Hotels near OVO Hydro

The OVO Hydro is part of the Scottish Event Campus, usually called the SEC, on the banks of the River Clyde in Glasgow. The campus address on the venue's sites is Glasgow, G3 8YW. We checked the name before writing this. The arena is still called the OVO Hydro on its own website, and the Scottish Event Campus extended its naming deal with OVO in October 2023 for seven years, so the OVO name is set to stay until at least 2030. The campus itself is the Scottish Event Campus, and the SEC website notes it was previously known as the SECC.

The easiest way for most people is the train. The SEC has its own station, Exhibition Centre. The OVO Hydro and SEC websites say trains run from Glasgow Central to Exhibition Centre about six times an hour, roughly every ten minutes, departing from Platform 17 on the low level, and that the SEC is a three minute train ride from Central. At Exhibition Centre a lift takes you to street level and a covered walkway connects the station to the campus. Glasgow Queen Street is not directly connected to Exhibition Centre, so from Queen Street you need to walk or take a bus to Central first.

Direct trains to Glasgow Central run from many places. The Hydro's train page lists more than 20 direct trains a day from London and a service from Edinburgh every 15 minutes on weekdays, with ScotRail, LNER, TransPennine Express, Avanti West Coast and CrossCountry named as operators. It links to ScotRail timetables and the ScotRail app. Argyle Street station is also served by low level trains, but it has no lift, so the venue recommends Glasgow Central if you need step free access.

The Glasgow Subway can feed into the route. The Hydro's train page says SPT's Subway connects 15 points across the city and that St Enoch station is a few minutes' walk from Central Station, so you can use it to transfer. The page does not give a Subway stop at the campus itself.

By bus, the venue says three bus services run to and from the SEC, and names the X19 Stagecoach service, which stops on Finnieston Street a few minutes' walk from the venue. Coaches from around the UK arrive at Buchanan Bus Station. By taxi, there is a Glasgow Taxis pick up and drop off point outside the SEC Armadillo. Other ranks the venue lists are at Buchanan Bus Station, Queen Street and Central stations, and most large hotels.

On foot, the Clyde Walkway runs right past the venue, and two foot bridges cross the Clydeside Expressway, one at the front of the campus and one at the rear. Bells Bridge connects the campus to the Science Centre and BBC, and the Clyde Arc, nicknamed the Squinty Bridge, is a little further east and carries both vehicles and pedestrians. The venue gives no walking times from the city centre, so check a map for your own start point.

The campus has three main venues, according to the SEC website. The SEC Centre has five interconnected exhibition halls with a combined area of over 22,000 square metres. The SEC Armadillo, designed by Foster + Partners and opened in 1997, holds up to 3,000 people. The OVO Hydro is the arena, listed with a capacity of up to 14,300. The SEC also has the Lomond Auditorium, the SEC Meeting Academy on the first floor mezzanine, and other meeting rooms.

The OVO Hydro has East, South and West entrances. The venue's accessibility information describes the East Doors as closest to the multi storey car park and the West Doors as closest to the train walkway and the SEC Centre. The South entrance is the main entry. The venue also says that customers with accessible requirements can use either the East or the West doors regardless of seat location, and that you may still have to queue on arrival. From the multi storey car park, the car park page gives a walk of 128 metres to the OVO Hydro South entrance. The accessibility page gives different figures because it measures from different points, with 50 metres to the East doors, 129 metres to the South doors and 230 metres to the West doors from the venue side of the walkway, so treat all the distances as a guide.

The SEC Centre has automatic doors at both its East and West entrances. All five halls are on the ground floor. From the multi storey car park, the car park page gives these walking distances: 265 metres to the SEC Centre East entrance, 307 metres to Hall 5, 360 metres to Halls 2 and 4, and 482 metres to Hall 3. From the East Doors of the SEC Centre, the accessibility page gives 32 metres to the information desk, 46 metres to Hall 5, 69 metres to the box office, 100 metres to Hall 4, 112 metres to the Lomond Auditorium, 122 metres to Hall 1, 139 metres to Hall 2 and 225 metres to Hall 3. These help if you are planning a day on your feet at an exhibition.

