According to Louisville’s tourism authority, 2023 was a record-breaking year for visitors to the city.
At the start of 2023, Bourbon City kicked off the year on a high note with The New York Times naming the city as one of the ‘52 Places To Go in 2023,’ further fueling Louisville Tourism’s prediction of growth versus recovery. Bourbon City made news again when Travel + Leisure reported the city as the number one U.S. summer travel destination on the Airbnb platform, followed by the Human Rights Campaign also awarding Louisville a perfect score for 2023, continuing the city’s nine-year streak.
Several of Louisville’s tourism-centric agencies also saw exponential growth in 2023, breaking previous visitation records. Depending on the source, all these visitors might have numbered anywhere between 16 and 19 million.
They must sleep somewhere, hence the hotel construction boom during recent years: The Grady, Moxy, Myriad, Hotel Distil, Hotel Genevieve, The Bellwether off the top of my head, generally located in or near the urban core, precisely where exurban denizens of social media seem terrified to travel.
It can be such a strange, defeatist vibe hereabouts. Tourists come to Louisville from Japan, but Hoosiers won’t make the trip across the river to downtown from the Knobs because of the presumed danger.
Are we tired of politicized internet “expertise” yet? For our purposes at Food & Dining Magazine, the observation that these new hotels tend to incorporate eateries and bars: Paseo at Myriad, Wild Swann at the Grady, and so forth.
And, another lodging opened last week in NuLu, Tempo by Hilton, described as “clean and modern with bourbon themes throughout.” Joel Stinnett has the story at Louisville Business First. By the way, there’ll be eating and drinking there once the opening is complete.
Tempo by Hilton to open on the edge of NuLu
Tempo by Hilton Louisville NuLu (opened) its doors Tuesday at 710 E Jefferson Street, inside Weyland Ventures LLC’s new $115 million NuLu Yard mixed use development.
Specifically:
The Tempo also has a fitness center, a parking garage and a ground floor breakfast and lunch restaurant, called Moonsong Bar + Café, which is a partnership between Hilton and Bluestone Lane, an Australian-inspired coffee roaster, café and lifestyle brand.
The rooftop will feature a new restaurant called High Stakes Grill, which will serve modern American cuisine, Weyland CEO Mariah Gratz said, with a contemporary feel and outdoor roof deck. That restaurant is expected to open this summer.
