Boston Marathon Hotels

Boston Marathon hotels fill up quickly - so if you want to stay in a hotel near the Boston Marathon route, make your reservations as soon as you know your travel dates.

Our guide shows you where to find the best hotels and rates near the Boston Marathon start line, finish line, and along the route.

Even though the Boston Marathon takes place in April, participants and their fans begin making hotel reservations in September when Marathon registration begins - or even earlier.

Marathon Weekend attracts huge numbers of visitors to Boston - so to get your top hotel choice, reserve early.

Top photo: Lenox Hotel, near the Boston Marathon Finish Line on Boylston Street

Hotels with Best Views of the Boston Marathon Finish Line & Last Mile

View of the Boston Marathon finish line from the Lenox Hotel on Boylston Street — This is a view from the Lenox hotel of Boylston Street and the Boston Marathon Finish Line - pretend that instead of the cars in the photo, you're watching the runners and cheering the winners!

If you want to see the finish line from your room, you must book early and be prepared to pay a hefty price.

To score one of these views, you should book up to a year before the Marathon.

You may find best rates online - but be sure to to call the hotel directly to confirm your room location. Not all rooms in hotels on or near the last mile overlook the route.

These hotels offer views of the Finish Line on Boylston Street:

Lenox Hotel
Luxury hotel on Boylston less than 200 feet from the Finish Line (the photo to the right was taken from The Lenox)
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Mandarin Oriental Boston
Another luxury hotel on Boylston Street, just a few hundred yards from the finish line
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Fairmont Copley Plaza - Across Copley Square and slightly diagonal to the Finish Line
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Charlesmark Hotel - Small boutique hotel on Boylston - Closest hotel to the Marathon finish line - almost directly in front of it
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These hotels give you a great view along Commonwealth Avenue, just a few blocks before the finish line. They are a good choice if you want to avoid the most intense crowds but still be close to the action:

Hotel Commonwealth - Elegant luxury hotel on Comm Ave, just a few blocks from Fenway Park
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Eliot Hotel - Another luxury hotel offering mostly suites on Comm Ave in Back Bay
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If you're coming with your family and need more room, a convenient choice is the Residence Inn Fenway on Brookline Ave, just behind Fenway Park. You can easily walk over to Comm Ave or Boylston Street to see the race. (If you want to stay here, don't wait to book - this hotel always fills up fast because everyone loves the little kitchenettes in the suites, plus you get free hot breakfast.)

Of course, if you plan to watch the Marathon at street level, almost any hotel in central Boston will be convenient to the race route, either on foot or by "T" (Boston's subway). Check our Boston hotel guide for more options.

Boston Hotels with Special Deals for Marathon Runners (to be confirmed for 2024)

Loews Boston Hotel - Located just 3 blocks from the Marathon Finish Line on Boylston Street and 3 blocks from the Boston Common pick up point for runners, Loews is offering terrific amenities this year for runners and their family who stay at the hotel on Marathon Weekend: a complimentary "grab and go" brackfast with race day fuel on Marathon Monday, a pre-race yoga session on Sunday offered by an Equinox (top Boston gym) certified trainer, access to a dedicated sign-making room with markers, glitter, etc on Friday through Monday, and 26.2% off selected pasta specials in onsite Pricinct Kitchen + Bar. Check rates & make your reservations

Hotels near the Boston Common Pick-Up Point for Runners

If you're running in the Marathon, the most convenient places to stay are hotels near the pick-up point at Boston Common or near Hopkinton where the race begins.

Official Boston Athletic Association (BAA) buses pick up runners (but not your family or friends) from the Tremont Street side of Boston Common in Downtown Boston between 6:00am - 7:30am and take you to Hopkinton State Park, where shuttle buses will transport you to the actual starting point for the race.

Since the buses to Hopkinton begin picking up runners on Boston Common at 6:00am on the morning of the Marathon, many runners prefer to stay as close to the Common as possible. Here are links to hotels in convenient locations:

Downtown hotels near Boston's Theatre District/Park Square/Chinatown - These are the closest, and range from some of the priciest hotels in the city to more affordable options
Other Downtown Boston hotels near the Financial District, Waterfront, and Faneuil Market - all are less than a 10-minute walk from the Common.
Financial District Hotels - Just to the east of the Common - maybe a 5-10 minute walk away
Back Bay Boston Hotels - Close to the finish line, and most are only a few blocks from the Common - closest to the dropoff point are the W Hotel Boston, The Taj and Loews Boston Hotel.
South Boston Waterfront Hotels - Not an obvious choice, but worth considering when closer hotels are booked. About a 12-15 minute walk from the Common

Keep in mind that Boston is quite compact, and most hotels within the central part of the city will be an easy walk (or warm-up run) to the Common.

