Louisville hotel rates sky high for Derby 150

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - On Derby weekend, the Marriott Louisville Downtown, according to management, earns 10% of its annual revenue. To get a room there, you have to agree to a three-night, non-refundable, paid in advance booking.

This year, the Marriott’s more than 600 guest rooms sold out as early as March and for first time Derby guests, there was a learning curve.

“We had some people wanting to come that haven’t been before,” Marriott Louisville Downtown General Manager David Greene said. “And they don’t realize how difficult that is to get tickets to Derby, how difficult it is to find seating there or hotel rooms.”

A Wednesday afternoon check of hotel listings on Trivago revealed a few rooms still available downtown. A two-night stay at Hotel Distil had a price listed of more than $7,000. To book two nights for less than $1,000, we had to look outside the Watterson.

“From a call around of what is available, left in the market,” Stacey Yates, Louisville Tourism Chief Marketing Officer said, “which is only about three or four percent of the market left, the average daily rate is about $1,200 right now.”

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