TL;DR

Vintage luxury: 1883 building blending history with modern design.
Downtown vibe: Rich wood, tall windows, and intimate atmosphere.
Attention to detail: Unique design with sultry elegance.
Check prices here

The Grady Hotel represents Louisville, Kentucky perfectly well. It’s a stately 1883 building full of whiskey and velvet, and leather.

The bones of the place are at least a century old, but a lot of it is cool and contemporary. The luxury you’ll find here too, is second to none.

There’s a spectacular attention to detail, nothing is matchy-matchy, but everything speaks the same sexy language.

The wood on the staircases and floors is dark and rich, windows tall and sunny.

What are the rooms like?

Rooms: 51 rooms
Design: Dark-blue tones, creamy textiles, and hand-picked art.
Comfort: Frette linens, minibars, and city or river views.
See all the rooms in detail here

Now, this is nothing against plush terry, but we just love the attitude of a satiny white monogrammed robe.

Order that room service, queens and kings! Recline on your Frette linens and gaze out to the city, champagne in hand.

Here, even the simplest room has enough sophisticated luxury that to release your inner princess.

Walls and accents are a sultry dark blue, set against creamy textiles and hand-picked artwork. Ceilings are a gorgeous reclaimed wood.

The traditional King is on the smaller side, but perfectly adequate. A Cityview King has a bigger feel, what with the soaring views.

The other rooms are comfortably roomy, Double Doubles good for larger groups, and the Riverview rooms are notably plush.

Whatever you choose, you’ll enjoy a working area, TV, minibar, and individual climate control.

And what’s the food like? Any facilities we should know about?

Restaurant: Wild Swann serving Kentucky-inspired cuisine.
Drinks: Classic cocktails with a bourbon-forward edge.

The onsite restaurant, Wild Swann, is pretty much all about Kentucky.

We’ll get to the bourbon, but that’s not all that it is. There’s a southern glamour to all the food, though it’s totally open to the outside inspiration of New American cuisine. It’s a great combination.

And, of course, there are the drinks. The Old Fashioned is the headliner obviously, but there’s a handful of modified classic cocktails that make for an excellent menu.

How is the neighborhood? Anything interesting nearby?

Central: Prime downtown location, calm yet connected.
Nearby: Arts venues, museums, Riverwalk, and hip neighborhoods.
Explore: Easy reach of Old Louisville and Churchill Downs.

If you wanted Downtown Louisville, you can’t do better. And inside the hotel, you’re fairly protected from the city bustle. It’s a nice balance of central and calm.

Almost all the Downtown attractions are walking distance.

The Kentucky Center for Performing Arts and the Muhammad Ali Center are next door, while KMAC, the Science Center and the other museums in the cluster are less than five minutes away.

Also close is the Riverwalk, a set of trails that run along the Ohio River, with the odd monument and art piece on your way.

It’s a nice way to get towards the East of the city, where you’ll find Butchertown and NuLu, the quiet, hip neighborhoods still in walking distance. They’re both full of small, cute businesses.

If you like the walk, Old Louisville and its Victorian architecture takes about 40 minutes from the hotel, less than a 10-minute drive if your feet are tired.

Keep heading south towards the University of Louisville campus, with the Speed Art Museum and a great proximity to Churchill Downs.

Once you’re there, it would be a shame not to check out the Derby Museum, and not to make a bet on a horse maybe.

And what about the reviews? What did other guests think?

Some things guests liked:

“Great location, great beds and nice clean room, very spacious room!! Very clean.. and amazing restaurant on site!!..”

“The rooms had a great design – modern but elegant. The staff was very helpful especially with providing an electric heater when the room was quite cold. The heat was working but the very high ceilings and single panned windows did not keep the heat in. The electric heater was perfect and the room was then warm….”

Some things guests didn’t like:

”We stayed on a weekend of torrential rains and flooding and had a minor issue with water pressure and low water temperature that evening. However, by morning the water pressure and temperature had returned to normal….”

”The valet was super slow and there was no sign with their hours so one night we stood there for 15 minutes waiting before the front desk person finally told us they weren’t there anymore that night….”

Read all the reviews right here