Where to Stay in Downtown Montgomery for a Conference

Downtown Montgomery hotels near the convention center start with the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa at 201 Tallapoosa Street, which Marriott says offers sky bridge access to the Montgomery Convention Center. Experience Montgomery lists six other hotels in its Convention District.

This guide covers the hotels Experience Montgomery lists, the areas around them, and how to reach Maxwell Air Force Base and Montgomery Regional Airport for the AFITC / DAFITC conference or other events at the convention center.

This site is an independent resource and is not affiliated with the event organizers. For the conference itself, see the AFITC conference guide. Rates, availability and amenities change, so confirm details with each hotel before booking.

Downtown hotels in the Convention District

Experience Montgomery, the city’s tourism organization, lists these hotels under its Convention District on the meetings page:

Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa at the Convention Center
Embassy Suites Montgomery Hotel & Conference Center
Staybridge Suites Montgomery – Downtown
Doubletree by Hilton
Hampton Inn & Suites, Downtown
SpringHill Suites by Marriott Downtown
Trilogy Hotel Montgomery, Autograph Collection

The same page describes downtown Montgomery as offering easy walking access to nightlife and historic landmarks, with the Riverwalk running along the Alabama River. Confirm each hotel’s address, rates and amenities on its own website.

The Renaissance at the Convention Center

The Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa at the Convention Center is at 201 Tallapoosa Street, Montgomery, Alabama 36104, according to Marriott’s event page for the property. The page says the hotel is in the heart of downtown Montgomery and walking distance to top sporting, meeting and concert venues, and only blocks away from the Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice. It states that the hotel “offers sky bridge access to the Montgomery Performing Arts Center and Montgomery Convention Center.”

For conference attendees, the sky bridge is the practical point: it gives the hotel a direct connection to the convention center. Guests choosing a hotel mainly for convenience to the venue will find this the most direct match among the listed properties.

Choosing an area: convention district, riverfront or civil rights sites

Downtown Montgomery is compact enough that the choice is less about neighborhoods than about which landmark you want nearby.

Riverwalk Stadium, home of the Montgomery Biscuits, near the downtown riverfront.

Convention District. Best for sessions and meetings. The Renaissance connects to the convention center by sky bridge, per Marriott.
Riverfront. Experience Montgomery’s Riverwalk page lists Riverfront Park with outdoor concerts, Riverwalk Stadium (200 Coosa Street, home of the Montgomery Biscuits), the Harriott II river cruise, and Union Station (300 Water Street), which houses Lek’s Railroad Thai. This is the area for evening walks and dinner.
Civil rights corridor. The Legacy Museum is at 400 N. Court Street, per the Riverwalk page, which also says you can walk from a civil rights site to a riverfront concert stage in just minutes. See the Montgomery civil rights sites guide for what each stop offers.

For more ideas on free evenings, see the things to do in Montgomery guide.

Getting to Maxwell Air Force Base

Military One Source places Maxwell AFB in the northwest corner of the city of Montgomery and Gunter Annex in the northeast corner. Its overview lists the Maxwell Blvd Gate as the main gate, open 24/7, leading to the Visitors Center. The Kelly Gate is an alternate entrance open Monday to Friday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., inbound only from 6 to 8:30 a.m. and outbound only from 2 to 6 p.m.

The same page gives directions from the Montgomery airport to Maxwell: turn right onto Highway 80 and follow the signs to I-65 North (Downtown), take the Herron Street exit, turn left at the third light onto Maxwell Blvd, and continue about 2 miles, then veer right to the gate. To reach Gunter from the airport, take I-65 north to the Northern Blvd exit, follow it to the Gunter exit, turn right onto Federal Drive, and the gate is on the left.

Base access rules change, so check the Maxwell Air Force Base website or the event’s official site for current visitor credential requirements and any shuttle arrangements before traveling.

Getting to and from Montgomery Regional Airport

The Montgomery Regional Airport website gives the address as 4445 Selma Hwy, Montgomery, AL 36108, and lists nonstop flights on American Airlines to Charlotte (CLT), Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) and Washington, D.C. (DCA), on Delta Air Lines to Atlanta (ATL), and on United Airlines to Houston (IAH). Experience Montgomery also says Montgomery is approximately 2 hours from Atlanta and 1.5 hours from Birmingham.

The airport’s ground transportation page lists:

Rental cars from Avis, Alamo, Budget, Enterprise, Hertz, Dollar, National and Thrifty.
Uber and Lyft, with a passenger pickup area and curbside drop-off at the terminal entrance.
Taxi service just outside baggage claim during the airport’s hours of operation.
Independent shuttle companies, plus shuttle service offered by several hotels near the airport; request it when making a reservation.
Bus service through the Montgomery Area Transit System.

FAQ

Which hotel is closest to the Montgomery Convention Center?

The Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa at the Convention Center, at 201 Tallapoosa Street, which Marriott says has sky bridge access to the Montgomery Convention Center and the Montgomery Performing Arts Center.

What other hotels are downtown?

Experience Montgomery lists Embassy Suites, Staybridge Suites Downtown, Doubletree by Hilton, Hampton Inn & Suites Downtown, SpringHill Suites Downtown and Trilogy Hotel Montgomery, Autograph Collection in the Convention District.

Do I need a car if I stay downtown?

Experience Montgomery describes downtown as offering easy walking access to nightlife and historic landmarks. For Maxwell Air Force Base in the northwest corner of the city and the airport at 4445 Selma Hwy, a car or ride service is the practical choice.