Omni Hotel in downtown Louisville offering permanent stay

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - Looking for a new place to live? A new option exists in The Residences at Omni Louisville.

The new downtown hotel isn't just for temporary guests; it features 226 apartment homes.

Luxury apartments are situated on the top floors of the Omni. The high-rise living is for people who prefer to rent rather than purchase.

>> WATCH: Maira Ansari gets a tour of The Residences at Omni

Residents have a separate lobby from the hotel. There is a private mail room and three elevators to take residents to the floor of their new home.

Paul Franklin is moving from his Norton Commons home to The Residences.

"We are on the 21st floor, northeast corner," Franklin said. "If they would let me, I could hook up a zip line terrace right to the front door of the Yum! Center. So pre-game drop in! But, that's illegal."

Since Franklin can't zip line, a big draw for him is having access to all the surrounding highways in the area.

"Just having the amenities and the access to everything," Franklin said. "Just made sense."

Residents have access to their own pool, lounge, and fitness center.

The apartments take up the 16th to 29th floors of the Omni. As of April 16, 34 of the 225 units have been leased.

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"We'll have our first occupancies in the month of May," Doug Taylor of Lincoln Property Group said.

All of the units will be ready to lease by the end of June. So, the big question -- how much does it cost?

"You are ranging in price from mid $1,300s all the way up to $9,300," Taylor said. "Just depends on where you want to be at. Our average is price is in the mid $2,000s."

Residents can also use all of the other things that come along with the hotel: the restaurants, the spa, speakeasy, and Falls City Market.

"We've been open 40 days, and we've been trying to figure out what is selling and what isn't selling," Omni Louisville General Manager Scott Stuckey said.

Stuckey said the food stations are popular at the Falls City Market. Shoppers will notice the meat cases are empty, and there is a reason for that.

"We had fresh meats when we first opened," Stuckey explained. "We still have fresh deli meats but we cut back on the fresh meats until the residents move in because they just weren't going."

The meat will come back. The plan is to have everything activated by May 15, by the time people move in. That includes the addition of a hot and cold food bar and crepe station.

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"We're trying to be an urban market," Stuckey said. "We're listening to the feedback that people are telling us and adapting."

The options at The Residences are a studio, one, two, three bedroom, or penthouse. There is also going to be a pet spa, along with additional storage residents can use and bicycle storage.

All units will have a full-size washer and dryer in the apartment, plus modern finishes like stainless steel appliances and granite counter tops. Residents and guests can park in a controlled access parking garage attached to the building.

Taylor said if you live at The Residences, you can not rent your place out on Airbnb.

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