Hotels Near Madison Airport (MSN) With a Free Airport Shuttle
Three hotels with a free shuttle sit right by Dane County Regional Airport, all in the American Center business park: the Holiday Inn Madison at The American Center (16 minutes' drive), Cambria Hotel Madison East and La Quinta Inn & Suites Madison American Center (14 each). The Holiday Inn's shuttle keeps the longest day of the three, 6:00 AM to 11:00 PM, while the Cambria's stops at 5:00 PM.
The other eight are downtown or on John Nolen Drive, trading distance from the airport for Capitol Square, State Street or a lake out the window. One of them beats the airport cluster on the hour that matters most: The Madison Concourse's shuttle starts at 4:30 AM. So the choice is between the business park near the airport and a downtown room, and in either place the shuttle's hours have to fit your flight.
Our picks
- Best for a dawn departure: The Madison Concourse Hotel and Governor's Club. The shuttle starts at 4:30 AM and runs until 10:30 PM on the hour and half-hour, from a block off Capitol Square.
- Best for a late arrival by the airport: Holiday Inn Madison at The American Center. Shuttle service until 11:00 PM, Chief's Bar open in the evening, and free parking with room for buses and RVs.
- Budget stay in the airport business park: La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Madison American Center. Breakfast and parking are both free, pets are allowed for a fee, and the shuttle runs 8:00 to 22:00, subject to availability.
- Most included in the room rate: Holiday Inn Express & Suites Madison Central. Free hot breakfast, free parking and a free shuttle that covers the airport plus anywhere within three miles, including the UW hospitals.
- Best for getting around downtown without a car: Hotel Indigo Madison Downtown. The free shuttle serves a three-mile radius as well as MSN, 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM every day.
At a glance
| Option | Airport Shuttle Hours | Drive Time to Airport | Address | Breakfast | Parking | Pets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6:00 AM to 11:00 PMsource | 16source | 5109 W Terrace Dr, Madison, WI 53718source | Breakfast for a feesource | Free self parkingsource | Pets not allowedsource | |
| 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, on requestsource | 14source | 5045 Eastpark Blvd, Madison, WI 53718source | Breakfast for a feesource | Free self parkingsource | Pets allowed for a feesource | |
| Daily 8:00 to 22:00source | 14source | 5217 E Terrace Dr, Madison, WI 53718source | Free breakfastsource | Free self parkingsource | Pets allowed for a feesource | |
| 4:30 AM to 10:30 PMsource | 18source | 1 W Dayton St, Madison, WI 53703source | Breakfast for a feesource | Self parking for a feesource | Pets allowed for a feesource | |
| 7:30 AM to 10:30 PM, on requestsource | 16source | 22 S Carroll Street, Madison, WI 53703source | Breakfast for a feesource | Valet parking for a feesource | Pets not allowedsource | |
| 7:00 AM to 10:00 PMsource | 16source | 525 West Johnson Street, Madison, WI 53703source | Breakfast for a feesource | Self parking for a feesource | Pets not allowedsource | |
| Complimentary, based on availabilitysource | 9source | 9 E Wilson St, Madison, WI 53703source | Breakfast for a feesource | Self parking for a feesource | Pets allowed for a feesource | |
| 7:00 AM to 10:00 PMsource | 13source | 901 East Washington, Madison, WI 53703source | Breakfast for a feesource | Self parking for a feesource | Pets allowed for a feesource | |
| 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM, on requestsource | 14source | 1001 Wisconsin Place, Madison, WI 53703source | Breakfast for a feesource | Self parking for a feesource | Pets allowed for a feesource | |
| Complimentary, hours not statedsource | 19source | 706 John Nolen Dr, Madison, WI 53713source | Breakfast for a feesource | Free self parkingsource | Pets not allowedsource | |
| 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM, on requestsource | 21source | 610 John Nolen Dr, Madison, WI 53713source | Free breakfastsource | Free self parkingsource | Pets not allowedsource |
Which MSN shuttles run early and late
Of the published schedules, only two cover a flight before 7:00 AM: The Madison Concourse from 4:30 AM and the Holiday Inn Madison at The American Center from 6:00 AM. Best Western Premier Park Hotel starts at 7:30 AM, and DoubleTree, Hotel Indigo, The Edgewater and the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Madison Central all run 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM. At the other end, the Cambria's 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM window misses both early departures and evening arrivals.
