South Tucson (Airport) Hotels

Four miles northeast of Tucson International Airport (linked by free shuttle), the Holiday Inn Tucson occupies a quiet, spacious site at the southwest corner of E Michigan St and S Palo Verde Rd, less than a mile north of exit 264B of I-10 and also close to the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. This is a large, full service hotel - an old building but well maintained - with 301 rooms and 53 suites on 6 floors, and includes an on-site restaurant/bar/lounge, outdoor pool, hot tub, recreation courts, fitness room and gift shop. It also has some of the best meetings facilities in Tucson - 14 rooms and nearly 20,000 sq ft of event space.

Clean, large rooms, nice free breakfast and welcoming staff are the main attributes of Holiday Inn Express Tucson-Airport, located less than a mile from the terminal buildings (served by 24 hour complimentary shuttle), at 2548 E Medina Rd. The airport is at the southern edge of greater Tucson, and the hotel lies close to the start of undeveloped desert just to the southeast, near attractions such as Pima Air Museum (5 miles) and the San Xavier Mission (6 miles). The hotel has attractive Southwestern decor in the rooms, and amenities of an outdoor heated pool, spa, fitness center, guest laundry and business center.

The second Staybridge Suites hotel in Arizona opened January 2010 a few blocks from Tucson International Airport, offering high quality all-suite/extended stay accommodation; the 97 suites all have a full kitchen, DVD player and executive desk, while other amenities are an outdoor pool (in the middle of a sheltered courtyard garden, complete with waterfalls and fire bowls), lounge with fireplace, fitness center, sports court, convenience store, bbq pavilion and 24 hour business center. Both hot breakfast buffet and evening reception (Tue-Thu) are provided free of charge. Pets are welcome, for a fee. Small meetings can be accommodated in the hotel's 12-person boardroom.

Towards the upper end of the market for Tucson Airport hotels, the Courtyard by Marriott offers superior facilities and 149 spacious rooms, in 2 blocks overlooking the courtyard garden, at the center of which is the heated pool and hot tub, all surrounded by tall palm trees. Many of the rooms have private balconies, overlooking the gardens or the surrounding neighborhood, a mostly commercial district half a mile north of the airport buildings. The hotel's Courtyard Cafe is open for breakfast and dinner; for other dining choices there are a few fast food restaurants just north along Valencia Road.

One of three Marriott hotels close to Tucson International Airport, the Residence Inn along Medina Road accommodates guests in 124 roomy suites, all with separate sections for sleeping, working, relaxing and cooking - the latter in a full kitchen complete with dishwasher, oven, microwave and refrigerator. Although available for single nights, the hotel is aimed more at extended stay travelers, within easy reach of all sites in Tucson via I-10 or I-19, both 3 miles away. The inn operates a complimentary shuttle to/from the airport, and has many amenities including free buffet breakfast, free evening reception, guest laundry, pool, whirlpool, bbq grill, fitness center and meeting space for up to 80 people.

Open fall 2009, the new TownePlace Suites Tucson Airport is part of a group of hotels one mile north of the terminal buildings, and 3 miles from both I-10 and I-19. The pet friendly hotel features 91 comfortable studio suites, equipped with a full kitchen, sofabed, LCD TV, work desk, free internet access and luxury bedding. Guests are treated to free full hot breakfast each morning, and a free reception on selected weekday evenings; there are plenty of restaurants nearby to provide other meals. An outdoor pool (complete with fountains), sports court, patio and fitness center are available for relaxation.

DoubleTree Suites is the closet hotel to Tucson International Airport, located on the corner of Corona Rd and Tucson Blvd, a quarter of a mile from the front of the terminal buildings. Highlight is the sheltered courtyard harden, featuring an outdoor pool, seating areas, walkways, flower beds, fountains, tropical plants and shady trees; all overlooked by the accommodation blocks, containing spacious, modern two-room suites, all equipped with a refrigerator & microwave. The on-site restaurant/lounge is the bistro-style Finnegan's, open all day (plus room service), while for meetings the hotel has over 12,000 sq ft of space, together with a staffed business center. The DoubleTree Suites opens spring 2012, after renovation of an existing property.

With 188 rooms, the Clarion is one of the largest Tucson Airport hotels, and offers full service amenities. For dining, Morgan's Restaurant is open for breakfast lunch & dinner, and the adjacent lounge bar serves drinks all day, including poolside service. The rooms are arranged around 3 sides of a large tropical garden; as well as the swimming pool this contains a hot tub, sundeck, shaded walkways, many palm trees and other tropical plants. Meeting facilities comprise over 8,000 sq ft of event space, accommodating up to 200 attendees. The Clarion is part of a line of other hotels along S Tucson Blvd, half a mile from the airport.

The Fairfield Inn Tucson Airport hotel sits in the middle of the group of lodging along S Tucson Blvd, just 0.4 miles from the airport lounges, and of course linked by free 24 hour shuttle. The inn is a compact, 86 room building with typical amenities for a 3 star hotel of complimentary breakfast, a business center, exercise room, heated outdoor pool & hot tub, meeting room, guest laundry and a convenience store. Rooms are clean and modern, equipped with microwave & refrigerator.

Towards the east edge of Tucson, the Fairfield Inn by Marriott provides good, mid range accommodation in a new, 3 floor building containing 48 rooms & 17 suites, located in the middle of the Butterfield Business Center. I-10 runs by to the south (access is from exit 264, S Palo Verde Rd), and the Davis Monthan AFB begins a short distance northeast. The hotel was renovated in 2006 and features enhanced free continental breakfast, an outdoor pool, hot tub and guest laundry. The international airport is 4 miles south (no free shuttle, however).

The Comfort Suites at Tucson Airport has 82 medium sized suites, with separate living/sleeping/bathroom areas, equipped with a microwave, refrigerator, ironing facilities and coffee maker. Just half a mile from the airport, the inn lies in the middle of a group of other hotels along Tucson Blvd, though is set back slightly from the main road for a quieter night's stay. Free hot breakfast buffet is served; for relaxation the expected fitness center, hot tub and outdoor heated pool are provided.

Quality Inn Tucson benefits from a central location close to the I-10/I-19 junction; the hotel is reached from exit 262 of I-10 by driving southeast along E Benson Highway for one block. The inn lies 4 miles north of Tucson International Airport, close enough to be served by complimentary shuttle. The hotel is quite a large building (136 rooms), built around gardens with palm trees and a pool, and also offers a fitness center, sauna and picnic area. There is a restaurant/lounge/bar on site, open for breakfast (free), lunch and dinner.

Comfortable lodging towards the cheaper end of the market is on offer at the Quality Inn Airport, located at 2803 E Valencia Rd, 1.4 miles from the main terminal at Tucson International Airport. The 97 rooms are on 3 floors of an older, interior corridor building, some with views over the outdoor heated pool and hot tub. Airport transportation is free, as is the continental breakfast. The main road has a fair selection of restaurants, though the immediate neighborhood is generally industrial, without much of interest to see.

Studio 6 Tucson features affordable, all suite accommodation with limited amenities - wi-fi, an outdoor pool, guest laundry and free coffee are the main facilities, but each room does include a small kitchen with utensils. The hotel backs on to I-10 at the Palo Verde/Irvington exit, 4 miles north of Tucson International Airport, in a busy commercial neighborhood. There are a few restaurants nearby, and the closest shopping mall (Irvington Plaza) is one mile west.