How to Book an Affordable Hotel Room for Chicago Marathon

You got into the Chicago Marathon (Congrats!) and now you’re wondering, “How Do I Book a Hotel Room for Chicago Marathon Weekend?”.

If you’ve been looking through the travel sites you might’ve noticed that hotel rooms are either really expensive for race weekend or already aren’t available.

Don’t worry – I have a way to book a hotel room at an affordable rate! In this post I’ll share with you how to book a hotel room with the official housing partner, my experience with it, and tips and tricks I’ve learned over the years of running the Chicago Marathon.

How Are Hotels Already Sold Out?

There are a few reasons why hotels might show as sold out already for Chicago Marathon weekend.

Many of the hotels in the downtown Chicago area show as sold out because large blocks of rooms are on hold for Chicago Marathon weekend. The official tour group, Maritz, has many room holds and are the primary way to book a hotel that weekend.

Hotels also don’t always accept reservations too far in advance for that weekend. In the past, hotels would accept reservations before the lottery results were announced, leading to a lot of people booking rooms before they even had a confirmed entry.

Best Way to Book a Hotel for Chicago Marathon Weekend

The best way to book a hotel room for Chicago Marathon weekend is to book directly through their housing partner, Maritz Travel.

Maritz has access to many different blocks of rooms at various hotels in the city over marathon weekend. These blocks of rooms are significantly less expensive than booking directly with the hotel.

How Booking with Maritz Travel Works

When you book with Maritz, you’re able to choose from many different hotels in the city. Select the hotel you want to stay at, and then provide Maritz with your booking information.

When you book your name joins a list with Maritz. This is a little different than booking with the hotel because you’ll receive a confirmation from Maritz, not the hotel.

The hotel will be sent your reservation information in mid-September, and once that is submitted then you’ll receive your hotel information and hotel confirmation. You’ll also be able to link any hotel loyalty programs to the reservation at this time.

My Experience Booking with Maritz

When I run the Chicago marathon, I always book with Maritz. I really like that not only is the pricing lower than booking direct with the hotels, but tey also don’t charge you for your reservation until September.

This is a good benefit just in case anything changes between getting accepted into Chicago and race weekend.

One thing to note with booking with Maritz is that when you book you’ll get. confirmation number. This number is for Maritz and not the hotel – so if you call the hotel, they won’t have your reservation.

This stressed me out the first year I ran Chicago but it ended up working out great! About 2 weeks before race weekend Maritz booked the hotels and a reservation showed up in my Hotel app, as well as the hotel staff could find my reservation.

The hotel reservation was ready when I arrived marathon weekend and I had no problems at all with my reservation! I will definitely use Maritz again the next time I run Chicago.

How to Book a Hotel for Chicago Marathon Weekend

To book a hotel with Maritz, visit the official Chicago Marathon Housing site here.

On this site you can select which hotel you want to stay at and see rates. When you’re ready to book, you can enter in your travel information and credit card information.

You won’t be charged until Martiz processes the hotel list, which is usually early to mid September.

More Chicago Marathon Resources

Looking for more on Chicago Marathon? Be sure to check out my other articles:

• I’m Running the Chicago Marathon!
• Skyline Hospitality Tent Review
• Training for Chicago Marathon with Run 4 PRs
• Chicago Marathon 2023 Corrals