Marriott and Hyatt are both very close.

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My wife and I just stayed at the Hampton Inn. Same as TG mentioned. All super close to the race and really convenient from the freeway.

Louisville is a cost-effective area.

Split a 2 room AirBnB this year 2.5mi from race venue (took me < 10 mi on race morning to get there). Paid $56/night. Cant beat that.

Hyatt. After crossing the finish line, you'll have to pass the Hyatt before you get to the convention center where post race food is & medical.

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Pink? Maybe. Maybe not. You decide.

Seelbach Hilton is right near the finish as well...

Stayed at the Embassy in 2015...it was brand new and right on 4th street. Avoid the host hotel, I stayed there in 2012 and was not impressed.

I stayed at Embassy Suites this year. It was literally right at the finish line. I also found it 50% cheaper booking through the Ironman Accommodations link compared to hotels.com. Great service, fridge in the room, free wi-fi, free hot breakfast, clean, and quiet, They also had a CVS linked right to the hotel, so great for picking up little things like snacks and forgotten items.

I know the finish line atmosphere is great but is there any downside to being that close? Noise, brightness, etc. THanks for the info everyone.

I stayed right next to the finish line in 2015 and had no issues. It is a very active part of downtown but don't remember any noise issues.

The finish is close to a mile from the expo and transition. There are plenty of hotel options close to both. So you just need to decide where you want to be.

So the expo is by transition? I'd like to kinda be in between both.

I stayed at the Seelbach Hilton. It's a block from the finish and you run by it on the way to the finish line.

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Don't drown. Don't crash. Don't walk.

It's all walkable. You need to decide if you want to save on the price of your accommodations or you want the convenience of being downtown & close to the finish.

ETA: As far as IM Louisville is concerned,iIf you are close to the finish, then by definition, you will be close to the Expo.

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Pink? Maybe. Maybe not. You decide.

Check-in / expo / transition are all right down on the river at the great lawn area of Waterfront Park.

The run finish is about a mile away at 4th Street Live.

Residence Inn. Right next to transition and having a kitchen is a huge plus

Do the Seelbach rooms have a fridge and microwave? or did they offer an early race morning breakfast? Trying to decide between Seelbach and Embassy Suites. Also, how did you find the walk to transition/expo area - from what I can gather, its about a mile? Thanks!

Aloft- but I'm also partial to Starwood hotels. It is close to everything you need.

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USAT Level II- Ironman U Certified Coach

That is where I stayed. It is between the finish line and transition. It was also quiet and new. The kitchen definitely came in handy.

Do most places have a 2 or 3 night minimum?

Elevators, not being able to easy roll stuff into the hotel, other add on costs. Personally I'll take your typical 3-three story Hilton Garden, Holiday Inn and or Express, Courtyard etc away from all the commotion but that is just me.

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I can't help you much. I set up my lodging logistics in the dumbest ways trying to save $150. Arrived Friday noon-ish and switched hotels for Saturday. Dumb. I was also flying solo until family joined me on Saturday afternoon. I had chunks of two days where I had no place to store my bike and stuff. I had 3 hours to kill before I could check-in to the hotel on Friday, so I had to haul my bike around race check-in. Saturday, same kind of thing. Had to check out of one hotel, do bike/gear check-in, grocery run, quick workout, etc. before I could check-in to the next.
Further, none of my hotels had mini fridge, microwave, etc. I could live without the microwave. No mini fridge was a PITA. Now I had a cooler to manage as well.
#rookiemistakes

Otherwise, it's what do you want to be convenient to. The Village/transition? Or to the finish and 4th St. Live? Most hotels it seems you'll be maybe up to .5 miles from one, and about a mile from the other and then the other way around. Walking is pretty much easier than driving. Unless you have a willing driver. You really can't lose and you really can't avoid some walking. Proximity, it's the only thing I got right.

Oh...except parking...
I hesitate to do this, but as an admitted bucket lister for the full I'm not likely to do it again....if you want to save a couple parking dollars and hassle for anything on a day other than the actual race day....Google "Orange Lot Louisville Waterfront Park".
You're welcome.
Course, now everyone knows.

I had some stressful days leading up to the race. But it did not deter. I delivered (measuring against my hopes and dreams). Far exceeded them. The finish delivers in every way imaginable. I don't remember the details of the finish. But, I remember the feeling. Every ounce of it.

You need to consider two locations. The first is the finish line which is downtown. If you want to walk from the finish line to your hotel then places like Seelbach, Hyatt, and Embassy Suites are super close. That's also an incredibly convenient area for restaurants and such, but race night it will loudly rock until late.

BUT the transition area/IM village is at the Great Lawn and that's quite a ways from the finish line. You need to get to transition race morning and you or your sherpa will need to get to the transition by 1:00 am post-race to retrieve your bike & bags. If you're staying at the finish line then getting your car out post-race will be quite a challenge.

Springhill, Fairfield, Hampton Inn, and Aloft kind of split the difference between the two locales. I stayed at Springhill this year. The hotel itself was great (I had a suite with a fridge and microwave), but it's close to a couple of hospitals so there was definitely some late night sirens. Combo location and price the Aloft might be the best bet.

I don't think it had either. Walk was fine. Restaurants and shops between the hotel and transition. The only downside for me was getting my crap back to the room from transition. IM has a bus to shuttle you from the finish to transition but you're stuck walking/cycling back with your gear.

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Don't drown. Don't crash. Don't walk.

Thanks for the info - very helpful! Looks like I'll need to investigate other possibilities.

thats great info. Thanks.