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★★ Downtown Columbus · Upper Arlington ★ 4.4 · 975
Hampton Inn & Suites Columbus Scioto Downs
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Hampton Inn & Suites Columbus Scioto Downs

5950 South High Street, Columbus, United States
from $201

Hampton Inn & Suites Columbus Scioto Downs is a budget-friendly stay in Downtown Columbus, Upper Arlington — a no-frills base for seeing central Downtown Columbus and the rest of the area affordably.

The surrounding Downtown Columbus district is one of the most convenient parts of Upper Arlington to stay in, with restaurants, cafés and transport links close by.

Key facts

Class
2-star
Area
Downtown Columbus
Guest rating
4.4 (975)
from
$201
Address
5950 South High Street, Columbus, United States

What’s included

Getting around Upper Arlington, and from the airport

You need a car. There is no rail of any kind in Columbus — no Amtrak station, no light rail, no commuter line — and Upper Arlington's grid of Tremont Road, Fishinger Road, Reed Road and Northwest Boulevard is built for driving, not connecting. From John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH) it is about 13 miles and 20-25 minutes via I-670 and SR-315; rideshare typically runs $35-50, and the airport rental desks are the more sensible option for a multi-day stay. SR-315 forms the eastern edge of the city and gets you downtown in about 12 minutes off-peak; I-270 loops the whole metro and puts Dublin, Worthington and Hilliard within 15 minutes of Kingsdale. Parking in Upper Arlington is free everywhere, at Tremont Center, Kingsdale and every park lot, which is not true once you cross into the Short North or Downtown Columbus.

COTA buses do run — the Line 2 corridor on High Street links Clintonville, the Short North and Worthington, and routes cross Upper Arlington on West Fifth Avenue and Kenny Road — but frequencies of 30-60 minutes make them a supplement, not a plan. Distances between the areas you will actually use are short: Tremont Center to the Lane Avenue shops is about 2 miles, to Grandview Avenue 3 miles, to Old Worthington 8 miles, and to the Columbus Zoo in Powell about 11 miles. Cycling works better than the bus: the Olentangy Trail runs roughly 13.6 miles from Worthington down to downtown along the river, and Griggs Reservoir Park on Riverside Drive gives you flat riverside miles on the west side. If you are basing in the OSU District without a car, plan on walking to Lane Avenue and rideshare for everything else.

How many nights in Upper Arlington, and a first-timer's plan

Three nights is the sweet spot: two is enough for the parks and Old Arlington but leaves no room for Columbus itself, and four or more only pays off if you are adding Delaware, Powell or a tournament. Day one, walk Old Arlington from the Mallway on Arlington Avenue through the Cambridge Boulevard streets — the district was laid out from 1913 and the city incorporated in 1918, so the housing stock reads as one continuous 1920s piece — then finish at Northam Park and Tremont Center. Day two, go west and outdoors: Griggs Reservoir Park along Riverside Drive for the water, Sunny 95 Park and the Amelita Mirolo Barn, and Smith Nature Park or Fancyburg Park for the woodland loops. Add the Jack Nicklaus Museum at 2355 Olentangy River Road, about 2 miles from Kingsdale, if the golf history is what brought you.

Day three belongs to Columbus proper: the Short North along High Street, German Village for the Book Loft and Schmidt's, and the Scioto Mile downtown, all within 6 miles. With a fourth night, pick one direction — north to Highbanks Metro Park and Old Worthington's Saturday farmers' market, west to Dublin for Indian Run Falls and Scioto Park, or further north to Alum Creek State Park and Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware. Families usually swap one of those for the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Powell, a 20-minute drive that easily eats a full day. If you are here for a football Saturday, count that day as gone: kickoff traffic on Lane Avenue and Olentangy River Road starts four hours early.

What hotels actually cost in and around Upper Arlington

Budget in this market means $85-125 a night, and it buys a chain room on the I-270 ring in Hilliard, Worthington or off Henderson Road — clean, free parking, breakfast, and a 10-20 minute drive to Tremont Road. Mid-range is $130-200 and covers most of what people book: the OSU District along Olentangy River Road, Grandview Heights near Grandview Avenue, and Dublin's newer stock near Bridge Park. The top end here is $210-330, concentrated in the Short North, Victorian Village and Downtown Columbus, where you also start paying $15-30 a night for parking that costs nothing in Upper Arlington. Franklin County lodging taxes add roughly 15-17% on top of the quoted rate, which is worth doing the maths on before comparing two options across the county line.

