Looking at which hotel I should get reservations for Louisville IM, any recommendations of best places I should look at as far as location, accomodations, proximity to start/finish?
The Seelbach and the Brown Hotels are at the finish but rather pricey. The Hyatt is close to the finish (a couple blocks away). The Galt House and a Marriot are near the transition area but several blocks from the finish. There is also a Residence Inn about a block or so from transition
Galt house worked great . Couple blocks from the finish but not too far at all and very close to transition. Swim start was a walk but a good warmup to get the body moving. Place was nice and had ice machines on every floor for the after race bath. Would recommend it if you can spend a tad extra than the others.
The Hyatt and Marriott are connected by a walkway. They are 1 block from the finish. I stayed at the Hyatt last year and will do so again this year (The Hyatt has undergone a pretty substantial renovation since last August). You will pay for the location though (close to $200 per night). The adjacent parking garage and the proximity to the finish line make it worth it for me.
The Galt House (host hotel) is nice, but just too much going on (athlete check in, Ironman expo, etc) for my tastes. People say it is frustrating because there is always a line at the elevators and they run really slow, too. It is about 3-4 blocks closer to transition (but that makes it 3-4 blocks further away from the finish line).
You are going to have to walk approx 3/4 mile to the swim start regardless of which hotel you choose if you stay downtown.
Some people save some money and stay just across the river in Indiana (Jeffersonville?).
We stayed at the Townplace Suites (Marriott) across the river. Our number 1 reason was because it had a kitchen so we could make the food we’re used to eating. Good price, good enough room. There is a pool outside for the family. We walked over to the race expo. It’s probably a 20 min walk.
I stayed at the residence inn on East Market st. Super close/convenient and has kitchens.
I had a good stay at the SpringHill Suites. Good price, convenient enough, fridge. Suggest taking a look at hotel locations on Google Maps/Earth to get a good idea of the relative race layout (start/finish/transition area, expo).
Hyatt & Marriott are the best two places to stay IMO. The elevators at the Galt house are glacially slow and will drive you nuts!
The 3 times I have raced at IMLOO (08, 09, and 11) I have always stayed across the river in Jeffersonville, IN at the Holiday Inn. I typically reserve a room from Thrusday evening - Monday and my average cost has been $389.00. It is the last exit off of 65 south just before you cross the river into Louisville. It is really easy to get over the river using the 3rd street bridge from the hotel. Typically on Fri and Sat, I cross over using the 3rd street bridge and park all day in the parking garage across the street from the convention center, $20.00 all day parking (10 minutes from the hotel to the garage). From there, it’s a 2 block walk to the Expo or 3 block walk to the finishline area in either direction. Race day morning the 3rd street bridge is still open at 5:30 am when I cross over and I always park in the huge lot next to Slugger Field facing down into the transition area. Always within 10 minutes I am parked after leaving the hotel. All day parking and you will ride by it as you start and finish the bike. Usually, I will finish checking the bike, walk back to the jeep and stretch out by a few minutes before 6 and nap for 1/2 hour before walking to the swim start. When the race is over and you have tired of the finishline, walk to your vechicle, change or drop stuff off, cross the street into transition for your bike.
As I said, have done it 3’xs and plan to follow the same routine in 2013.
Kevin S.
Might want to keep in mind, as of now the I-64 bridge is closed which puts alot of traffic back on the other bridges across the river to IN. If I was a betting gal, I’d say it’s highly unlikely this will be fixed before IM. If you are walking across to the expo, no problem but traffic at rush hour typically is a zoo.
I stayed at the Residence Inn/Marriott in downtown Louisville. It is a short walk to the expo, race start/finish, restaurants. It was much more laid back than the host hotel. The room is set up like an apartment. There is a full kitchen and refrigerator. The bedroom is separate from the living room, so you can sleep and others can watch tv, etc. I’d stay there again.
It is nearly certain that the Sherman Minton Bridge will be open in the next couple of months. I would not worry about it at all for next August.
I’ve been twice, once for a training ride and once for the IM itself. Use PRICELINE. I got the host-hotel for $40 a night the 1st time, and then got the Brown Hotel for $45 dollars a night (4 nights) for the IM.
Just put in Louisville, KY and name your own price. Only select the hotels with the highest star rating. There are only like 4-5 4-star hotels in the downtown area. Worked great for me and pretty much everyone else I talked to that did the same thing.