Louisville’s Boutique Hotel Scene is Booming
Three new potential projects announced the first week of January
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (January 9, 2024) – As Louisville continues to be a sought-after destination, developers are taking notice, clamoring to make their mark in Bourbon City. Louisville saw three potential boutique hotel projects announced the first week of the new year, two of which would include a bourbon-themed visitor experience.
- A new 144-room hotel has been proposed at Third and Liberty Streets that once housed the Downtown Louisville Post Office and is known as the Landmark Building. The “Louisville Hotel,” as it’s referred to on the developer’s website, will have an “all-American” look and include a restaurant along with a seasonally inspired ground floor pop-up bar, a micro-distillery tasting room and a fitness center. The facility will include 4,500 square feet of meeting space, as well as an indoor/outdoor rooftop and outdoor live music stage.
- Also, on one of Louisville's busiest downtown corners at Market and Fifth Street, plans have been announced for a 20-room Airbnb-style hotel with space on the first floor earmarked for a new visitor bourbon experience like a speakeasy or tasting room. Kentucky’s first female master distiller, Marianne Eaves, will be involved in the new concept. The project is anticipated to be completed at the end of the year.
- In the nearby Highlands neighborhood, an additional boutique hotel has been proposed to reimagine a 129-year-old church into a 26-room hotel, converting the sanctuary into event space.
All of these properties are down the street from Bourbon City’s newest entertainment hub, the $90M Derby City Gaming Downtown by Churchill Downs. The 43,000 sq. ft. two-story Kentucky Derby-themed entertainment venue includes a gaming floor with 500 state-of-the-art historical racing machines and three unique food and beverage experiences.
Additional new downtown attractions include bourbon-tasting experiences at Buzzard’s Roost Whiskey Row and Bardstown Bourbon Company – with Log Still Distillery adding Monk’s Road Boiler House, a fine dining and tasting room along with a second planned expansion by Angel’s Envy.