RSNA Annual Meeting: Hotels & Where to Stay
29 Nov – 3 Dec 2026 McCormick Place 38,000 attendees
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The RSNA 2026 Annual Meeting — the Radiological Society of North America's scientific assembly and the world's largest radiology event — runs 29 November to 3 December at McCormick Place in Chicago, with technical exhibits open through 2 December. Around 38,000 radiologists, medical physicists, imaging technologists and industry delegates arrive the weekend after Thanksgiving, an awkward travel window that compounds pressure on flights and hotels alike. McCormick Place is North America's largest convention centre and sits south of the Loop, so accommodation strategy matters: South Loop properties minimise the commute, while the Loop and Magnificent Mile offer depth of choice with well-established transit and RSNA's own hotel shuttle network linking official properties to the campus. This page lists live bookable rates for hotels across those districts for the RSNA dates, letting you weigh walkability against price with real availability in front of you.
Popular areas for attendees: South Loop · The Loop · Magnificent Mile.
- Hotels curated by practical access to McCormick Place — walkable South Loop first, then the transit-connected Loop and Magnificent Mile
- Live 4–5 star rates spanning the full 29 November–3 December 2026 meeting
- Free-cancellation priority for delegates whose abstracts, shifts or budgets confirm late
- Instant tax invoice for clean reimbursement and CME expense records
Event at a glance
- Dates
- 29 Nov – 3 Dec 2026
- Venue
- McCormick Place
- City
- Chicago, USA
- Airport
- ORD
- Attendance
- 38,000
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Hotels ranked by walking distance.
Flexible bookings
Pay Weekly available on free cancellation rooms.
Rates shown for the event window, Sat, Nov 28 → Fri, Dec 4 (arrive the day before, leave the day after) — or choose your own dates above.
Hotel rates near major event venues rise as the dates approach and the closest hotels sell out first. Booking a free-cancellation rate early locks the price with no downside.
On the map
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- The best hotels within walking distance of the venue
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Where to eat during RSNA Annual Meeting
McCormick Place sits in the South Loop, an easy ride to both the South Loop's own tables and the West Loop restaurant scene. Chicago is a genuine food city (Smyth holds three Michelin stars and Alinea two), so book the marquee names well ahead when a big show is in town.
Girl & the Goat
New American / Small plates
West Loop (Randolph St), ~15 min drive from McCormick Place
Stephanie Izard's flagship on West Loop's restaurant row, serving inventive, shareable plates in a buzzy room. One of the toughest and most rewarding reservations in the city.
Tip: Book weeks out; walk-in bar seats are the backup plan.
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Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse
Steakhouse
Gold Coast (Rush St), ~15 min drive from McCormick Place
The quintessential Chicago steakhouse: big steaks, martinis and a see-and-be-seen energy that suits entertaining clients. A local institution on Rush Street.
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Mercat a la Planxa
Spanish / Catalan tapas
South Loop (Michigan Ave), ~7 min drive from McCormick Place
A lively Catalan tapas room overlooking Grant Park, one of the closer upscale options to McCormick Place. Good for a shared, unhurried group dinner.
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Lou Malnati's Pizzeria
Deep-dish pizza
South Loop (State St), ~8 min drive from McCormick Place
The classic Chicago deep-dish, from one of the city's most storied pizzeria families. The South Loop location is an easy, casual team meal near the convention center.
Tip: Deep-dish takes ~40 min to bake, order as soon as you sit down.
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Intelligentsia Coffee (Millennium Park)
Coffee / Cafe
The Loop (Millennium Park), ~12 min drive from McCormick Place
The Chicago-born roaster widely credited with helping start the third-wave coffee movement in 1995. The Millennium Park coffeebar is an ideal caffeine stop when you're up in the Loop.
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Manny's Cafeteria & Delicatessen
Jewish deli
South Loop, ~6 min drive from McCormick Place
A cash-quick, cafeteria-style Chicago deli institution famous for its corned beef and matzo ball soup. About as fast and local a lunch as you'll find near the convention center.
Tip: Lunch-focused; it winds down by mid-afternoon.
Open in Google MapsAfter the halls close: Chicago
Client dinner, team night out or a free day after RSNA Annual Meeting — bookable experiences in Chicago, same account, same checkout.
While you're in Chicago
Chicago is a great sports and festival town, and several of its venues are an easy trip from McCormick Place.
Chicago Cubs (MLB)
Day baseball at historic Wrigley Field is a bucket-list experience even if you're not a fan.
Find ticketsChicago White Sox (MLB)
South Side baseball at Rate Field, one of the closer ballparks to McCormick Place.
Find ticketsChicago Bears (NFL)
NFL games at lakefront Soldier Field, just north of the convention center.
Find ticketsChicago Bulls (NBA)
NBA basketball at the United Center on the Near West Side.
Find ticketsLollapalooza
A four-day, multi-stage music festival in Grant Park drawing top global headliners.
Find ticketsFixtures recur each season; exact dates for your fair week are confirmed at ticket search.
