Hotels with pools in Albany, ranked
Indoor hotel pool in an Albany suburban hotel
Nine Albany-area hotels with real, working pools, ranked honestly — because 7 of the 12 downtown properties don’t have one at all.
Why pools are a downtown weak spot
Downtown Albany's hotel stock skews toward converted historic buildings and business towers, and pools are the first thing that gets cut when a 1920s bank becomes a boutique. The Renaissance Albany on State Street, the Hilton Albany on Lodge, and the Kimpton-style Morgan State House all skip the pool entirely. If a pool is non-negotiable for the kids, you’re basically choosing between two downtown properties or shifting the search to Wolf Road in Colonie, where every third hotel has one.
The other honest catch: several downtown "pools" are 20-foot lap boxes tucked into a basement fitness room with no windows and a 10pm close. I’ve flagged which ones below. If you want something the kids will actually swim laps in, or a hot tub big enough for four adults, the airport-corridor hotels win by a mile. Prices out there run $115-$180 a night in shoulder season, versus $170-$260 downtown for a smaller pool or none at all.
1. Hilton Garden Inn Albany Medical Center
The best-in-class combination of location and pool in the whole metro. It sits on New Scotland Avenue right by Albany Med, so you’re a 6-minute drive from Empire State Plaza and a 4-minute walk from the Washington Park perimeter. The indoor saltwater pool is roughly 45 feet long, opens at 6am, and closes at 10pm — long enough hours to actually plan around. Rates run $155-$210 a night, breakfast typically not included. Family rooms with a pull-out sofa are worth the $20 upcharge.
The catch: parking is $15 a night and the on-site restaurant is average hotel food. You’ll want to walk into Center Square for dinner — Cafe Capriccio on Grand Street or the New World Bistro Bar on Delaware are both 8 minutes by car. If you’re here for a Med Center appointment or a Washington Park weekend, this is the pick. Book a room facing away from New Scotland to dodge ambulance sirens.
2. Homewood Suites Albany
Out on Wolf Road in Colonie, 15 minutes from downtown by car, this is the family workhorse of the Albany market. Every unit is a one- or two-bedroom suite with a full kitchen, the indoor pool is a genuine 50-foot rectangle with a separate hot tub, and hot breakfast is included. Rates land at $145-$185 a night for a one-bedroom, which is a strong deal when you factor in the kitchen and breakfast. The pool runs 6am to 11pm, longer than most competitors.
The trade-off is that you’re on a suburban strip surrounded by chain restaurants, and getting downtown means either driving or a $18-$22 Uber each way. For families staying three nights or more it still wins on total cost, especially if one meal a day gets cooked in the suite. Skip it if your trip is a two-day museum-and-Capitol run — the commute eats the savings.
3. Hyatt Place Albany
The downtown pool option that mostly works. It's on Washington Avenue Extension, technically not downtown but a 10-minute drive in, and the indoor pool is a decent 40 feet with big windows facing the parking side. Rates run $130-$175, breakfast included, and the suite-style rooms have a proper sofa area that beats a standard king. Parking is free, which downtown properties can’t say. The pool closes at 10pm and there's no hot tub, which is the honest miss.
Book here if you want a pool, breakfast, free parking, and don’t mind driving into Empire State Plaza. It's a smart pick for a family flying into ALB — the airport is 6 minutes away, so a late arrival with tired kids skips the downtown parking-garage circus. Skip if you want to walk to dinner; the nearest real restaurants are a car ride.
4. Embassy Suites Albany
Also on Wolf Road, and worth the small premium over Homewood if you want an atrium hotel with a bigger pool deck and a full evening reception with free drinks. The indoor pool is 45 feet, the hot tub genuinely seats six, and the two-room suites give parents a door to close. Rates run $165-$220, made-to-order breakfast and a two-hour cocktail reception included — that's real value for a family of four. Pool hours run 6am to 10pm.
The catch is age — the property is a 1980s atrium build and the corridors feel it, though the rooms have been refreshed. If atrium hotels feel dated to you, the Homewood next door is newer. If you want the full "kids in the pool while parents get a free glass of wine" package, Embassy Suites still delivers that better than anywhere else in Albany. Skip on weekends when a wedding block can turn the atrium loud.
5. Renaissance Albany (no pool — noted for the ranking)
Included because people ask: the Renaissance on State Street, right across from the Capitol, is the best downtown hotel by most measures — rooms, restaurant, location — but it has no pool. Not a small pool, not a rooftop hot tub, none. If you’re a couple doing a Capitol-and-museum weekend the pool doesn’t matter and this is the pick at $180-$260 a night. For families it's a hard no.
The same applies to the Hilton Albany on Lodge Street, the 74 State boutique, and the Morgan State House B&B on Washington Avenue — all excellent downtown properties, all pool-less. Downtown Albany simply doesn’t have a genuine four-star hotel with a real pool. Anyone telling you otherwise is describing a treadmill room with a spa tub in it.
6. Hampton Inn & Suites Albany-Downtown
The exception that proves the downtown rule. On Chapel Street, walkable to the Palace Theatre and 10 minutes on foot to Empire State Plaza, this is the one genuine downtown pool. It's small — call it 30 feet, basement level, no windows — but it's heated, open 6am to 10pm, and the room rate at $155-$210 includes breakfast. Parking is $22 a night in the attached garage, which is standard for downtown.
Book here if location is the priority and a small pool is enough to keep kids happy for 30 minutes before dinner. Don’t book here expecting a resort-scale swim; the pool is a compromise, not a feature. Ask for a room on the 6th floor or higher for skyline views over Sheridan Hollow — the low-floor rooms face an air shaft and it's grim.
7. Honourable mentions and one to skip
The Fairfield Inn Albany East Greenbush across the river has a solid indoor pool at $115-$155 a night if you don’t mind a 12-minute drive to downtown — good pick if you’re combining Albany with a Troy or Rensselaer visit. The Courtyard Albany Thruway on Washington Avenue Extension has a small pool and reasonable rates at $125-$165, though the surrounding area is bleak strip mall. Both are fine budget-side picks.
Skip the Best Western Sovereign on Wolf Road — the pool has been out of service on and off for two years running and reviews confirm it's rarely fixed for long. Also skip any downtown listing that markets a "pool" without specifying dimensions and hours; every one I’ve checked is a 20-foot fitness-room tub. Pick from the seven above and you’ll get an actual swim.
Before you book
What people ask before booking Downtown Albany.
The Hampton Inn & Suites on Chapel Street is the only downtown option with a real pool, and it's a modest 30-foot basement pool. For anything bigger you need to shift to Wolf Road in Colonie or the Med Center corridor — both are 10 to 15 minutes from Empire State Plaza by car.
Yes — every pool in this ranking is indoor and open year-round, which matters because Albany winters run November through March with regular sub-freezing days. Outdoor pools essentially don’t exist in the local hotel market. Hours vary but most run 6am to 10pm, with the Homewood Suites the outlier at 11pm.
Not much, and sometimes less. Wolf Road pool hotels run $115-$185 a night with breakfast and free parking, versus downtown pool-less hotels at $170-$260 plus $22 parking. If a pool matters, the suburban corridor is genuinely cheaper once you total everything out.
Embassy Suites Albany on Wolf Road, at $165-$220 a night. Two-room suites mean the kids can sleep while parents stay up, made-to-order breakfast is included, and the free evening reception saves one drinks tab. The pool and hot tub are the largest in the metro. Homewood Suites next door is the close second.
