The Best Hotels in Louisville
By Jenna McMaster
Louisville is a city that knows how to treat a visitor right, especially when it comes to where you lay your head. I’ve scoured the city’s hotels — from the fancy to the downright quirky — and here are five that stand out.
1. 21c Museum Hotel Louisville
Staying at the 21c Museum Hotel isn’t just about finding a bed for the night; it’s a chance to sleep in an art exhibit that also happens to have impeccable service. You could spend hours wandering through the gallery spaces filled with contemporary art, or you could do what I do: enjoy the art while sipping a cocktail from the hotel’s bar, Proof on Main. The rooms are minimalist in design, which is a polite way of saying you won’t be distracted from the art. Plus, there’s a statue of a giant red penguin that makes for an excellent, if not slightly unnerving, roommate.
2. The Brown Hotel
If you’re into history and have always wanted to feel like a Kentucky Colonel without actually joining the military, The Brown Hotel is your spot. Known for inventing the Hot Brown sandwich, a local delicacy that combines turkey, bacon, and a Mornay sauce that will have you questioning your life choices, this place has Southern charm down to a science. The lobby feels like a scene from "Gone with the Wind," minus the drama. Stay here if you want to feel like you’ve been transported to another era, but don’t worry — they still have Wi-Fi.
3. Omni Louisville Hotel
The Omni Louisville is where modern luxury meets a wink at Louisville’s past. There's a speakeasy tucked away in the hotel that requires a password, which they’ll give you for free because, well, it’s not Prohibition anymore. The rooftop pool offers views that almost make up for Kentucky’s humidity.
3. The Seelbach Hilton Louisville
Walking into The Seelbach Hilton feels like stepping into a Gatsby novel, minus the tragic ending. It’s all marble staircases, grand ballrooms, and enough crystal chandeliers to blind a Bourbon Street brawler. Legend has it that F. Scott Fitzgerald found inspiration here, and honestly, who wouldn’t? If you’re looking to experience a bygone era of luxury — and maybe spot a ghost or two — this is your place.
5. Galt House Hotel
No list of Louisville hotels would be complete without the Galt House, a local staple that’s been around longer than most of the bourbon in town. It’s a sprawling property with two towers and a commanding view of the Ohio River, which sounds fancy until you realize it’s still just a river. The real draw is the location — smack dab in the middle of downtown, it’s walking distance to pretty much everything you didn’t realize you needed to see in Louisville.
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The Best Hotels in Louisville
Louisville is a city that knows how to treat a visitor right, especially when it comes to where you lay your head.
By Jenna McMaster
When I was a child growing up in rural Kentucky, Louisville was the “big city,” a place full of bright lights and people in a hurry
Now, decades later, I’ve come back to Louisville on my own terms, ready to see the city not just through the eyes of a girl from the country, but as someone who has traveled the world and still believes that small things can mean a lot.