Getting there
From ORD (O'Hare International)
- The CTA Blue Line runs 24/7 from O'Hare to the Loop in about 40–50 minutes; the fare from O'Hare is $5
- Taxis to the Loop or South Loop take 40–75 minutes depending on the Kennedy Expressway and cost roughly $50–75
- Ride-hail is comparable to taxis but surges hard around the post-Thanksgiving Sunday arrival crush
- From the Loop, McCormick Place is a short Metra ride, bus hop or taxi south
From MDW (Midway International)
- Midway is closer to McCormick Place than O'Hare; taxis and ride-hail typically take 20–35 minutes
- The CTA Orange Line links Midway with the Loop in about 25 minutes for a standard fare
- Midway's domestic network (particularly Southwest) often has better post-Thanksgiving availability than O'Hare
- Amtrak's Union Station is also an option for regional delegates, with connections onward by taxi or Metra
Getting around during RSNA Annual Meeting
Getting to McCormick Place daily
- The Metra Electric line runs from Millennium Station in the Loop to the McCormick Place station, inside the complex, in around 10 minutes
- The CTA Green Line's Cermak–McCormick Place station is a walk from the West Building, and the CTA #3 King Drive bus runs along the campus
- RSNA operates shuttle routes between official hotels and McCormick Place during the meeting — check the current route map when you register
- The campus is enormous: allow 15–20 minutes to cross between buildings when planning session-to-exhibit transitions
Around Chicago
- CTA trains and buses take Ventra cards or contactless bank cards; Metra Electric tickets are sold via the Ventra app
- Late November is cold, often below freezing with wind off the lake — plan transit rather than long walks, and pack accordingly
- Taxis and ride-hail are plentiful downtown but slow to reach McCormick Place at the 17:00 exhibit close
- Michigan Avenue traffic thickens with holiday shoppers during RSNA week; trains beat cars into the Loop
Visa & entry
Visa-free / visa on arrival
- Delegates from the 40+ Visa Waiver Program countries (UK, most EU states, Japan, Australia, South Korea, Chile and others) attend on an approved ESTA rather than a visa
- ESTA costs $40, is valid two years, and should be secured well before booking non-refundable travel
- Canadians generally need neither a visa nor ESTA for a conference visit
eVisa / visa required
- Physicians and industry delegates from India, China, Pakistan, Nigeria and other non-VWP countries need a B-1 visa with a consular interview
- Interview backlogs at some posts stretch months — RSNA registration opens in mid-2026 and the visa process should start immediately after
- Chinese nationals with existing 10-year visas must keep EVUS enrolment up to date
Documents to carry
- RSNA registration confirmation and, if presenting, evidence of your accepted abstract or speaking role
- An employment or institutional letter describing the purpose of travel
- Return ticket details and hotel confirmation for the border inspection
US visa policy and fees shift frequently — check current rules with the US embassy or official government sources before finalising plans.
First time at RSNA Annual Meeting?
- The meeting begins the Sunday after Thanksgiving, one of the busiest US travel weekends of the year — book flights early and avoid tight Saturday connections
- Collect your badge at McCormick Place as early as your arrival allows; Sunday and Monday morning registration lines are the longest
- Study the campus map before day one — scientific sessions and technical exhibits are spread across multiple buildings, and back-to-back bookings in different buildings rarely work
- Pack for genuine winter: the walk from transit or shuttle drop-offs is exposed and Chicago in early December is unforgiving
- Technical exhibits close 2 December, a day before the meeting ends — plan vendor visits for the first four days
Insider tips from repeat attendees
- Tuesday and Wednesday mid-mornings are the calmest windows in the exhibit halls; Sunday and Monday are wall-to-wall
- The Metra Electric from Millennium Station is the reliable power move when shuttle and taxi queues balloon at peak times
- Hotels attached or adjacent to the campus put you steps from the halls and skip the commute entirely, but they are the first to sell out — decide early whether that convenience is worth the rate
- Carry snacks and refill a water bottle; food outlets inside McCormick Place draw long queues at midday and close before evening sessions end
RSNA Annual Meeting travel FAQs
Where should I stay for the RSNA Annual Meeting?
The South Loop gives the shortest journeys to McCormick Place, including some properties within walking distance. The Loop offers the widest hotel choice with the Metra Electric's 10-minute ride to the campus, and the Magnificent Mile suits delegates who want restaurants and shopping around them, trading a longer commute.
How much do hotels cost during RSNA?
RSNA fills tens of thousands of rooms citywide, and downtown rates rise substantially versus a normal early-December week — properties nearest McCormick Place carry the strongest premiums. Prices generally soften with distance along the transit lines.
How early should I book hotels for RSNA?
Serious attendees book four to six months out, and exhibitors earlier. Because the meeting collides with post-Thanksgiving travel, late bookers face both high room rates and poor flight options — early refundable bookings are the prudent route.
Which airport do I fly into for RSNA?
O'Hare (ORD) has the international network and 24/7 Blue Line access to the Loop. Midway (MDW) is actually closer to McCormick Place and is a smart choice for domestic delegates, especially on the busy post-Thanksgiving weekend.
How do I get from downtown Chicago to McCormick Place each day?
The Metra Electric from Millennium Station reaches the McCormick Place station inside the complex in about 10 minutes. Alternatives include the Green Line to Cermak–McCormick Place, the #3 King Drive bus, and RSNA's shuttle routes from official hotels.
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