The Best Cheap Hotels to Book in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

This elegant high-rise along the I-10 – it’s Baton Rouge’s fifth tallest building – offers spacious rooms overlooking leafy suburbs. You’re only minutes away by car from the nightlife around LSU and the attractions of downtown. There’s a movie theater down the street and several eateries in the area but the on-site restaurant and bar is a good place to watch sports, enjoy craft beers and cocktails and fill up on hearty Cajun-influenced dishes. Work off the calories in the 24-hour fitness center or, in season, do a few laps in the outdoor pool.

Its rooms decked out in neutral shades, this hotel is surprisingly noise-free, considering it’s located just off the I-10. There’s decent shopping in the surrounding area, nearby Tio Javi’s serves good Mexican staples, and a pleasant little park is only a short stroll away. The hot breakfast comes highly recommended and prepares you for exploring all Baton Rouge has to offer. After working on your strokes on the three-hole putting green, make your way to the indoor pool for a few laps. At night, the open-air atrium is a good place to meet new people.

A block north of the Old State Capitol and a block east of the river, this neoclassical building is part of downtown history too. It started with three stories built in 1921, with seven more added in 1928. For such a cheap hotel in Baton Rouge, you get more luxury than you’d expect. Giant photographic prints above the beds and splashes of contemporary art liven up the snug rooms. Bring your dog, borrow a complimentary bicycle and go for a stroll along the river. Then have a bite and a cocktail at the on-site restaurant. The meals aren’t just farm-to-table but rooftop-to-table, using herbs and honey from the rooftop garden and apiary.

Built in 1927 as the first skyscraper in Baton Rouge, this boutique hotel pays homage throughout to its first life as the Louisiana Trust & Savings Bank. The old bank vaults now serve as meeting rooms. The art deco details are in the decor, even in the fitness center. The Gregory restaurant (contemporary farm-to-table Southern flavors) and hotel lobby feature original Angela Gregory murals. Grab a bagel with schmear at the NYC-style deli on the ground floor and head up to your room to discover it’s not only the inside that’s beautiful: you’ll also have great views of the city and the river.

As far as cheap hotels in Baton Rouge go, the Marriott chain rules the roost with options. For example, this hotel is located between the I-10 and Dawson Creek, only minutes away from either LSU and Tiger Stadium or the Mall of Louisiana. There are plenty of spots in the surrounding neighborhood for you and your dog to explore – the hotel is pet-friendly – and afterwards, you can cool off in the outdoor pool. In addition to the on-site bistro – serving signature breakfast sandwiches and chunky burgers, and BBQ and picnic facilities – good dining options nearby include saltgrass Steakhouse, TJ Ribs and Mestizo (Mexican).

The decor is much cheerier than the 50 shades of beige you normally get at budget chain hotels and all the rooms are suites, with spacious lounge areas and a cream-and-mint-green color scheme. The hotel is conveniently located just off the I-10, a two-minute drive from the Louisiana State University Rural Life Museum and a 15-minute drive from downtown. Find your inner Zen among the flowers and trees of the LSU AgCenter Botanical Gardens, only a block away. Nearby restaurants include Another Broken Egg Cafe (decadent brunches) and SoLou, locally known for its shrimp and grits and crawfish mac’n’cheese.

Located off the I-110 and right by Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport, this hotel and its comfortable (though not readily Instagram-worthy) rooms make for a convenient stopover. There’s also a bus route nearby that takes you to Southern University and A&M College, in case you’re on your way to college. Downtown Baton Rouge is about a 15-minute drive away. The hotel itself is pet-friendly and you can walk your pup along a trail to a pleasant park about half a mile to the south, where you can play disc golf. Dining options in the area are limited to fast food chains off the highway, but the on-site restaurant serves hot breakfast and American standards for dinner.

This is one of the better pet-friendly options for cheap hotels in Baton Rouge if you want to stay downtown, with balcony rooms – all classic creams and grays and glittery statement walls – offering good city and river views. If you want to see the downtown attractions up close, you’re just two blocks’ walk from the LSU Museum of Art and Louisiana’s Old State Capitol building. The bus that passes by in front of the hotel takes you to the Liberty Lagoon waterpark. Adjacent to the lobby is the first full-service Starbucks in downtown Baton Rouge, and nearby restaurants include the locally popular Stroubes Seafood & Steak and Schlittz & Giggles (pizza).