Central Kentucky
GoToLouisville.com; @GoToLouisville—Louisville’s unique brand of Southern hospitality, one-of-a kind attractions, Urban Bourbon Experience, rich culinary scene, convenience, and affordability make it a world-class destination for any meeting or event,” says Doug Bennett, executive vice president for Louisville Tourism. “Attendees love Bourbon City’s restaurant and bar scene, the thrill of visiting Churchill Downs, Museum Row (with the likes of the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory and Muhammad Ali Center), and distillery tours. In no other city will you find the welcome you will receive in Louisville, from the Louisville Tourism staff to the friendly faces of the front-line staff and locals of this vibrant city.”
Louisville has welcomed several new hotels in the past year, with more on the way. The 65-room Myriad Hotel opened in September 2023 in the Highlands neighborhood; Tempo by Hilton NuLu opened in May 2024, with 130 guest rooms and a rooftop restaurant; and Hotel Genevieve opened in early 2023 in NuLu, with 168 guest rooms and event space to accommodate 122 guests. According to Louisville Tourism, AFAR magazine recently named NuLu as one of the “Best Food Neighborhoods in the USA.” Bennett adds, “You will find a lot of diversity in cuisine in NuLu, including Mayan Café, which recently expanded into a back patio, seating 40.” Set to open in early 2025, Canopy by Hilton Louisville Downtown will offer 168 guest rooms and 5,104 total square feet of event space.
Also new in the city, “Lougrass” celebrates Kentucky bluegrass music heritage, with at least two venues offering free live music each weekend between April and October. Looking ahead, Kentucky Derby Museum will celebrate its 40th anniversary in spring 2025 with a $2.3 million upgrade; and Speed Art Museum, the oldest and largest art museum in the state, will debut a $22 million, three-acre makeover in late 2025, adding a new park, sculpture garden, and picnic areas.
Louisville has two convention centers. Centrally located downtown, the recently renovated Kentucky International Convention Center (KICC) features 200,125 square feet of exhibit space, a 40,000-square-foot ballroom, 52 meeting rooms, and a conference theater with 165 tiered seats. The center connects to the 620-room Louisville Marriott Downtown, with 50,000 square feet of event space, and the 393-room Hyatt Regency, with 20,600 square feet of function space. According to Louisville Tourism, there are more than 6,800 guest rooms in downtown within walking distance of KICC.
Adjacent to Muhammad Ali Louisville International Airport (SDF), Kentucky Exposition Center has 1.2 million square feet of contiguous meeting space, including two arenas, 46 meeting rooms, and more than 300 acres of outdoor event space. Adjacent to the exposition center, the nearly 600-room Crowne Plaza Louisville Airport Expo Center has 22 meeting rooms in 49,000 square feet of function space. It anchors a cluster of 5,000-plus rooms from many select-service hotels, according to Louisville Tourism.
Larger hotels with event space include Galt House Hotel, the Trademark Collection by Wyndham, with 1,290 guest rooms and 130,000 square feet of total function space, including 53 meeting rooms, two ballrooms, and an exhibit hall; Omni Louisville Downtown, with 612 guest rooms and 70,000 square feet of meeting and event space; and Embassy Suites by Hilton Louisville Downtown, with 304 guest rooms and 15,000 square feet of meeting space. Louisville has two historic downtown hotels: The Brown Hotel Louisville, with 293 guest rooms and 17 event spaces to host 600 guests, including a rooftop garden; and The Seelbach Hilton Louisville, with 308 guest rooms and 21,490 square feet of function space, including a ballroom seating 400 for dinners.
Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport celebrated 2023 as its busiest year to date with more than 4.6 million passengers, setting an all-time record for the airport.