Boston Marathon Hotels near Hopkinton

Hotels near Hopkinton, almost 30 miles from the city, have lower rates than central Boston hotels.

Shuttle buses will pick you (and your family and friends) up from gathering points in Hopkinton State Park and Hopkinton Industrial Park, and take you to Hopkinton Center where the race begins.

Immediately after the start of Wave 2, the buses will return friends and family to the parks.

After the race, buses take runners back to Hopkinton from Boston between 1pm - 5pm, leaving from the corner of Stuart and Berkley Streets in Back Bay. Obviously, the only reason to go back to Hopkinton at this point is if you're staying in that area.

Although you won't find any hotels in the small mostly-suburban town of Hopkinton, here are towns within an 8 mile radius of Hopkinton where you'll find offer plenty of choices:

Ashland - Hotels, rates, reviews
Framingham - Hotels, rates, reviews
Marlborough - Hotels, rates, reviews
Milford - Hotels, rates, reviews
Northborough - Hotels, rates, reviews
Westborough - Hotels, rates, reviews

Suburban Hotels near the Marathon Route

Priced somewhere in between Boston hotels and accommodations near Hopkinton are suburban hotels convenient to the middle parts of the route.

Two areas between Route 128 and Boston offer some very good choices:

Hotels near Route 128 and the Boston Marathon Route

Both of these hotels are convenient choices if you're dropping off / picking up a runner, and are within walking distance of the Marathon route (although if you have a car, you'll find parking near the route to be relatively easy):

Boston Marriott Newton - Pool, fitness room, shuttle service to the "T" (Boston's subway), and nice waterfront views
Suites by Hilton Needham Boston - Free hot breakfast and heated indoor saline swimming pool in this all-suites-with-kitchens hotel

Hotels near the Marathon Route in Brookline

In addition to being near the Marathon route and conveniently across from T stops, both of these Brookline hotels are located near Coolidge Corner, where you'll find lots of terrific small restaurants, shops, and even a movie theater:

The Inn at Brookline - Located in a leafy residential area, with a nice indoor pool as a bonus - also near the Longwood medical area and Boston University's West Campus and about a mile from Fenway Park; easy access to the T's Green Line
Courtyard by Marriott Boston/Brookline - Nice location, and only a block from the Green Line; small indoor swimming pool and lovely outdoor sitting area

Find More Hotel Choices

Keep in mind that most hotels in the Boston area raise their rates - sometimes by a huge amount - during Marathon Weekend. If you can be flexible about location, here's a search tool for you to use to find hotels in other areas.

If you want to watch the race near the finish line, search for hotels near T stations. For example, several Waltham hotels are only about a 10-minute drive from the Alewife MBTA station at the end of the Red Line. Burlington and Lexington hotels are about 15-20 minutes from Alewife.

Find a Boston Hotel or Apartment for Your Visit

Enter your travel dates to see available hotels and apartments, and get cheapest rates.

Booking.com

More about how to save on Boston hotels

Last Minute Boston Marathon Hotel Reservations - Where You Might Find a Vacancy

Boston hotels notoriously book up months before the Marathon. So what if you need last minute reservations?

Fortunately, last minute cancellations mean you will find vacancies - if you don't mind paying a rate premium ranging from not bad to hefty.

During previous years, these hotels have had vacancies pop up just a few days before the race. You may not find low rates- but all are centrally located in Boston (unless otherwise noted) although some may be a bit of a walk to Copley Square.

The Newbury Boston - Find Discount Rates
Westin Copley Place - Compare All Rates
Courtyard Marriott Copley Square - Compare All Rates
Hyatt Boston Harbor (at the airport - take an 8-minute water taxi ride to downtown, and walk or take the subway from there) - Find Best Rates
Revere Hotel Boston Common - Find Discount Rates
Bostonian Boston Hotel - Affordable rates during previous years - Find Discount Rates
Residence Inn - Seaport - Find Discount Rates
The Langham - Compare All Rates
Sheraton Boston - Compare All Rates
Seaport Boston - Find Best Rates
InterContinental Boston - Compare Rates
Residence Inn by Marriott on Tudor Wharf (Charlestown) - Compare All Rates