Bama Hotel Guide

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Alabama
1

<h1>Country Inn & Suites 4801 McFarland Blvd. East Tuscaloosa, AL 35401 (205) 345-9999</h1>

<h1>Courtyard by Marriott 4115 Courtney Drive Tuscaloosa, AL 35405 (205) 750-8384</h1>

<h1>Fairfield Inn 4101 Courtney Drive Tuscaloosa, AL 35405 (205) 366-0900</h1>

<h1>Hampton Inn 600 Harper Lee Drive Tuscaloosa, AL 35404 (205) 553-9800</h1>

<h1>Hampton Inn 6400 Interstate Dr. Tuscaloosa, AL 35453 (205) 562-9000 *</h1>

<h1>Holiday Inn Express 1120 Veterans Memorial Parkway Tuscaloosa, AL 35404 (205) 464-4000 *</h1>

<h1>Home-Towne Suites 1650 15th Street East Tuscaloosa, AL 35404 (205) 553-3828 *</h1>

<h1>Hotel Capstone 320 Paul W. Bryant Drive Tuscaloosa, AL 35401 (205) 752-3200</h1>

<h1>Microtel Inn 6331 Interstate Drive Tuscaloosa, AL 35453 (205) 556-1555</h1>

<h1>Microtel Inn & Suites 1417 Veterans Memorial Parkway Tuscaloosa, AL 35404 (205) 553-4095 *</h1>

<h1>Wingate by Wyndham 4918 Skyland Blvd. East Tuscaloosa, AL 35405 (205) 553-5400 *</h1>

<h1>Yellowhammer Inn & Conference Center 2700 Yacht Club Way NE Tuscaloosa, AL 35406 (205) 343-4215 *</h1>

<p>VRBO - Tuscaloosa </p>

<p>[url=&lt;a href=“http://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/usa/alabama/tuscaloosa]Tuscaloosa”&gt;http://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/usa/alabama/tuscaloosa]Tuscaloosa</a> Vacation Rentals, Condo Rentals & more in Tuscaloosa,Alabama on VRBO - Vacation Rentals by Owner<a href=“note:%20%20VRBO%20rentals%20are%20often%20best%20for%20families/groups%20because%20of%20their%20ability%20to%20accomodate%204-8+%20people%20in%20multiple%20bedrooms,%20therefore%20their%20prices%20usually%20reflect%20those%20situations%20-%20especially%20at%20%22peak%20times%22%20(football%20games,%20graduations,%20etc.”>/url</a></p>

<p>Avoid: (these places aren’t well-maintained, yet they will charge high prices during peak times…so that can be misleading)</p>

<p>Motel 6
Super 8
Masters Inn
Rodeway Inn
Quality Inn</p>

<p>LaQuinta seems fine inside, but it’s in a sketchy area, so avoid if possible.</p>

2

<p>Wow - this is great information! Thanks so much! </p>

<p>Happy to say I’ve been able to make reservations for <em>most</em> of the dates I think we will be in town starting in August. My daughter will be a freshman next fall. :)</p>

3

<p>Also I would not recommend the Days Inn at 1201 Skyland Blvd E. Staff are friendly but the rooms are outdated with shabby furniture. Read the Tripadvisor reviews for this Days Inn with caution, I don’t think they are a true reflection of the condition of this hotel.</p>

4

<p>^^^</p>

<p>Thanks for that info. I’ve often wondered about that place (next to Walmart), but never knew anyone who’d stayed there.</p>

5

<p>We stayed at the Fairfield the first night of our first visit to Tuscaloosa and were not impressed. The entire place just felt dirty. Of course, we arrived after midnight and a ten hour drive, so were very tired at check-in.</p>

<p>Moved over to the Hotel Capstone the next day (it had been full the previous night). It, of course, was much cleaner and very close to campus. </p>

<p>I’ve heard good things about the Hampton Inn on Harper Lee so we are staying there in January. I have both the Capstone and the Hampton Inn booked for that weekend - rates are the same so I figure we should try the Hampton Inn to see which we prefer. We have four years of Tuscaloosa hotel stays coming up so need to figure out our favorites. :)</p>

6

<p>We’ve stayed at that Fairfield 5-6 times and have had really nice rooms there (most recently about 3 weeks ago). Maybe they somehow forgot to clean your room from the night before? Hope you told them and got a refund or free night stay. We definitely had the gross room experience at the Comfort Suites though, and have had similar yucky experiences at the one in my hometown now that my parents live in a nursing home.</p>

7

<p>It’s good to know whether a “bad experience” is a one-time thing or a trend. Everyone can make a mistake once in awhile, but when a place (overall) isn’t maintained then it’s an issue.</p>