Several shuttles run only on request or subject to availability, including La Quinta's, the Cambria's and The Edgewater's. Two hotels publish no hours at all: Hilton Madison Monona Terrace calls its shuttle complimentary based on availability, and Madison Marriott South lists it with no schedule. Treat those as a phone call to make with your flight time in hand.
Parking and breakfast add up downtown
All three airport-park hotels park you free, and so do Madison Marriott South and the Holiday Inn Express on John Nolen Drive. Downtown it costs: $20 a night at The Concourse and Hotel Indigo, $25 at DoubleTree, $28 at the Monona Terrace Hilton, $30 valet only at Best Western Premier Park, and $32 self or $38 valet at The Edgewater. If you are driving something tall, The Concourse's ramp has a 6-foot clearance.
Breakfast is included at just two hotels, La Quinta and the Holiday Inn Express, which are also the only two where breakfast, parking and the shuttle are all free.
Bringing a dog
Six hotels accept pets for a fee: the Cambria and La Quinta by the airport, and The Concourse, the Monona Terrace Hilton, Hotel Indigo (which also takes a deposit) and The Edgewater downtown. The Holiday Inn at The American Center, Best Western Premier Park, DoubleTree, Marriott South and the Holiday Inn Express do not, which rules out the all-free Express for anyone travelling with an animal and leaves La Quinta as the one hotel with free breakfast that takes pets.
The options in detail
Holiday Inn Madison at The American Center
A full-service Holiday Inn in the American Center business park on Madison's far east side, and the closest thing here to a classic airport hotel. Its shuttle keeps the longest day of any east-side property on this list, 6 in the morning to 11 at night, which covers most MSN departures and arrivals. Geier's Grill serves breakfast and dinner and Chief's Bar is open evenings, useful when you land late and would rather not drive anywhere, and there is an indoor pool, a fitness center and free parking with room for buses and RVs. The catch is breakfast: it costs extra here, unlike at most of the limited-service hotels nearby.
Cambria Hotel Madison East
An upscale Choice-brand hotel in the American Center park, a few minutes from the airport and across the interstate from East Towne Mall. Rooms are suite-style with a microwave, fridge and sofa sleeper, and the on-site restaurant Reflect covers breakfast and dinner; there is an indoor pool plus a children's pool, and outdoor parking is free. The shuttle is the thing to check before booking: it is free but runs only 8 in the morning to 5 in the afternoon, so an early departure or an evening arrival will not be covered. Destination Madison's listing notes the same shuttle also serves destinations within about three miles.
La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Madison American Center
The budget option among the hotels genuinely close to MSN, sitting in the same American Center business park as the Holiday Inn and the Cambria, right off I-90/94. Breakfast and parking are both included, and there is an indoor pool and hot tub, so the running cost of a night here is lower than anything downtown. The shuttle runs a reasonable 8am to 10pm window but is subject to availability, so call ahead rather than assume. Guests consistently note there is very little within walking distance: the hotel is ringed by highway interchanges, so plan on delivery or a drive for dinner.
The Madison Concourse Hotel and Governor's Club
An independent downtown hotel a block off Capitol Square, and the pick for anyone with a very early flight: its shuttle starts at 4:30 in the morning, hours before any other hotel here, and runs to 10:30 at night on the hour and half-hour. You are trading airport proximity for a walkable location next to State Street and the Capitol, plus an indoor pool and the CIRC restaurant downstairs. Parking is in an underground ramp at $20 a night, and breakfast costs extra. Note the ramp's 6-foot clearance if you are driving something tall.
Best Western Premier Park Hotel
The only hotel directly on Capitol Square, which makes it the most central base on this list and a short walk to State Street restaurants. It runs a free MSN shuttle from 7:30am to 10:30pm and keeps an indoor pool, a fitness center and The Post restaurant and bar off the lobby. Parking is valet only at $30 a day, the steepest here, and breakfast is a paid cooked-to-order affair. Pets are not accepted.
