Elwood Hotel & Suites
A 62-room plant-filled hotel off South Broadway, named for the first Derby winner owned by a woman
Lexington, Lexington
About this stay
The Elwood Hotel & Suites provides comfortable family accommodations in Lexington, featuring rooms equipped with kitchenettes and private bathrooms. Guests can enjoy modern amenities, including free WiFi and access to a fitness center. The hotel's family-friendly restaurant serves American cuisine, catering to various dietary needs with vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free options for breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner. An outdoor fireplace and bar create a welcoming atmosphere for dining and relaxation. (The hotel is located 7 km from Blue Grass Airport.)
- Named for Elwood, the 1904 Derby winner owned by Lasca Durnell
- 62 rooms on four floors, about a third with a kitchenette
- Fiddletree Kitchen & Bar with an outdoor terrace and fire pits
- Dogs and cats accepted, two per room, up to 75 lb each
- About 2 km from the Red Mile and 1.9 km from UK's Chandler Hospital
- 9.0 out of 10 across 319 guest reviews
Our take
The Elwood takes its name from the colt that won the 1904 Kentucky Derby for Lasca Durnell, the first woman to own a Derby winner, and it sits at 444 Parkway Drive, just off South Broadway near Mason Headley Road, beside the Lexington Clinic. It has 62 rooms on four floors, about a third of them extended-stay suites with a kitchenette, and Fiddletree Kitchen & Bar in the lobby. Guests rate it 9.0 out of 10 over 319 reviews. I would book it for a Keeneland meet, a UK hospital visit or a few days with a dog. I would not book it for a pool day with children: the hotel lists no pool.
- Only about a third of the rooms are suites with a kitchenette, so book a suite by name if you plan to cook rather than counting on any room having one.
- Keeneland's free Sunrise Trackside runs on Saturday mornings during the fall meet, from 8 to 10 a.m., so you can watch the morning works with coffee from The Starting Gate without a ticket.
- The 2026 fall meet at Keeneland runs from October 2 to October 24, with no racing on Mondays or Tuesdays, which is when Lexington rooms are easiest to find in that window.
- Dogs and cats are both accepted, two per room and up to 75 lb each, so a cat can travel too.
Why we love it
- Family rooms with kitchenettes
- Pet-friendly policy
- Restaurant with diverse dietary options
- Outdoor fireplace and bar
Why guests love itThis is a small, recent hotel with a strong local identity rather than a family resort. The lobby and corridors are filled with plants, the Fiddletree Kitchen & Bar serves Southern dishes, bourbon and local craft beer, and its outdoor terrace has fire pits for cool Kentucky evenings. Families get the most from the extended-stay suites, which add a kitchenette and a separate living area, while standard rooms keep a microwave, fridge and coffee maker. The Red Mile harness track is about 2 km away and the University of Kentucky's Chandler Hospital about 1.9 km, which makes it a sensible base for a family visiting a patient. Children who want to swim will be disappointed: no pool appears in the hotel's listings. Pets are part of the deal, with dogs and cats welcome.
Guest reviews
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