Best Spot to stay in Bologna

Any place in the city center is convenient to get to the airport and to the train station. There are plenty of taxis so that isn't a problem. I would recommend a walk through the porticos to San Luca if you have a clear day since the view is amazing. The area is beautiful and I am in the small nearby town of Vignola.

Half way between Piazza Maggiore and the Central station.
Definitely worth the splurge, especially in the scorching July in the city of Bologna (an oven in summer).
https://www.hotelmetropolitan.com/

I assume you won’t have a car while staying in Bologna. The city center has traffic restrictions for non residents’ vehicles (ZTL or Limited Traffic Zone)

Definitely move in the direction of the historic center from the train station. The area immediately around the train station just isn't attractive.

I had planned to visit Bologna for a week starting the last week in April. But most hotel prices are through the roof. I forgot about the May 1 holiday.

Not sure where to go now........I've been to much of Italy.

At the end of April there is Cosmoprof in Bologna, one of the most important World fair about beauty and cosmetic. During the period of fairs the hotels cost usually is much higher than in other periods, the double or more. Several hotels are even sold out one year in advance during important fairs.
@ Frank II : The suggestion is to change the period: before 04/28 or after 05/02.

@Jed
The airport isn't far from the center, so any place is suitable for you. If the tour in the countryside is done by car you can stay wherever you prefer. If done by train I suggest an hotel a little closer to the train station, means the northern part of the historical center. As other suggests: the central part of Bologna is more charming and allow you to walk around without problems. Think that the center can be crossed in a little more than 30 minutes walking without stopping, so isn't too big.

We stayed at the Hotel Porta San Mamolo - https://www.hotel-portasanmamolo.it/en/. Amazing and beautiful hotel in the perfect location.

Thanks Dario. I didn't realize what was going on in Bologna that week. I will be in Greece until the 27th. My plan, after Emilia Romagna was to head to Scandinavia. I'm going to postpone Italy until the fall an go directly to Scandinavia. There's a nonstop flight from Athens to Stockholm.

Thanks for all the suggestions on places and areas to stay. Those two hotels look good! We won’t have a car in Bologna so won’t need to worry about driving restrictions. Since we’ll be landing late and maybe fighting various levels of jet lag I’m leaning towards a place for separate rooms or a room with two separate spaces to sleep. That way if someone is up they aren’t waking up the others the first night or two. A place with breakfast too would be nice.

For the tour we’re looking more for a guided tour. The one that was posted in a different thread a few weeks ago was focused on tastings with Parma vinegar and wine with visits to places for each of those.

Thanks again for all the helpful tips!

Did a little digging and here's the link to the tour I was referencing, in case anyone else was wondering. Will use this as a start when looking at others.

https://www.italiandays.it/tour-item/italian-days-food-experience-bologna-day-tour/

We stayed at Casa Bertagni- a small B&B near the university. It has a funky eclectic ambiance and the location was convenient.