The hall sizes on the SEC website are: Hall 1 at 775 square metres, Hall 2 at 2,315, Hall 3 at 5,095, Hall 4 at 10,065 and Hall 5 at 4,105. Hall 4 is the largest. The Lomond Auditorium is on the ground floor and the Meeting Academy has five rooms on the first floor mezzanine, reached by lift.

The SEC Armadillo has widened main doors, and the venue says there is also an accessible passageway through the first floor of the SEC Centre. It is 106 metres from the car park on the venue side of the walkway. The ground floor holds 1,183 and the building has stalls, circle and gallery seating. The Armadillo is also where the Glasgow Taxis point is.

The Hydro website has a venue map. Use the venue map page on ovohydro.com for your section and level.

The venue's train page does not give late evening or last train information and tells visitors to check ScotRail's timetables before the event. Check the operator timetable on the day.

What the venue does say is that Exhibition Centre has services to Glasgow Central about six times an hour, a three minute ride, with Platform 17 on the low level. For long distance journeys, the connection onward from Glasgow Central is the part to check. Glasgow Queen Street, which serves central and northern Scotland, is not directly connected to Exhibition Centre, so if your onward train leaves from Queen Street you need to allow time to get across the city centre from Central.

At the end of a show the campus can be busy at once. The venue's FAQ says last entry is usually up to 30 minutes before the show ends, unless the promoter restricts it, and that you can usually leave and re enter if you scan your ticket each time, though some events have a no pass out policy. If your event runs late, leaving a few minutes before the end can help with the station walk, but that is your call and the venue does not advise it.

A taxi is the other option. The Glasgow Taxis pick up and drop off point is outside the SEC Armadillo, and the Hydro's taxi page also lists ranks at Buchanan Bus Station, Queen Street, Central and most large hotels. Black cabs take five or six passengers and can be hailed in the street when the yellow light is on. The page gives a booking line for Glasgow Taxis on +44 141 429 70 70.

If you want to avoid the rush entirely, staying close to the campus is the simplest solution. The hotels sections below name the places that either sit on the campus or are described as a short walk away. Hotels can be booked for a team with a company invoice, and a custom quote is available if you are bringing a group.

The main car park is the multi storey at 10 Stobcross Road, G3 8GS, operated by Glasgow City Council. The venue gives G3 8GS as the satnav postcode. It is open 24 hours. The tariff must be paid before you exit, and prices change, so check current charges with the council rather than relying on a number you saw elsewhere. The car park has a 2 metre height limit. Drivers of taller vehicles can contact Parking Services at parkingservices@glasgow.gov.uk for alternatives. Residential parking cannot be accommodated at the SEC.

To drive there, the venue says to leave the M8 at junction 19 and join the westbound Clydeside Expressway (A814). Take the cut off signposted SEC East, turn left at the traffic lights and keep to the right lane for the multi storey. Glasgow City Centre's Low Emission Zone applies from 1 June 2023, so if your route goes through the city centre you may be charged. The venue advises checking your route and vehicle compliance at glasgow.gov.uk/LEZ before you travel.

From the multi storey, an accessible walkway about 59 metres long links the car park to the campus, with lifts on each level and at both ends of the walkway. Blue badge bays are on levels 0 to 4 and cannot be reserved for individual use. For a long term arrangement, the venue gives 0141 287 2000 or carparkinfo@glasgow.gov.uk. Note that the Hydro's drop off page describes long term and accessible parking as being in the multi storey car park on Finnieston Street next to the venue, while the car park page gives the address as 10 Stobcross Road, so use the postcode G3 8GS.

The Hydro's car park page does not name any other car parks. We have therefore not recommended any, and if you want an alternative you will need to research other public car parks yourself and check how far they are from the campus.

For drop off and pick up, there is a free, staffed zone on the west side of the SEC Centre, reached from Stobcross Road. You can stay up to 30 minutes, and it opens one hour before doors. A covered walking route through the SEC Centre takes about three minutes to reach the OVO Hydro, and toilets, baby changing, ATMs, a shop, the box office and the Clydebuilt Bar and Kitchen are nearby. Congress Road is closed to public vehicles during OVO Hydro events. A complimentary accessible shuttle, Gus the Bus, drops off within 130 metres of the Hydro's South main entrance.

