Alright folks, so yesterday my buddy texts me last minute about scoring tickets to see this band I love playing at Kemba Live! in Columbus. Awesome, right? Except he hit me at like 4 PM, and the show was the next evening. Total panic mode set in immediately. Where the heck was I gonna crash that’s actually close enough to walk or grab a quick, cheap Uber? Didn’t wanna deal with parking nightmares downtown.
The Initial Hotel Search Panic
First thing I did, like anyone else, was grab my phone. Opened up one of those big travel apps. Typed in “Hotels near Kemba Live Columbus Ohio”. Hit search. Okay… hundreds of dots pop up on the map. Not helpful. So I flicked the filters on. Max distance: 1 mile. Boom, that narrowed it down. But now I just had a list of names, some I recognized, most I didn’t. Felt overwhelming.
Started clicking on the map pins directly. Saw the big convention center area west of the river looked clustered. Scrolled through names popping up: Hilton Columbus Downtown, Holiday Inn Columbus Dwtn-Capitol Square, that AC Hotel Downtown place. Glanced at ratings – saw a lot of 4+ things. Not bad.
Getting Specific About Location
Then I remembered seeing “Greater Columbus Convention Center” mentioned nearby on a couple listings. Zoomed the map in real tight right around Kemba Live. Sure enough, saw the Hilton Downtown super close. Like, practically touching the venue? Perfect walking distance. Highlighted that sucker mentally.
Scrolled a little further down the list. Hey, the Red Roof PLUS+ over by Ohio State University popped up too. It was rated lower (like 3.5?) but man, the price was way cheaper. Plus it mentioned free parking – big deal if I end up driving. Jotted that down as a maybe.
Digging Deeper into the Shortlist
Okay, focus time. Hilton Downtown had crazy high ratings (4.6 out of 124 reviews!). Kept seeing words like “rooftop bar”, “coffee shop”, “indoor pool” – cool perks, but honestly, just needed a bed. The real kicker? Multiple folks wrote stuff like “perfect for concerts” or “walked to the venue”. Sold. Price was… ouch. Big city prices, no surprise.
Then checked out that Red Roof PLUS+ near OSU again. Reviews were kinda mixed. Some people liked the “convenient spot” near campus, free parking saved them cash, and it was supposedly clean enough. Others grumbled about it being basic (which it is, it’s Red Roof!). But hey, cheap + free parking + not too far? For a budget option, it wasn’t terrible.
Scrolled past a few others: Marriott Columbus OSU looked decent but maybe further, saw a Residence Inn OSU that got killer reviews (4.7!) but might be a longer walk/Uber than I wanted. Stayed focused on my shortlist.
Making the Final Call and Booking
So, here’s the showdown:
- Hilton Downtown: Step out the door and basically at Kemba Live. Seriously premium spot. Fancy lobby, pool, bar (distractions!). Also seriously premium price.
- Red Roof PLUS+ OSU: Way cheaper. Free parking (huge cost saver). Not quite walking distance, but a short, cheap Uber ride away. Simple, no frills.
My budget screamed Red Roof. My desire for ultimate convenience and maybe a touch of comfort (okay, maybe that rooftop bar was tempting…) leaned towards Hilton. Talked myself into it being part of the concert experience. Budget be darned! Booked the Hilton Columbus Downtown.
The Aftermath
Easy peasy online booking. Got the confirmation email instantly. Showed up the next day, dumped my stuff in the room. Walking over to Kemba Live for pre-show drinks and the gig was stupid easy. Total breeze. Morning after grabbed coffee downstairs before hitting the road.
Red Roof would’ve saved me cash, for sure. But man, that convenience of just walking back after the show, feeling safe and close? Honestly worth the extra bucks this time. If I was road-tripping and just needed a cheap pitstop? Might go the other way. But for concert proximity? Hilton nailed it. Done and dusted.