DoubleTree by Hilton Madison Downtown
A large downtown Hilton property between the Capitol and the UW campus, within a few blocks of State Street, the Kohl Center and the Orpheum. The free airport shuttle runs 7am to 10pm on request, so it suits mid-day flights rather than dawn departures. There is a 24-hour fitness center and an on-site restaurant, but no pool listed among its amenities, and both breakfast and the covered self parking ($25 a night) are extra. Pets are not accepted.
Hilton Madison Monona Terrace
Connected by skywalk to the Monona Terrace convention center and sitting between the Capitol and Lake Monona, this is the most central of the downtown options and a short walk to State Street. Hilton lists the airport shuttle as complimentary but based on availability, with no published hours, so confirm with the front desk before counting on it for a specific flight. Inside there is an indoor pool, an executive lounge and a restaurant; breakfast is charged, and secured covered parking runs $28 a day with limited spaces. Pets are welcome for a fee.
Hotel Indigo Madison Downtown
A boutique IHG hotel on the East Washington corridor, closer to the airport than the Capitol Square hotels and next to Breese Stevens Field. Its complimentary shuttle covers a three-mile radius as well as the airport, running 7am to 10pm every day, which means it doubles as a free ride downtown during your stay. There is a restaurant on site, but breakfast is charged and the covered garage is $20 a night. Pets are accepted with a fee and a deposit.
The Edgewater
The splurge on this list: a historic lakefront hotel on Lake Mendota with a spa, a rooftop terrace and a public plaza that turns into an ice rink in winter. It runs a free airport shuttle from 7am to 10pm on request, plus a free shuttle anywhere within two miles, so you can skip a rental car entirely if you are staying downtown. Parking is $32 a night for self parking or $38 for valet, breakfast is charged, and rates sit well above everything else here. Worth it if the lake view is part of the trip, hard to justify if you just need a bed near a 6am flight.
Madison Marriott South
The former Sheraton Madison, rebranded and renovated as a Marriott, on John Nolen Drive between Lake Monona and the Alliant Energy Center. Marriott describes its complimentary shuttle as covering the city generally as well as the Dane County airport, but publishes no hours, so confirm the schedule before relying on it for an early flight. Parking is free, which is unusual for a hotel this close to downtown, and there is an indoor pool, a lobby bar called The HUB and a restaurant on site. Breakfast is charged, and pets are not accepted.
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Madison Central
The best value in this set if you want everything included: free hot breakfast, free parking and a free airport shuttle from 7am to 10pm, plus a free local shuttle within three miles that reaches Epic, Exact Sciences and the UW hospitals. It is walking distance to the Alliant Energy Center, which makes it a common pick for events there, and it has an indoor saltwater pool and a 24-hour fitness center. The trade-off is distance: it is the longest drive to MSN on this list, so leave extra time and book the shuttle ahead. No pets.
How we researched this
Each free shuttle here was confirmed on the hotel's or the brand's own page rather than on a booking site, and that check is why the list leans downtown: most hotels physically nearest MSN no longer run one. Comfort Inn & Suites Madison - Airport charges for its shuttle. Fairfield by Marriott Madison East, Hampton Inn East Towne Mall Area, Home2 Suites Madison East, DoubleTree Madison East and Staybridge Suites Madison-East say on their own pages that they have none. Best Western East Towne Suites and MainStay Suites Madison Airport could not be confirmed as free, and hotels 20 to 60 minutes out, such as Kalahari in Wisconsin Dells, have shuttles but are not near the airport. Where a booking site and the hotel disagreed on hours, the hotel's own page won.
Drive times are Expedia's estimates for every row. Most match a real route within a few minutes, but Hilton Madison Monona Terrace's 9 minutes does not: from its downtown address the drive is closer to 20. Room rates change by the night and review scores could not be tied reliably to the right property, so neither appears. Madison Marriott South still shows up as the Sheraton Madison in some listings. Shuttle policies change quietly, as the dropped hotels show, so ring the front desk about your flight before booking.