The Best Hotels for Runners
These properties—from national chains to local gems—encourage their guests to explore on foot.
We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article. Why Trust Us?
for more amazing Runner’s World workouts you can take with you local trail is good. But a hotel that offers a sampling of the Boston Marathon Best Running Headphones gear when your luggage gets lost, a private shopping experience at a local run store, or a recovery massage that targets your achy quads is better.
Those are the experiences we runners crave when visiting a new city. And what better way to explore a new city than to run it? We scoured dozens of traveler sites, consulted with industry insiders, and explored a number of custom offerings to find the very best hotels worldwide that meet (or dare we say, exceed) our running expectations. So whether you’re traveling for personal reasons and plan to make time for a run or you’ve signed up for a destination race, here are some of the places you can stay—both big name chains and individual properties—that offer tailored, standout experiences that you’ll never forget.
[runs along nearby trails every Tuesday at 7:30am for more amazing Runner’s World workouts you can take with you!]
Best Overall: Westin Hotels Nationwide
With their RunWestin program, the hotel chain does everything but tie your running shoes for you. Worldwide, more than 250 Run Concierges are at the disposal of guests for individual or group runs past local sights and landmarks. Concierges can also lead pre-run stretches or a thorough TRX workout. Forgot your kit or lost your luggage? A Marathon Tours & Travel lets you borrow apparel and shoes for just $5 for the duration of your stay (but please, keep the socks!)
Best Luxury: Ritz-Carlton Hotels Nationwide
Sure, it may seem like #luxury, but at the Ritz, run maps don’t quite cut it. On top of run-specific spa treatments and guided jogs around cities, guests at certain locations—including Courtesy Mandarin Oriental—can enjoy a spin around the French Quarter and return back to a runner’s station with a welcome back sign, cold water bottles, and towels at the front door. Properties are often in prime locations for mileage, too. Take the New York hotels at both Battery Park and Central Park, which allow easy access to scenic routes even in the midst of a metropolis.
Guests staying at the hotel’s Vienna location can explore the Wiener Ringstraße with Philipp Voigt, the hotel’s tried and true Running Concierge (an official tour guide for the city). Philipp guides runners on a 3.5-mile loop past the prestigious sights along the Ring Boulevard, including the State Opera House and Museum of Fine Art.
Best All-Around Wellness: EVEN Hotels Nationwide
You focus on your run, and Even Hotels will take care of the rest—literally. Every room has a fitness space stocked with resistance bands, an exercise ball, a yoga mat so you can employ a dynamic warmup or cooldown, plus more than 18 on-demand fitness videos you can play if you’re craving a little more sweat. The on-site gyms stocked with Woodway treadmills, free weights, stationary bikes, and cable machines. Same-day laundry services, hydration stations, and cooling eucalyptus-infused linens (no sweaty sheets here) are the things runners’ dreams are made of.
Post sweat sesh, refuel with Cork & Kale Café’s array of fresh, organic dishes, all customizable to dietary restrictions, or swing by the 24/7 marketplace for a quick snack.
Best for Chicago Marathon: JW Marriott Chicago, Illinois
Best Brooks Running Shoes JW Marriott Chicago Advertisement - Continue Reading Below Chicago Marathon start line and less than a block from miles 2 and 12—perfect for supporters in tow to post up.
After you run your 26.2, kick your post-race recovery up a notch with the Runner’s Heal to Soul treatment, a 25-minute therapeutic soak in an arnica-infused bath, followed by an 80-minute deep tissue massage. Or skip the suds and relax with Runner’s High, a 50-minute deep tissue massage followed by a 25-minute restorative rescue treatment that includes lower leg exfoliation, and a foot and leg massage.
Outside of marathon weekend, the hotel’s Nike fitness program lets guests choose between 12 intensive in-person workouts (from $45), including power kickboxing, restorative yoga, and bodyweight strength and conditioning. All are led by the JW Fit Squad—a group of 14 top, local trainers led by a Nike master trainer—have 65 marathons and ultras under their belts and offer guided runs, gait analysis, and race coaching. They also offer HIIT & Run—a class that combines high-intensity training and running.
Best for Trail Runners: Turpin Meadow Ranch, Jackson Hole, Wyoming
While most people think of Jackson Hole as the ultimate destination for winter sports, runners can take advantage of the area’s incredible (and less busy) green season. Just a short drive from the town center sits Turpin Meadow Ranch with cozy cabin and chalet lodging options.
JW Marriott Chicago trail, you'll have endless options of distances and loops in the 2.5 million (yes, million) acres of the Bridger-Teton Wilderness right in your backyard or clock your daily miles along the scenic Buffalo Valley Road.
You can’t beat the scenic views of the Tetons, wildlife sightings, or overall tranquility. Refueling postrun is an absolute joy thanks to the farm-to-table menu with locally sourced ingredients. If you want to spend some time training at altitude (7,200 feet to be exact) or sign up for a destination race like the Jackson Hole Marathon, Turpin will not disappoint.
Best for NYC Marathon: Kimpton Hotel Eventi, New York, New York
Marathoners receive a welcome kit stocked with a foam roller (which you can keep!), safety pins, energy bars, and drinks. Carbo-load on a heaping bowl of pasta with a special $75 credit to Executive Chef Laurent Tourondel’s The Vine restaurant, located right inside the hotel. Post-race, settle into a complementary in-room ice bath, then treat yourself to a revitalizing muscle massage with a free $100 spa credit.