The campus is on the north bank of the River Clyde in Finnieston, and the useful choice is between staying on the campus side, crossing the river to Pacific Quay, or staying in the city centre and travelling in by train. The distances below come from hotels' own pages or from the SEC where stated, and walking times from different sources do not always match.

The campus side is closest. Crowne Plaza Glasgow is within the Scottish Event Campus, next to the SEC Armadillo and OVO Hydro on the riverside, according to a conference organiser's travel page. The SEC says it has 1,500 hotel bedrooms on site and about 10,000 within 2 km. Staying here means you can walk out after the show with very little travel.

Across the river at Pacific Quay, Premier Inn Glasgow Pacific Quay (SECC) says it is on the banks of the Clyde, less than a 10 minute walk from OVO Hydro and the SEC Centre, with Exhibition Centre station just across Bells Bridge. Village Hotel Glasgow says it is on the Clyde's south bank, a 5 minute walk from the OVO Hydro and the SEC Campus, and gives 0.5 miles to the Hydro, 0.5 miles to the SEC Campus and 0.7 miles to Exhibition Centre station. The Hydro's walking page says Bells Bridge connects the campus to the Science Centre and BBC, which is the crossing you would use.

The riverside walk to the Hilton Garden Inn is described by the conference organiser as about 500 metres along the river from the Crowne Plaza, with the hotel on the riverside. The city centre is the other option. The SEC describes a 5 minute cab ride to the city centre. The city centre gives you more choice and easy access to Glasgow Central, from where Exhibition Centre trains run, but you add a short journey each way.

A budget option near the campus is Premier Inn Glasgow Pacific Quay (SECC). Premier Inn's own page describes the hotel as on the banks of the River Clyde, less than a 10 minute walk from OVO Hydro and the SEC Centre. Its description adds that Exhibition Centre train station is just across Bell's Bridge, that Glasgow Airport is a 15 minute drive and that the Riverside Museum, Kelvingrove Park and the Glasgow Science Centre are nearby. The hotel has an in house Thyme restaurant.

Premier Inn's guide to the SEC also points conference visitors to its Argyle Street hotel in the city centre, so allow for the train or a taxi to the campus. If you want the cheapest room, compare the city centre hotels against the Pacific Quay hotel, and add the cost and time of the train to Exhibition Centre.

Rooms on show nights fill up first, so book early. You can book hotels for a team with a company invoice, and a custom quote is available if you need several rooms.

The closest stays are Crowne Plaza Glasgow and the Hilton Garden Inn on the riverside, then Village Hotel Glasgow and Premier Inn Glasgow Pacific Quay (SECC) across the river.

Crowne Plaza Glasgow is on the campus beside the SEC Armadillo and OVO Hydro. To reach it from Exhibition Centre station, the conference organiser's directions are to take the covered walkway over the road into the SEC, walk between the Armadillo and the OVO Hydro to the riverside footpath, turn right and follow it until the hotel is on your right.

The same directions describe Hilton Garden Inn Glasgow City Centre as the only other nearby hotel on the page, about 500 metres along the river from the Crowne Plaza, on the riverside. The directions say to turn left out of the Crowne Plaza reception and follow the river, and the hotel is on your right. Village Hotel Glasgow says it is 0.5 miles from the OVO Hydro and a 5 minute walk, and Premier Inn Pacific Quay says less than 10 minutes. These two are across the river on the south bank.

Hotels can be booked for a team with a company invoice, and a custom quote is available if you are travelling with colleagues.

The most convenient upscale option is the Crowne Plaza Glasgow. It sits on the Scottish Event Campus next to the Armadillo and the OVO Hydro, with the River Clyde on one side, so a show, an exhibition or a conference day can be done without leaving the campus. Hilton Garden Inn Glasgow City Centre is about 500 metres along the riverside path according to the conference directions we read.