Rates spike on a predictable calendar rather than a general "high season". Ohio State home Saturdays from September to late November take mid-range rooms to $300-500 with two-night minimums, and the Michigan weekend in even-numbered years goes higher still. Memorial Tournament week at Muirfield Village in late May or early June does the same thing to Dublin and the western side of Upper Arlington, typically $250-400. The Arnold Sports Festival in early March hits downtown hardest, and Ohio State move-in in the third week of August clears out the campus-adjacent cheap rooms for several days. Outside those dates, January, February and early December are the genuinely soft weeks, and booking three to four weeks ahead is plenty.

Questions, answered

Where is Hampton Inn & Suites Columbus Scioto Downs located?
Hampton Inn & Suites Columbus Scioto Downs is in Downtown Columbus, Upper Arlington (5950 South High Street, Columbus, United States), close to central Downtown Columbus.
How much does Hampton Inn & Suites Columbus Scioto Downs cost per night?
Recent rates started around $201 per night, but prices are set live — check the booking page for your exact dates.
How many stars is Hampton Inn & Suites Columbus Scioto Downs?
Hampton Inn & Suites Columbus Scioto Downs is a 2-star hotel in Upper Arlington.
Is Hampton Inn & Suites Columbus Scioto Downs a good hotel?
Guests rate it 4.4 across 975 reviews. It's a value choice for Upper Arlington.
How many nights do I need in Upper Arlington?
Three nights covers it properly. One day for Old Arlington, the Mallway and Northam Park; one for the west-side parks — Griggs Reservoir, Sunny 95 Park and Smith Nature Park; and one for Columbus itself, meaning the Short North, German Village and the Scioto Mile, all within 6 miles. A fourth night is worth adding if you want Highbanks Metro Park, Old Worthington, or the Columbus Zoo in Powell, which is a 20-minute drive and a full day. Two nights works only if you skip Columbus entirely.
How do I get from Columbus airport to Upper Arlington?
Drive or take a rideshare: it is about 13 miles from John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH) to Tremont Road, roughly 20-25 minutes via I-670 and SR-315, and $35-50 by Uber or Lyft. There is no rail link and no direct shuttle, and COTA from the terminal involves a change downtown that turns 25 minutes into well over an hour. Renting at CMH is usually the better call for anything longer than one night, since parking is free at every Upper Arlington hotel, park and shopping centre. Allow an extra 15-20 minutes for weekday rush on SR-315 between 7.30am and 9am.
Do I need a car in Upper Arlington?
Yes, in almost every case. Columbus has no Amtrak service, no light rail and no commuter train, and COTA routes crossing Upper Arlington on West Fifth Avenue and Kenny Road run every 30-60 minutes. Distances that look walkable on a map are not: Tremont Center to Sunny 95 Park is a 2-mile walk with no continuous path, and Fishinger and Reed Roads are built for cars. The exception is staying in the Short North or the OSU District without leaving the High Street and Lane Avenue corridors, where the Line 2 bus and rideshare will do.
Is Upper Arlington better for families or couples?
It leans family, mainly because of the parks: more than 20 of them across the city, including Northam Park, Fancyburg Park, Thompson Park and Sunny 95 Park with the Amelita Mirolo Barn. Add the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium 11 miles north in Powell and Zoombezi Bay next door, and a family easily fills three days. Couples tend to sleep in Grandview Heights, the Short North or Victorian Village, where dinner and a walk on High Street work without driving, then come into Upper Arlington by day for Old Arlington and the river. Expect suite-style rooms with two queens on the I-270 ring in Hilliard and Worthington at $95-140, which is the cheapest family option here.
What do I need to book early in Upper Arlington?
Any Ohio State home football Saturday between early September and late November — those seven dates are published months ahead and rooms within 5 miles of Ohio Stadium hit $300-500 with two-night minimums. Memorial Tournament week at Muirfield Village in Dublin, in late May or early June, does the same to the western side of the metro at $250-400. Ohio State move-in in the third week of August and commencement in early May both clear the OSU District and Grandview for a few days. Everything else, including the Labor Day Arts Festival at Northam Park, is fine booked three to four weeks out.
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