweeping views. Pop off on the 2nd floor for a round at Jockey Silks and Walker’s Exchange – then maybe take the concierge up on the “lodging” that they insist is legit.

Looking more like a Saint Petersburg ballroom than a Georgian Revival hotel, the Brown has occupied this downtown corner near the Brennan House since 1923. Old-world-style rooms come with marble floors and mahogany beds, the most opulent being the Muhammad Ali suite, dedicated by the man himself. This oversize lodging sports a marble jacuzzi tub and a dining room with a chandelier. Dining options include the elegant J Graham’s Cafe and the palatial Lobby Bar serving hot brown sandwiches – they were invented here, after all.

This neon-lit Marriott outpost on Whiskey Row offers unparalleled access to the distilleries, cocktail bars and jazz clubs that make this area so famous. Inside, a wood-paneled game room offers foosball, card tables, board games and graphic art books. After a night of partying, wake up to stellar Ohio River views through floor-to-ceiling windows. For dining, Zombie Taco serves casual Mexican bites.

It’s like a night at the museum, but in this case, the museum comes to you. The downtown Louisville outpost of the 21c boutique chain features a constantly rotating selection of fun and thought-provoking works, and one installation, the glass-paneled Asleep in the Cyclone, doubles as a guest room. Celebrity-favorite restaurant Proof on Main serves elevated Kentucky classics, such as charred octopus and bison. The Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory and the Muhammad Ali Center are within a five-minute walk.

Four blocks south of the river, this contemporary four-star hotel in Louisville impresses with muted mid-century decor, curated in-room bourbon bars and skyline views. The gracefully minimalist Mokara Spa offers earth-clay detox wraps and a Walk in the Woods facial for men, with hemp oil and bark extracts. Follow dinner at Bob’s Steak and Chop House with bowling and cocktails at the Prohibition-style Pin + Proof bar.

About a 15-minute drive from downtown, this three-star hotel in Louisville is within walking distance of the enormous Mall St Matthews, home to many shopping and dining options, including Kung Fu Tea, Redbrick Pizza Kitchen Cafe, Dillard’s and more. Refresh after a day of browsing with a dip in the indoor heated pool or work out in the fitness center. Each room comes with a mini-fridge, a microwave and Serta Suite Dreams bedding. There are also numerous accessible room options for people with disabilities – check when booking.

A cocktail’s throw from the sophisticated jazz clubs and distilleries on Whiskey Row, Hotel Distil combines Marriott’s reliable service with design-forward rooms, complete with spindly serving carts, geometric headboards and lots of filament bulbs. A well-equipped fitness room allows you to keep up your exercise regime; grab a post-workout bite in the Repeal Oak-Fired Steakhouse before heading to the rooftop bar for cocktails made with aged, house-made bitters.

Legends abound at this masterpiece of a hotel in Louisville, opened in 1905 by two Bavarian brothers. It has hosted presidents in the Seelbach suite and Al Capone at the gentlemen’s club, but the pièce de résistance is the vaulted Rathskeller, or beer hall, a favorite drinking den of F Scott Fitzgerald. Rooms tastefully blend modern furnishings with historical fixtures, and three dining options range from casual breakfast hall Gatsby’s on Fourth to the faithfully restored Old Seelbach Bar, serving single-barrel bourbon cocktails.

With a pink-and-orange exterior that’s practically visible from space, the Vu is a guesthouse that does things differently. Within a former tobacco warehouse, the 34 rooms and suites have a boudoir feel with ornate tufted headboards, mood lighting and premium Molton Brown toiletries. Kick back with a cocktail in the red-lit lobby bar, or try the grand piano. Outside, you’ll find the historically Black neighborhood of Smoketown, with downtown attractions a four-minute cab ride away.