▰ Awesome stayguide
★★ Downtown Columbus · Upper Arlington ★ 4.2 · 1601
Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Columbus Univ Area Osu by IHG
Lobby
Room
Room
Room +1 photos

Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Columbus Univ Area Osu by IHG

3045 Olentangy River Rd, Columbus, United States
from $127

Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Columbus Univ Area Osu by IHG 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.

Rates shift with the season and with demand, so the live price on the booking page is always the one to trust — tap through for tonight's or your dates' real availability.

Key facts

Class
2-star
Area
Downtown Columbus
Guest rating
4.2 (1601)
from
$127
Address
3045 Olentangy River Rd, 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 Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Columbus Univ Area Osu by IHG located?
Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Columbus Univ Area Osu by IHG is in Downtown Columbus, Upper Arlington (3045 Olentangy River Rd, Columbus, United States), close to central Downtown Columbus.
How much does Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Columbus Univ Area Osu by IHG cost per night?
Recent rates started around $127 per night, but prices are set live — check the booking page for your exact dates.
How many stars is Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Columbus Univ Area Osu by IHG?
Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Columbus Univ Area Osu by IHG is a 2-star hotel in Upper Arlington.
Is Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Columbus Univ Area Osu by IHG a good hotel?
Guests rate it 4.2 across 1601 reviews. It's a value choice for Upper Arlington.
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.
What is a typical nightly rate in Upper Arlington?
Around $130-200 for a mid-range room in the OSU District, Grandview Heights or Dublin, which is what most visitors end up paying. Budget chains on the I-270 ring in Hilliard and Worthington sit at $85-125, and the upper end in the Short North and Downtown Columbus runs $210-330 plus $15-30 for parking. Franklin County lodging taxes add roughly 15-17% on top of the quoted rate. On a football Saturday, ignore all of those numbers and expect double.
Is Upper Arlington walkable?
In patches. The Mallway on Arlington Avenue and the streets around it in Old Arlington are the one stretch designed for walking, and Tremont Center to Northam Park is an easy 10 minutes on foot. Beyond that the city is 1920s-to-1960s suburban: Kingsdale to Tremont Center is about 1.5 miles along Tremont Road, and Fishinger, Reed and Northwest Boulevard are driving roads with long blocks. For walking or cycling as an activity rather than transport, use the Olentangy Trail's 13.6 miles or the paths at Griggs Reservoir Park.
Which Upper Arlington parks are worth visiting, and can I use the city pools?
Start with Northam Park, Sunny 95 Park and the adjoining Smith Nature Park, and Fancyburg Park; then add Griggs Reservoir Park on Riverside Drive, which is Columbus-run but sits on Upper Arlington's western edge and gives you the Scioto River, boat ramps and flat trails. The city has more than 20 parks in total, and they are the main reason to base here rather than downtown. The municipal pools — Tremont, Devon and Thompson — operate on a season-membership model built around residents and run roughly Memorial Day to Labor Day, so plan around them rather than on them. If you want water in July, Alum Creek State Park near Delaware, about 20 miles north, is the reliable answer.
What is the best area to stay in Upper Arlington?
Tremont or Kingsdale if you want to be inside the city, and the Ohio State University District or Grandview Heights if you want actual hotel choice. Tremont puts you beside Tremont Center, the library at 2800 Tremont Road and Northam Park; Kingsdale is faster onto SR-315. Grandview Heights is about 3 miles from Tremont Center, has the restaurant strip on Grandview Avenue, and runs $130-200 for a mid-range room. If your trip is about the parks and the river, look west toward Riverside Drive, Griggs Reservoir Park and the Riverside Bend and Golf View Heights pockets.
Pick your street, then book
Compare honest rates across Old Arlington, Grandview Heights and Dublin, and every booking funds one verified tonne of carbon removal at no extra cost.
Search hotels