Staying at the conference hotel maximizes your convenience and networking opportunities. You probably already have heard that, but here is something you may not know.
Your annual conference registration fees are directly determined by conference hotel costs! How? In order for 800+ researchers to make individual presentations over a 2.5 day conference, 18+ concurrent session rooms are required. In large urban centers with hundreds of hotels, there will be an average of 6-8 properties that have 18+ meeting rooms. Among these, there will be 2-3 that meet the space and lodging needs of our conference.
In negotiating a hotel contract, UAA promises to fill a certain number of sleeping rooms each night, and spend a certain amount of money on catered food and beverage events. What we get in return: 18+ meeting rooms, a ballroom for meals, registration area, and board/committee meeting spaces! To rent such space would cost $50,000-70,000+ per day.
So when you stay at the conference hotel and buy conference meal tickets, you are directly supporting UAA in meeting its contractual obligation.
In years where we do not meet the sleeping room and food and beverage commitments, UAA must pay the difference, which forces us to charge higher registration fees at the next conference. And equally important, such attrition fees place financial limits on UAA’s ability to support our community through programming (e.g., professional development workshops/sessions) and conference scholarships for grad students.
Please help us keep your registration fees from increasing, and expand our ability to support junior colleagues, by staying at the conference hotel.
MARRIOTT MARQUIS CHICAGO
2121 S Prairie Ave, Chicago, IL 60616
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Located near McCormick Place, 2 miles south of the Loop
The old meets the new at Marriott Marquis Chicago on the city’s South Side. Located minutes from many celebrated destinations, including Grant Park, Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, and Soldier Field. Our Chicago, South Loop hotel is well suited for all travelers offering a fitness center and several dining options, such as the Midwestern fare at Woven and Bound. Make yourself comfortable after a day near McCormick Place in a spacious, ultra-modern hotel room or suite. All accommodations boast floor-to-ceiling windows, deluxe bedding, high-speed WiFi, 55-inch flat-screen TVs, mini-fridges, and large workspaces. (Source: Marriott website)
April 2, 2026 – online hotel reservations end
(unless the room block fills up before this date)
Single/Double Room Rate = $265.00 USD
NEED TO CANCEL YOUR RESERVATION?
A NOTE FROM THE MARRIOTT MARQUIS
The Urban Affairs Association has partnered with the Chicago Marriott Marquis Hotel to provide housing and negotiated discounted hotel rates for *2026 International Conference on Urban Affairs* attendees. Using the link above, you can review the hotel options, and make real-time reservations through the secure hotel booking website.
Hotel reservations are taken on a first-come, first-served, space-available basis. Submit your request as soon as possible for the best opportunity of receiving your hotel choice.
UAA is not affiliated with any lodging or housing company. Attendees and exhibitors are encouraged to disregard any communication from other companies as they are likely fraudulent and to reserve your hotel room using the reservation link above.