What is the hotel tax rate in Louisville?

Louisville's combined hotel occupancy tax is about 16.35%. It blends the Kentucky state sales tax, the Jefferson County transient room tax, and additional tourism and convention center levies. The exact split can shift if local rates are adjusted.

What does the occupancy tax pay for?

The transient room and tourism portions fund tourism marketing and the convention center, while the state sales tax goes to Kentucky's general fund. These lodging taxes shift much of the cost of local tourism infrastructure onto visitors rather than residents.

Is the tax applied to the room only?

Occupancy taxes apply to the taxable room charge. Resort fees, parking, and incidentals may be taxed differently or carry their own charges, so your final folio can exceed the room-tax estimate. This tool covers the room rate times nights.

Do online travel sites include this tax?

Sometimes. Many booking sites show a pre-tax nightly rate and add taxes and fees at checkout, while others bundle them. Use this tool to sanity-check whether a quoted total already includes Louisville's 16.35% occupancy tax.

Is the rate the same everywhere in the Louisville area?

Mostly within Jefferson County, but suburbs and other Kentucky counties can have different transient room tax rates. This calculator uses the Louisville Metro combined figure of 16.35%; verify the local rate if your hotel is outside the city.

Louisville Hotel & Occupancy Tax Calculator

This calculator shows the true cost of a Louisville hotel stay after taxes. Advertised room rates rarely include the combined 16.35% occupancy tax, which blends Kentucky’s state sales tax, the Jefferson County transient room tax, and city tourism and convention center levies. Enter your nightly rate and number of nights to see the full out-the-door total.

How it works

The room subtotal is the nightly rate times nights, then the combined tax rate is applied:

room subtotal = nightly rate × nights
occupancy tax = room subtotal × 0.1635
total         = room subtotal + occupancy tax

The 16.35% figure is a composite of several stacked levies rather than a single tax, so the effective rate is what matters for budgeting your trip.

Example and notes

A $150 nightly rate for 3 nights gives a $450 room subtotal. The 16.35% occupancy tax adds $73.58, for a $523.58 total. Resort fees, parking, and incidentals are charged separately and may be taxed under different rules, so your final folio can run higher. Rates outside Louisville Metro can differ — verify the local transient room tax if your hotel is in another Kentucky county.