Where To Lay Your Head
Downtown Louisville has several full-service hotels, among them the Louisville Marriott Downtown; the Hyatt Regency; two historic gems, the historic Seelbach Hotel and the Brown Hotel; and a cool space called the 21c Museum Hotel, a modern art museum in a hotel. The largest full-service downtown hotel property is the Galt House, with a hotel tower and a suites tower for a total of 1,320 guest rooms.
“We’re in the heart of the city, right on the Ohio River. Our riverfront is spectacular and is great for both consumers and for groups visiting us,” said Kelly Gream, marketing manager for H.J. Schneider Co., which manages the property. “We’re one of the oldest and largest family-run hotels in the country. The staff is experienced and tenured, with some having worked for the Galt House for 20 years.
“They know how to take care of folks and their needs,” said Gream.
The Galt House has several restaurants that are ideal for group settings for breakfast, lunch or dinner. The beautiful, revolving Rivue restaurant sits on top of one of the hotel towers and gives diners a stunning 360-degree view of downtown, the river and southern Indiana.
Altogether, downtown Louisville has 3,800 hotel rooms; pedestrian walkways connect 2,300 of them to the convention center and the Yum! Center.
Out at the Kentucky Exposition Center, full-service hotels include the Crowne Plaza and the Hilton Garden Inn with other chain hotels located close by. The Kentucky State Fair Board, which manages the Exposition Center, is currently seeking proposals for a luxury 600-room convention hotel that would be connected by a skywalk to the center.
Louisville’s suburban East End has 4,600 hotel rooms of its own.
Fun, Fun, Fun
When the day’s business has concluded and it’s time for fun, why not visit what the American Planning Association named “One of America’s Top 10 Great Streets”? That would be Louisville’s Main Street and Museum Row.
The row features several attractions that offer a wealth of fascinating off-site reception possibilities. They include the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory, where the famed baseball bats are manufactured; the Frazier History Museum, which includes a section with items from the British Royal Armouries; the Muhammad Ali Center, which honors the life of the iconic Louisville native; and the Louisville Science Center.
There’s also the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts, with its Broadway-type shows, and KentuckyShow, a large-screen, multimedia visual treat narrated by Kentucky native Ashley Judd.
The walkable, four-block area also has interesting restaurants, bars and shops to enjoy.
Fourth Street Live! is another of downtown’s dining, entertainment and retail districts. It’s close to hotels, the convention center, Waterfront Park, Slugger Field and other major attractions. There are restaurants galore and live concerts and other events to keep things jumping.
