Where to stay

Choosing where to stay in the Columbus area means deciding how close you want to be to the city itself and what kind of base suits your trip. Columbus holds the overwhelming share of rooms, with 84 hotels, and it is the only place in the region with 4- and 5-star properties and dedicated guides to them. If you want a smaller setting, the suburbs north and west of the city offer alternatives: Dublin has 21 hotels, Grove 8, Westerville 5, Hilliard 3, and New Albany 2. Each has its own cluster of places to stay, but none matches Columbus for range or star level. Upper Arlington itself is almost entirely residential, so most rooms sold as "Upper Arlington" are a mile or two over the city line in Columbus, along Olentangy River Road, Lane Avenue, or off Henderson Road near SR-315. Within the city, Tremont, Kingsdale, Northam and the Mallway District are the practical anchors. Kingsdale, at Tremont Road and Northwest Boulevard, is the closest node to SR-315 and the Ohio State campus and the easiest base if you are driving in and out daily. Old Arlington, the National Register historic district of 1913-1930s houses on curving streets like Cambridge Boulevard, is where you walk rather than sleep.

In this part of Ohio, the 3-star tier is the mainstay, and the only place where it sits alongside anything higher is Columbus. Columbus has 84 hotels in total, including 2 five-star properties and a set of 4- and 5-star hotels, so it is the only place in the region where you can choose between a 3-star stay and a top-tier one. Everywhere else, the choice is simpler: Dublin (21 hotels), Grove (8), Westerville (5), Hilliard (3) and New Albany (2) offer 3-star and similar properties, with no five-star hotels among them. Families will find family-friendly hotels in Columbus, which is also the only place with hotels that have parking. If you want the widest range, Columbus is the clear pick; if you prefer a smaller setting and do not need a 4- or 5-star hotel, the suburbs will do.