Running Smoothly: Simplifying Lodging for the Salt Lake City Marathon

Efficiency is the heart of a successful race weekend. While the Salt Lake City Marathon has long been a staple of Utah’s athletic community, managing the complex lodging needs of thousands of participants often pulled the organizing team away from high-priority tasks. In 2025, the event turned to Ripe to bridge the gap between their Host Hotel and a broader network of local accommodations.

The Challenge: Lodging Logistics Dragging the Race Down

For years, the Salt Lake City Marathon has had a reliable relationship with its Host Hotel. But challenges always seemed to creep in. Miscommunications at check-in, inconsistent processes across other hotels, and added work for the marathon’s organizing team made lodging more stressful than it should have been.

For runners, these hiccups turned into confusion at the worst possible moment—on race weekend. For organizers, managing lodging logistics pulled valuable time and focus away from the race itself.

The Opportunity: Streamlining Without Starting Over

As one of Utah’s premier athletic events, the Salt Lake City Marathon needed a way to smooth out its hotel operations without disrupting established relationships. The goal wasn’t reinvention. Rather, it was refinement.

In 2025, the marathon partnered with Ripe to:

• Support the Host Hotel block that had been secured, as in previous years.
• Feature additional hotels near the race venue on a branded booking portal for participant convenience.
• Centralize all hotel logistics and communication, removing the marathon team from the troubleshooting loop.
• Ensure a seamless, consistent check-in process for every runner.

The Results: A Race-Day Win for Everyone

The inaugural partnership produced strong numbers:

Numbers aside, the biggest win was operational. For the first time, the marathon team wasn't managing lodging logistics or resolving check-in disputes. Hotels, participants, and organizers alike benefited from a smooth, centralized system that let everyone stay focused on what really mattered: the race.

Supplier Impact

Hotels near the start and finish lines, including the official Host Hotel, praised the streamlined communication. By eliminating the back-and-forth with organizers and reducing confusion at check-in, hotels could deliver a better guest experience while maximizing race-related bookings.

Voices from the Finish Line

“Working with Ripe helped simplify lodging for our participants and reduced a lot of behind-the-scenes coordination for our team. We’re looking forward to continuing the partnership in 2026." Steve Bingham-Hawk | Regional Director, High Altitude Events

Why It Matters

The Salt Lake City Marathon’s partnership with Ripe is a textbook example of how local events can amplify community impact when lodging runs smoothly. By simplifying operations, the event team delivered a better participant experience, strengthened relationships with local hotels, and reclaimed valuable time to focus on the race itself.

This case study demonstrates what Ripe’s 2025 strategy makes clear: events aren’t just economic drivers—they’re opportunities for DMOs, organizers, and local suppliers to thrive together.

If you’re looking to improve lodging logistics for the events in your community, Ripe is ready to help deliver results.