<p>Capstone had an issue a couple of years ago when they hadn’t refurb’d one of its wings. Don’t know if that got done. Probably did since I haven’t heard further complaints.</p>

8

<p>For family weekend we stayed at the Ramada. It actually wasn’t bad. Given the mixed reviews on trip advisor we had low expectations, but the room was clean and comfortable. Now, if you wanted to nit-pick you could, but overall it was fine. It is an older property in a college town so it is heavily utilized. The building does not have an elevator, but is only two stories. It was definitely better than driving to Bessemer multiple times over family weekend.</p>

<p>Our normal hotels in town are either the Holiday Inn, Hampton on Harper Lee or Country Inn and Suites - all are highly recommended - even for nit-pickers!</p>

9

<p>I’m not usually super picky about hotel rooms as long as they are clean and I feel safe. My husband booked the Fairfield while we were enroute to Tuscaloosa. We had a bed and hot water and were thankful to have someplace to sleep. :slight_smile: The next morning the hallway was filled with boxes of linens and pillows so it looked like they were changing a lot of things out. </p>

<p>I agree that everybody deserves a second chance and would stay at the Fairfield again rather than drive all the way to Bessemer (or further) if those were my only options.</p>

10

<p>Here are my reviews of hotels in Tuscaloosa & Birmingham area:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Home Towne Suites: We had a 1 bedroom/2 bathroom, sleeping area with a King bed, bedroom with a Queen, full kitchen. Front desk personnel were super friendly!!! It was clean. The bathroom, kitchen fixtures were older but maintained. It was clean. Nothing fancy at all. Picky people may not like it as it is not a full service hotel and not new furnishings/fixtures. May have minimum night limits. </p></li>
<li><p>Hampton Inn on Harper Lee: Very nice. Nice breakfast, milk & cookies in the evenings, front desk personnel are very nice every time we have been there. Rooms are very nice. They are not huge but nicely done. Great location. I’ve evidently stayed here enough that the last time they offered to make me a personal profile for the rooms I prefer. </p></li>
<li><p>Capstone. New rooms are nicely furnished. The bathrooms are small. The a/c did not work well at all when we stayed there during Bama Bound. They ended up bringing us a box fan on our last night as it was pretty stuffy and we could not get it to cool at all. Lobby and pool area area all very nice. Legends, the lobby bar was nice. Great location.</p></li>
<li><p>Hampton Inn East: I stayed here one night during Bid Day. Appears they are refurbishing some of the rooms. The a/c was “stuffy” but did cool even though the room had a damp feeling. Front desk was very nice. </p></li>
<li><p>Embassy Suites in Hoover: Larger rooms than most Embassy Suites. Very nice hotel!!! It is not the typical Embassy layout with the huge atrium. Instead it is a center hall design and the corner room we had was very spacious with a bathroom entrance from the bedroom and the living area. </p></li>
<li><p>Hilton Garden Inn in Mountain Brook: Very nice large rooms. Room service, lobby restaurant and bar service. Very nice!</p></li>
<li><p>Hampton Inn in Irondale off of I-20 close to the airport. Kind of tucked away. Seemed like a new property. King room was HUGE! Same quality of Hampton Inn breakfast with a large eating area. Nice and clean.</p></li>
</ol>

11

<p>For those of you flying in/out of Birmingham, especially for early morning flights. I just stayed last night at the Holiday Inn Birmingham - Airport (5000 Richard Arrington Jr Blvd N), as I had a 6:55 am flight this morning and didn’t want to be driving at 4:00am from T-town. Was glad I stayed by the airport. Very conveniently located, just minutes from the airport.</p>

<p>I also liked that they have an airport shuttle (it runs every 20 minutes, or by request). I may have my daughter stay here, as she has a 6:40am flight the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and there is no 4am shuttle that day. Easier to have someone give her a ride there the night before her flight, then to find someone who can drive her at 4:00am.</p>

12

<p>“7. Hampton Inn in Irondale off of I-20 close to the airport. Kind of tucked away. Seemed like a new property. King room was HUGE! Same quality of Hampton Inn breakfast with a large eating area. Nice and clean.”</p>

<p>Just stayed there Sun night and can confirm that it is nice and clean with an extremely friendly and helpful staff. Very convenient for early morning flights.</p>

13

<p>Here’s a helpful hotel map for those of us who are still getting our bearings around Tuscaloosa. I’m not affiliated with the site in any way and I normally go directly to the hotel websites rather than clicking on 3rd party links:</p>