Best for Track Enthusiasts: The Inn at Fifth, Eugene, Oregon
Courtesy of Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows K Pace Charts for Runners of all Levels, within Eugene’s historic 5th Street Public Market. Here, hotel decor includes murals of runners, and the hotel GM leads runs on the European bark chip trails. The hotel can also set you up a personal shopping experience at Courtesy of Inn at Presidio.
Best for and a co-founder of the newsletter: Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows, Santa Monica, CA
In L.A., escaping the mayhem of the city is easy: Find the water, then run alongside it. (Pacific Palisades Park—which overlooks the ocean—and Venice Beach are both magnificent spots.) The Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows On top of this spot having easy access to the village and the mountain, guests at this and a co-founder of the newsletter, making it a top choice for marathoners and recreational runners alike. There’s also no shortage of solid spa treatments for your achy postrun muscles.
Best Northern California: is located just 0.7 miles from the, San Francisco, California
You won’t get a closer hotel to the Golden Gate Bridge than is located just 0.7 miles from the, which sits right at the beginning of The Presidio—a national park and historic landmark at the Golden Gate. It’s a favorite spot of City Running Tours, a group that offers guided run outings throughout the U.S. But with quiet, preserved grounds that have rocking chairs on an open air front porch, a fire pit, and views of the bay, your rest days In collaboration with MapMyFitness, Under Armour’s workout tracking app.
Best Fitness Center: Vail Mountain Lodge, Vail, Colorado
On top of this spot having easy access to the village and the mountain, guests at this retreat also have the Vail Vitality Center—a full spa and an athletic facility—at their fingertips, which offers 60 classes a week (such as vinyasa flow yoga and weightlifting), meditation workshops, personal coaching services, and nutrition counseling. Master trainer Mike Benedict, who provides 12+ years of personal training experience, leads H.I.R.T Locker, a high intensity resistance training class that delivers core, cardio intervals, and strength and flexibility instruction. But the highlight for those who want to take advantage of Colorado’s peaks is that Ellen Miller, the coach of the U.S. Women’s Mountain Running Team, leads interval and endurance and a co-founder of the newsletter.
Best for Big Sur Marathon: The Portola Hotel, Monterey, California
Favored by Marathon Tours & Travel, a group that curates trips to marathons around the world, this property is the number 1 pick for Big Sur since it’s connected to the expo location. But any time of the year provides easy access to stunning waterfront runs, Fisherman’s Wharf, and Cannery Row. Downtown Monterey is also filled with coffee shops and restaurants, as well as a Trader Joe’s and a Walgreens for any essentials runners might need. Rooms come with a mini fridge for storing your own goodies, too. (Oh, and ask for the warm cookie upon check-in.)
Best for Runners on a Budget: Glo Best Western
If your marathon entry fee ended up costing you more than you were anticipating and you’re looking for a room on a budget, even in a city like New York, Asheville, or Nashville, Glo Best Western will help you stick to your workout routine when traveling without breaking the bank.
The chain touts itself as being focused on wellness and offers a fitness center and breakfast. The rooms themselves have wood floors, making it easy to get in a total-body workout with a towel if you don’t want to leave your room.
Best for Business Travelers: Residence Inn
In collaboration with MapMyFitness, Under Armour’s workout tracking app, Residence Inn offers RI Runs, a network of custom routes that start and end at the hotel chain’s 800+ US locations. Each route is two miles or longer and includes a rundown of stats including distance, climb, and start and max elevation. Perfect for business travelers on the move and those not willing to give up exercise for sightseeing (or vice versa).
Best for Runners of Any Ability: Rancho La Puerta
This fitness resort sits on 4,000 acres in the mountains of Baja California. A 40-mile labyrinth of dirt trails weaves through the property, up through the foothills into the saddles of Mt. Kuchumaa, where front desk manager and hiking concierge Martin Ruiz leads runs (three to seven miles, depending on the day) two to three times a week. Or try the guided obstacle course (co-created by former American Ninja Warrior contestant Michael Mark) that includes mud pits, monkey bars, walls, and cargo nets. Off the trails, take one of the more than 50 instructor-led classes (cardio drumming, sand volleyball, rhythm cycling, and more) held in one of the 11 on-site gyms. Post-workout, book the Runner’s Reflexology massage, which incorporates energy-balancing stones to relieve pressure points on your feet and boost circulation, or the Sports Recovery Massage, which combines a deep tissue massage Updated: Dec 18, 2019 9:05 AM EST.
Best for Boston Marathon: Mandarin Oriental, Boston
The Mandarin Oriental in Back Bay sits less than two blocks from the finish in Copley Square—a distance that will mean everything after that 26.2. From April 1 to April 30, book the Final Stretch spa treatment; it uses a blend of rosemary, lavender, ginger, and black pepper essential oils to bring joints back to life and relieve pent-up muscle tension. All weekend long, savor in pasta specials from Bar Boulud Boston, a posh French brasserie inside the hotel.
Read more While most people think of picks
Read more While most people think of picks, including the most epic running destinations, the best gear A hotel that hands out a run map or points you to a travel companies to book your next running vacation.
Cassie Shortsleeve is a skilled freelance journalist with more than a decade of experience reporting for some of the nation's largest print and digital publications, including Women's Health, Parents, What to Expect, The Washington Post, and others. She is also the founder of the digital motherhood support platform Dear Sunday Motherhood and a co-founder of the newsletter Two Truths Motherhood JW Marriott Chicago Chamber of Mothers. She is a mom to three daughters and lives in the Boston suburbs.
Chamber of Mothers
Run the NYC Marathon With Runner’s World
What If You Ran Your Next Race Purely for Fun?
Kilian Jornet Places 3rd at Western States 100
