Accommodations

Just as the city has grown in the past decade, so too have the number and variety of places to stay in and around Birmingham. If you’re looking at cost and convenience, there are a number of chain motels found in the suburbs and on the city’s peripheries. If you’re looking for a romantic getaway or a place to relax in luxury, you won’t be disappointed. If you want a hip city escape for a girls’ night out or to entertain out-of-town guests, you’ll find options that will delight your friends and be pleasing to your budget. While in the past business travelers might have bemoaned the lack of quality downtown accommodations, that’s no longer the case.

Hotels in Birmingham cluster in four main areas. Although there are many attractions within walking distance, you should expect that no matter where your hotel is located, you might have to do some driving to reach some of Birmingham’s most attractive destinations. Downtown hotels are among the city’s most refined and expensive hotels. Staying in the Southside section of downtown means you’re probably within walking distance of Five Points South, the center of much of Birmingham’s nightlife scene. Another area of consolidated lodging is along the Highway 280 corridor in Inverness. These hotels are mostly upscale business-class hotels with excellent amenities and higher pricing than the average chain hotel. Though the traffic on Highway 280 can be dispiriting during rush hour, the density of shops and restaurants on there means you can always find a 24-hour grocery store or big-box super store just around the corner. The third area is the dense conglomeration of lodging in the Homewood just a few miles from the city center. Homewood contains the largest amount of modestly priced lodging choices in the entire metropolitan area, as well as a few high-end hotels. Most are located just off I-65, which passes along the western side of Birmingham, making them easily accessible if you’re unfamiliar with the area. If you get off I-65 at either of the Oxmoor Road exits (265A or 265B) or the Lakeshore Drive exit (266), you’re sure to find a hotel. Some annual weekend events like the Magic City Classic or NASCAR races at Talladega can cause the Homewood hotels to fill up, so plan in advance. Farther south on I-65, the city of Hoover has a selection of hotels that make up a fourth area of lodging. Most of these hotels are chain hotels that offer decent prices and comfortable rooms.

Overview

Most of the hotels listed here have wheelchair-accessible rooms. Unfortunately, many of the listings only have a few rooms designed to be completely accessible. If a location offers either above-average or below-average wheelchair accessibility, the description will indicate this. Modern hotels are becoming increasingly accommodating to pet lovers. Still, most hotels don’t allow pets, so if an entry doesn’t include information on pets then the location is pet-free. Following the current national trend, the majority of Birmingham’s hotels are smoke-free facilities. All the listings in this chapter accept at least two major credit cards as payment.