LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) – Louisville welcomes hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world to watch the most exciting two minutes in sports and all those people need somewhere to stay.

For weeks, hotels across the city have been getting ready for the crowds, including the Galt House.

“This is the Super Bowl, and we’re all there to execute and be there for our guests,” Jimmy Houston, the Executive Director of Food and Beverage at the hotel said. “It’s very magical. You see people from all over the world.”

Houston and his team work for weeks to make sure everything is perfect. Guests pay top dollar to receive the finest the Galt House has to offer.

“First off, you have the Call to the Post, which is on Thursday, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., and that event has strolling magicians, bourbon, wine tastings, live entertainment and a mint julep station,” Houston said.

With 1,300 rooms, the hotel welcomes thousands of guests. Including many VIPs.

“Everyone you can think of is going to be visiting the hotel, VIPs from all over the world,” Houston said.

And it’s all hands on deck to pull it off with 150 housekeepers and 30 bellmen. It’s a lot of work.

“It’s our code red day, there’s no day off for anyone,” Houston said.

But it’s worth it.

“People are just very happy, and energetic. They’re in that sports mindset. They want to eat, drink and enjoy and just really partake in one of the United States’ most popular traditions,” Houston said.

And on the other side of downtown, another iconic Louisville hotel is doing the same to get ready for the derby: The Brown Hotel, where everything is based on tradition. There have only been 50 derbies without the brown hotel.

“This is our 101st Kentucky Derby,” stated Marc Salmon, the hotel’s Human Resources Director. “We’re still kind of at the neuro-center of the Kentucky Derby, always has been,” Salmon said.

And not much has changed in those years.

“Of course, guests come here for our famous Hot Brown, guests come here to have a great cocktail, people come here for the live piano music and a little bit of people watching,” he said.

Salmon said throughout their years of hosting derby guests they never know if they’re going to have a derby winner staying with them.

“Several years ago, the owner of Smarty Jones stayed here and that was Mr. Chapman and he came in his wheelchair after the event, and we put together a very fast Derby celebration for him,” Salmon said. “But he was really hungry, and it had been a long day, so he had a hamburger by himself in the banquet room while waiting for his guests to arrive.”

Hospitality at its finest. But you don’t have to be a Derby winner to get the first class treatment.

“As our Derby guests are walking in we’ll be passing out champagne,” he said.

The hotel’s decor is handled down to the rose petal.

“We decorate extensively with roses. There’ll be a spray opposite of the front desk this year. It’ll have 151 red roses to symbolize Kentucky Derby 151,” Salmon said. “Every year we add another rose and our florist comes in every morning just to make sure the count is still correct.”

Anything for tradition.

“It’s a tremendous responsibility for us to represent Louisville and the Kentucky Derby,” Salmon said.

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