My son will be visiting U Alabama later this month. His return flight out of Birmingham is very early in the morning so he would like to get a hotel there the night before. Does anyone have a hotel recommendation? A free airport shuttle would be ideal, but it doesn’t seem to be common. Some of the hotels closest to the airport get horrible ratings/comments from past guests. He doesn’t need anything fancy, but he doesn’t want a 1 star either. Any help will be appreciated.
I have no experiences with these hotels, they were mentioned on the FB page when someone asked for the same recommendations. Might give you somewhere to start.
Hampton Inn, Tutweiler, Downtown
Westin, Downtown
Lots of hotels mentioned, but like most posts, people start deviating from the original post. These 2 were mentioned the most w/ shuttle service. Saved it myself for future reference.
^^Thank you so much.
Def check the Facebook parent pages. That question was asked recently. I believe both pages have search functions.
^^Thanks, but my son isn’t a student there so I don’t have access to their parent page.
If you want a free shuttle to BHM airport, stay in a hotel in BHM.
It’s free to join, and you can leave whenever you like. Look for The University of Alabama Parent Group and/or The University of Alabama Parents. I found suggestions from late December: Sheraton and Holiday Inn next to the airport are good. Sheraton(might now be a Westin) at the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center, SpringHill Suites downtown (has a shuttle). Courtyard downtown, Aloft Hotel in Homewood,
^^Thank you, southlander. I appreciate the hotel recommendations, and I’ll check them out.
I assumed the parent groups were closed groups for UA parents only, so I didn’t even try to join.
I would suggest staying at the Capstone Hotel in Tuscaloosa. There is a shuttle called the scuttle shuttle that stops there for the airport. The cost is pretty reasonable. I forget how much, but between the $30-$50 range one way. Other shuttles or cabs, unless shared, will cost about $80 plus tip.
^^Thank you. Staying in Tuscaloosa would have been his preference except he had a 5:30 a.m. flight out of Birmingham. For anyone traveling that way, the shuttle from the airport to Tuscaloosa doesn’t run on Monday holidays (even though they sold my son a ticket) and the rental car agencies at the airport close at 10 or 10:30 p.m. even if planes are still arriving with passengers who have reservations. Thanks to a friend, it worked out, but it was a frustrating travel day. A professor also advised not staying in the hotels closest to the airport. FWIW
The Hyatt Regency Birmingham 1000 Riverchase Galleria is in Hoover and is connected to the Mall. They have a no fee shuttle to and from BHM airport. We were driven to BHM in a Chevy Suburban. I booked the property through Priceline express deals at a discount. You can use Priceline to search for other proerties that offer free shuttle service.
^^That would have been perfect. Thanks for the Priceline search tip, too.