14 Great Hotels for the 2020 NYC Marathon – Luxury & Regular Options and How to Stay for Free!

Today (February 26), the lucky runners that had their entries picked for the NYC Marathon will be receiving notification that they will be running the 50th edition of the race on November 1. Now, check the hotels for the 2020 NYC Marathon!

14 Great Hotels for the 2020 NYC Marathon

Now that you are in, you will need a place to stay in NYC. Many of the best hotels will fill quickly so make sure you check out these options and book soon! Here is a list of some great options for hotels for the 2020 NYC Marathon – including how many points they cost and how you can earn the points!

Tip: While you need to check each hotel’s policy, with any rate that is not a non-refundable rate, you should be able to cancel up to 48 hours before you are due to check-in. That means you can book now and always cancel later if you find a better option.

All notes on availability are accurate as of the time of this post – February 26.

Luxury Hotels for the 2020 NYC Marathon

If the NYC Marathon is a major bucket list item for you and you want to go all out, you can definitely go “all-out” in Manhattan! Given the location of the finish line for the NYC Marathon (Central Park), some of the best hotels in the city will also be the most convenient.

The Mark Hotel

• Located just outside the exit from the Central Park finishing area
• Rates start at $795 per night
• Hotel is at Madison Avenue at 77th Street
• Availability for marathon weekend is good
• Extra note – the Mark Penthouse is the largest and most expensive hotel suite in the US – the cost is $75,000 per night for its 10,000 square feet!
• Link

The Pierre, a Taj Hotel

• Located at 5th Avenue and 61st St, just outside of Central Park
• Plan ahead rates start at $651 per night
  • If you book for 3 nights, the third night is free
• Availability for marathon weekend is good
• Extra note – a couple of years ago, The Pierre actually had a special marathon package – I don’t know if they will offer one this year but if they do, it will likely not require booking early to get it.
• Link

The Plaza Hotel

• Located at 5th Avenue and 59th St, right at the lower entrance to Central Park
• Rates start at $744 per night
• Availability for the marathon weekend is good
• Link

Park Hyatt New York

• Located on West 57th Street, just below the Park
• Rates start at $1,045 per night
• Availability for the marathon weekend is good
• You can book using 30,000 Hyatt points per night – a great use of points!
• Link

JW Marriott Essex House

• Located at the bottom of Central Park
• Rates start at $720 per night
• Availability for the marathon weekend is good
• You can book using 70,000 points per night (or 135,000 for the two nights) – a great use of points!
• Link

Great Hotels for 2020 NYC Marathon for Price and Distance – And Points!

Now, if you don’t want to drop $1,800 for two nights at a hotel (and we don’t blame you!), there are still some other great options for the the NYC Marathon that won’t break the bank.

Even better, each of these hotels are available to book using hotel reward points and that will make your stay essentially free! Each hotel chain area shows how you can get these points.

Hyatt

Getting Hyatt Points – The World of Hyatt Card (from Chase) offers 25,000 points after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months and an additional 25,000 points when you spend a total of $6,000 in the first 6 months. It has a $95 annual fee and comes with a free Category 1-4 night each year.

Hyatt not only has their own hotels in NYC but they also have hotels that are a part of an acquisition they made with Two Roads Hospitality and hotels from Small Luxury Hotels that participate in the Hyatt reward program. This allows for a lot of options!

Parker New York

• Located at 119 West 56th Street
• Price is $544 for Hyatt members with advanced purchase
• Use 25,000 points per night
• Availability is good for marathon weekend
• Link

Park Hyatt (mentioned above in the Luxury section)

• Located on West 57th Street, just below the Park
• Rates start at $1,045 per night
• Availability for the marathon weekend is good
• You can book using 30,000 Hyatt points per night – a great use of points!
• Link

Hilton

Getting Hilton Points – The Hilton Honors Surpass card (from American Express) offers 125,000 Hilton points when you spend $2,000 in the first 3 months of the account. It has an annual fee of $95 and comes with Hilton Gold status that offers things like free breakfasts.

Hilton has a ton of hotels in Manhattan so you can basically pick almost anyplace you want to stay! But, for this list, I will focus on the Hilton properties closest to Central Park with one or two exceptions for cheaper award stays.

Conrad New York Midtown

• Located at 151 W 54th Street
• Rates start at $549 per night for prepaid
• Use 95,000 Hilton points per night
• Availability is good for marathon weekend
• Link

Hilton Garden Inn Central Park South

• Located at 237 West 54th Street
• Rates start at $431 per night for prepaid
• Use 70,000 Hilton points per night
• Availability is good for marathon weekend
• Link

IHG

Getting IHG Points – The IHG Rewards Club Premier Card (by Chase) offers a huge 140,000 points after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months of the card opening. It has an annual fee of $89 and comes with a free anniversary night each year.

IHG currently has an awesome deal available on their credit card that will issue you 140,000 points after meeting the spending! This is a great way to rack up the points you need for both nights in a top hotel for the NYC Marathon.

Crowne Plaza Times Square

• Located at 1605 Broadway
  • This is the closest IHG property available to Central Park but not as close as some of the other hotels by other chains
• Rates start at $328 per night
• Use 60,000 points per night
• Availability is good for marathon weekend
• Link

InterContinental Hotels New York Barclay

• Located at 111 East 48th St
  • This is also not one of the closest hotels but the best luxury option from IHG near Central Park
• Rates start at $270 per night
• Use 70,000 points per night
• Availability is good for marathon weekend
• Link

Marriott

Marriott, like Hilton, has many properties throughout New York City. That means the options are wide open, but the three listed here are the best for reward redemption and location.

Getting Marriott Points – The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless credit card (by Chase) offers 100,000 Marriott points after spending $5,000 in the first 3 months of account opening. It comes with a $95 annual fee and an annual free night award at hotels up to 35,000 points per night.

JW Marriott Essex House (shown above in the Luxury section)

• Located at the bottom of Central Park
• Rates start at $720 per night
• Availability for the marathon weekend is good
• You can book using 70,000 points per night (or 135,000 for the two nights) – a great use of points!
• Link

Courtyard New York Manhattan/Upper East Side

• Located at 410 East 92nd Street
• Rates start at $314 per night
• Use 40,000 points per night
• Availability is good for marathon weekend
• Link

Fairfield Inn & Suites New York Manhattan/Central Park

• Located at 538 West 58th Street
• Rates start at $333 per night
• Use 40,000 points per night
• Availability is good for marathon weekend
• Link

Summary

There are many hotel options throughout Manhattan (in fact, over 100,000 hotel rooms!). These hotels are just some of the best for location, luxury, and award availability.

If you do not have any hotel points, you can sign-up for a credit card above but just remember that the award availability may shrink while you are meeting the spending requirements and waiting for the points!

If you have points, using them for a prime hotel for the NYC Marathon is a great way to use them!