The 757-room Sheraton tower connected to the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex by enclosed skywalk, the largest hotel in Alabama and the operational backbone of every major BJCC event.
"This is the convention hotel, full stop. Seven hundred and fifty-seven rooms, four restaurants, and a skywalk straight into the BJCC. Book the renovated tower side and accept that the rest of the building is doing the work."
The Sheraton Birmingham is the operational centre of gravity for the BJCC campus. The 757-room hotel runs across a 16-storey main tower, a parallel low-rise wing, and a connector building that puts the front desk less than a hundred metres of indoor walking from the convention halls and the Legacy Arena. Built in 1986 and renovated in a multi-phase program through the mid-2010s, the property is the largest hotel in Alabama and operates at a scale that no other downtown property attempts. The architecture is exactly what scale demands, a long beige tower with a podium of meeting rooms, and the lobby is double-height with the brand standard Sheraton coffee bar at the centre.
Rooms are spread across the categories that the building's footprint allows: standard kings and double-queens at 320 to 360 square feet, twelve hospitality suites, four full corner suites, and a Club Lounge floor at the top of the tower. The renovated tower rooms are the booking, with grey-and-white contemporary finishes, the Sheraton Signature bed, and 49-inch wall-mounted screens. Bathrooms are stone-tiled with combined tub and shower in standard categories and walk-in showers in suites. The wing rooms have not all been brought to the same standard, and the front desk will quietly upgrade to the tower side on request when occupancy permits. The Club Lounge runs continental breakfast, afternoon snacks, and an honour bar with a reasonable Tennessee bourbon selection.
Dining is built for volume rather than ambition. Shula's 347 Grill is the dependable steakhouse off the lobby; the SR Tavern is the casual American option in the connector building; the Coffee & Grab option handles the early convention rush; and a small market off the lobby covers grab-and-go. None of the restaurants is the city's best in their category, but all three open and close on the published schedule, run a competent kitchen, and turn tables without drama on a 1,500-attendee event night. Twenty-four-hour room service operates on a limited menu after midnight.
The reason to book the Sheraton is meetings. The hotel runs 80,000 square feet of meeting space in its own building, an additional 90,000 square feet of joint space inside the BJCC connector, and access via skywalk to the BJCC's 220,000-square-foot main exhibition hall. The result is the only single-property booking in Birmingham that can house an entire 1,500-attendee conference with full general session, breakouts, exhibitor hall, and meals without anyone leaving climate control. The fitness centre, outdoor pool deck, and small business centre round out the facilities to the level the convention market expects, which is functional rather than luxurious.
For convention business at the BJCC, the Sheraton is the default booking and is correctly priced for it. The skywalk is the single most valuable amenity in the central city; the Club Lounge is well-priced relative to the upgrade cost; and the meeting infrastructure handles any group of fewer than 1,800 attendees with the operational confidence that comes from doing this every week. Ask for a renovated tower king on a high floor for the downtown skyline view; the wing rooms are perfectly fine but the tower side is the upgrade.
For a family weekend tied to a Legacy Arena concert, a Stallions game, or an Alabama State Fair visit, the Sheraton is the practical booking. Double-queen rooms in the tower fit two adults and two children comfortably; the outdoor pool deck is open from late April to early October; and the skywalk eliminates parking, weather, and walking-with-strollers problems for any event in the BJCC campus. Restaurants on Morris Avenue and in the Uptown cluster are a five-minute walk for a proper dinner.
2101 Richard Arrington Jr. Boulevard North
Birmingham, AL 35203
Direct enclosed skywalk to the BJCC East and West halls and the Legacy Arena; 6 miles to BHM airport
757 rooms and suites
Kings from $170/night
Double-Queen from $180/night
Club Lounge from $250/night
Suites from $360/night
Check-in: 3:00 PM
Check-out: 12:00 PM
Opened 1986; renovated 2014 to 2018; Marriott Bonvoy
Shula's 347 Grill, SR Tavern, lobby coffee bar
Outdoor pool deck, fitness centre
80,000 sq ft on-site meeting space
Skywalk to BJCC and Legacy Arena
Complimentary WiFi; on-site parking garage
From $170/night. Convention rates lock in three to four months ahead for major BJCC shows; weekend leisure rates often fall below $200 when no event is in town.
See Current Rates →The 278-room Westin across the street, the smaller, newer four-star option for the BJCC campus.
117-room Autograph in the 1913 Empire Building with the Moon Shine rooftop bar.
The 1925 Hilton Curio in the theatre district with rooftop bar.
The Grandview corporate-corridor Marriott, the suburban business booking on Highway 280.
Sign up for deal alerts: fifth night free offers, resort credits, and the upgrade windows we would book ourselves.