<p>[Map</a> of Hotels near University of Alabama - Tuscaloosa, AL](<a href=“http://hotelguides.com/attraction-maps/alabama/map-hotels-near-university-alabama-tuscaloosa-al.html]Map”>http://hotelguides.com/attraction-maps/alabama/map-hotels-near-university-alabama-tuscaloosa-al.html)</p>

14

<p>I am picky on hotels BUT I was pleasantly surprised with Days Inn Suites Tuscaloosa.
We were able to stay three nights when we took our daughter to school this fall.
The parking lot is small but is gated. It is next door to WalMart. We were given an end room so it was extra quite. The bedding has been updated from what is featured on the website. I would stay here again versus driving to Hoover. We paid $79. Plan on grabbing breakfast somewhere other than the free breakfast offered in the lobby.</p>

15

<p>Last year I opened a Choice Hotels credit card account to accumulate points for college visit trips. I see Quality Inn and Rodeway are both on the “Do Not Visit” list. Can anyone comment on EconoLodge (Tuscaloosa or Northport) or Comfort Suites? Hoping to use points to get free room! :)</p>

16

<p>Keep in mind that Hotels in Tuscaloosa which participate in the Choice Privileges typically require more points for reward stays during each day of football season rather than just Friday and Saturday of home game weekends.</p>

<p>Comfort Suites are generally more upmarket than Econo Lodges, though this can vary by location.</p>

17

<p>isn’t comfort suites across the street from best western/o’charley’s? if so, i think it would be an ok place to stay. worth a try at least.</p>

18

<p>Please add Best Western Park Plaza on McFarland Blvd. to your “good” list.</p>

<p>This is a 1960s-era motel, but was recently updated. Rooms are comfortable and very clean. It’s right on the southbound exit of I-65 onto McFarland. Our room actually faced the interstate, but was quiet. Breakfast is included with the price, and an O’Charley’s is right in front if you want to walk over for a quick dinner.</p>

19

<p>Comfort Suites is across the street from the Best Western/O’Charley’s.</p>

<p>The Tuscaloosa O’Charley’s is has great food and a very friendly staff. I highly recommend it. If you join their email club, you’ll often get coupons for 20% off or a free slice of pie.</p>

<p>Hotels in Tuscaloosa can be very hit or miss. For some hotels, it really depends on what ones standards are for a room. I’ve stayed at the Hotel Capstone, Wingate, Greystone Inn, Home-Towne Suites, both Microtels, Ramada, and Motel 6. Each was for various reasons and the rates were all over the map as the stays were at different times throughout the year.</p>

<p>For football games, I highly suggest considering the Greystone Inn. It’s out if town by the Mercedes plant, but is very clean and really goes all out for Alabama games with a manager’s reception the night before and Bloody Marys and mimosas during breakfast.</p>

<p>As the Birmingham area has a lot of hotels, it’s a great place to complete points promos for your desired hotel chain. Hotels in Shelby County tend to be newer and less expensive while still being around 20 minutes from the airport. Keep in mind that a lot of hotels with Birmingham addresses are further away from the airport and Tuscaloosa then those with non-Birmingham addresses as there are other cities in between different areas of Birmingham.</p>

<p>If traveling elsewhere in Alabama, look to see if there is a state park lodge nearby. I stayed at the Lake Guntersville State Park lodge in northern Alabama after graduation and really enjoyed my stay. Certain family members now want to get married there as the facility and views are amazing and the prices are very affordable.</p>

20

<p>For those desiring more space than a hotel room would provide for you or your family, there are Tuscaloosa condo rentals available. *These can allow parents to have privacy away from kids, more bathrooms, a kitchen and often laundry available for use.</p>

<p>VRBO
[Tuscaloosa</a> Vacation Rentals, Condo Rentals & more in Tuscaloosa,Alabama on VRBO - Vacation Rentals by Owner](<a href=“http://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/usa/alabama/tuscaloosa]Tuscaloosa”>Tuscaloosa Vacation Rentals, Alabama: house rentals & more | Vrbo)</p>

<p>AirBnB
<a href=“https://www.airbnb.com/s/Tuscaloosa--AL?source=hdr&checkin=02%2F06%2F2014&checkout=02%2F09%2F2014&guests=2&room_types[]=Entire+home%2Fapt[/url]”>https://www.airbnb.com/s/Tuscaloosa--AL?source=hdr&checkin=02%2F06%2F2014&checkout=02%2F09%2F2014&guests=2&room_types[]=Entire+home%2Fapt&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>HomeAway
<a href=“Vrbo | Book your vacation rentals: beach houses, cabins, condos &amp; more”>Vrbo | Book your vacation rentals: beach houses, cabins, condos &amp; more;