Village Hotel Glasgow is on the south bank and advertises a 5 minute walk to the OVO Hydro and the SEC Campus. Its page also describes the site as close to the Glasgow Science Centre and BBC Scotland.

Please check any hotel's location on a map before booking, and ask for a custom quote if you need rooms for a team on a company invoice.

On campus, the SEC's eating page describes the Clydebuilt Bar and Kitchen, located at the heart of the SEC Centre. It serves an all day menu with a focus on Scottish produce and offers vegetarian, plant based and gluten free options. For evening events at the OVO Hydro or SEC Armadillo, the page says food is served 4pm to 7.30pm and the bar closes at 8pm. Walk ins are available in the bar for every event on a first come, first served basis, while the kitchen area is only open for pre booking at selected events. The Hydro's food page places Clydebuilt at the East entrance, so check the venue map for your event.

Inside the Hydro, the ground floor bars serve beer, wine, spirits and soft drinks, and a street food style Gig Food Menu is available at the Rocksalt and Big Grill outlets. The venue is cashless, so contactless or card payments only. Free tap water is available on request from all food and beverage outlets. If you look under 25 you may be asked for ID to buy alcohol, and only a valid photo driving licence or passport is accepted for that.

Outside the campus, a Premier Inn local guide to the SEC says that the Finnieston area where the campus sits has many places to eat and drink. It names The Finnieston for seafood and cocktails, Mother India for Indian food and Ox and Finch for tapas. That guide uses older names for the campus, so check each address and booking policy. Finnieston Street, where the X19 bus stops, is a few minutes' walk from the venue.

Plan your meal around your doors time. The OVO Hydro's FAQ says event timings are usually confirmed two to three days before the event, so book a table only once you know when doors open. Allow around an hour for security, which the venue recommends, and remember that outside food and drink cannot be taken into the venue.

For concert days, allow extra time. The Hydro's FAQ says to allow around an hour for security checks. Queuing early is discouraged and does not guarantee a front spot, and overnight queuing or camping on campus is not allowed. Doors times are normally posted on the event page a few days before the show. The box office in the SEC Centre opens at 3pm on the event day. Last entry is usually up to 30 minutes before the show ends unless the promoter restricts it.

On bags, small bags such as handbags and small carrier bags are allowed. Suitcases, large handbags of A3 size or larger and backpacks or rucksacks are not allowed at the OVO Hydro and the SEC Armadillo. Oversized bags can be left at the SEC Centre Cloakroom for a fee per item. All bags are subject to search. Selfie sticks are not allowed on any SEC venue. Professional cameras and recording equipment are generally not allowed, though small non professional and phone cameras may be allowed unless the organiser says otherwise.

On food and drink, outside food and drink is generally not allowed. Sealed medical items may be allowed if declared. Bottles must be 500ml or less, with a maximum of two per person, and glass and cans are not allowed. Prescription medication should be in its original packaging and declared on entry. Power banks under 21,000mAh are generally allowed, and charging cables are not provided. Smoking and vaping are not allowed inside, and designated shelters are outside.

Tickets: digital tickets are shown from your phone and screenshots are not accepted. The venue says to buy from Ticketmaster or an S.T.A.R. registered seller and that tickets from elsewhere may not be valid. Tickets are generally non refundable and non exchangeable unless the event is cancelled. The venue is cashless. You can usually leave and re enter if you scan your ticket each time, but some events have a no pass out policy.

For families, the venue says under 5s are not recommended at concerts unless the event is aimed at young children, and under 14s are not recommended in the standing area. Babes in arms under 12 months may sit on a parent's knee, and all other children need a ticket. Photo ID accepted for entry includes a passport, photocard driving licence or provisional licence, a PASS hologram card or MOD defence ID.

For exhibitors and trade visitors, the SEC says its exhibition hall space totals 22,355 square metres across five halls and that it hosts over 50 events a year. The halls are interconnected and on the ground floor, and the SEC Centre has a cloakroom, cash machines and a medical centre listed in its services key. The Hydro's accessible booking line is 0141 576 3230 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 2pm), and general enquiries are on 0141 248 3000. Hotels can be booked for a team with a company invoice, and a custom quote is available.