Hotel FAQ

After the lottery closes, reservations at all of our partner hotels will be available on a first come, first serve basis. If you are not able to book a room at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare: There are additional hotel options at the Aloft and Crowne Plaza, as well as our many other partner hotels which are served by FurFest Transit Network.

Rooms are continuously added to all additional hotels; even if a room is not available at the moment you check, a room may be available if you check back later. Specific to the Hyatt Regency O'Hare: Historically, there has been turnover in attendee room reservations throughout the year, meaning that it‘s common for attendees to find available space later in the year. The best time to check is 30 days prior to the convention, though do check periodically through the year.

As rooms are canceled at our partner hotels in the time between the lottery and the convention, they are moved back into the pool of available rooms. Because this is an ongoing process no announcements will be made, so keep checking back! Should a large number of rooms come available, though, we will send out word through our social media outlets.

Hotels listed with reservation information on the Hotels page are those for which Midwest FurFest has a business relationship. These properties reflect all available room inventory in Rosemont favorable to our attendees and located within a reasonable walking distance or with shuttle service. FurFest continues to evaluate room availability while the MFF room block is open, and will post any additions here and in social media.

Each hotel seeks guests in a manner specific to that property. In cases where a hotel wishes to work directly with Midwest FurFest to offer housing to our attendees, the convention engages with the hotel to find a mutually agreeable combination of room rates and guest amenities. If a particular hotel is not listed, this indicates Midwest FurFest does not have an existing relationship with that property.

Yes. The primary guest on every room must be a member of Midwest FurFest (that is, must have a paid membership). Note that if the primary guest cancels and refunds their membership, the hotel reservation is subject to cancellation.

If you're planning on arriving early or staying after the convention to tour the city, or to hang out in the Chicago Metro area, the Hyatt Regency O'Hare and FurFest have worked to provide a limited number of additional rooms both before and after the convention. These additional rooms are provided as a convenience so our attendees need not book multiple reservations which would then require room changes during the stay. As these extra "book-through" rooms are in addition to FurFest's contracted block, they carry rates which differ from the convention block rates stated above. For extended stays of 9 nights or more, additional assistance may be available in obtaining a room. Contact the FurFest Hotel team at our help desk for additional information.

For attendees arriving prior to Thursday of the event, we request as a courtesy to other Hyatt guests and business groups at the Hyatt, please wait until 7pm on Wednesday to fursuit.

Room deposits are not required for standard rooms, however booking fees are non-refundable.

Hotel specific cancellation policies also apply, which may incur a one night charge if canceled too close to the convention. Refer to reservation and hotel information regarding hotel cancellation policies. Chargebacks will result in loss of the room and disqualification for future year lotteries. 

Suite policies are more restrictive; please refer to the suite rules for additional information.

Guests desiring a block reservation should first book in block, then cancel their existing reservation. Do check the cancellation policy for your existing reservation; FurFest is not responsible for reservations or terms made out of block.

Tax rate is 14%, subject to change.

The minimum age to reserve a room at all MFF partner hotels is 21 years on date of check-in.

One-night deposits are not required this year, however a non-refundable $4/night booking fee is collected shortly after a credit card is entered in the MFF reservation site. Lottery entries themselves do not require any fees or deposits, and no charges will be made to unsuccessful lottery entries. However, if you fail to cancel your room by each hotel's cancellation cutoff, you will be charged for one night's stay plus tax.

Your credit card must expire after the departure date on the reservation. Contact your card issuer for assistance in obtaining a new card if necessary.

Up until approximately two weeks before the convention, the room blocks are managed by FurFest Hotels staff. During that time the key to your reservation is your Passkey confirmation number. Approximately two weeks before the convention the reservations are transferred to individual hotels. When your reservation is entered into the hotels’ systems, they will generate a Booking Confirmation Number, which will be sent to the primary guest of the room by email by the hotel.

If you haven’t received your booking confirmation number two weeks prior to the convention, please reach out to hotel@furfest.org.

All partner hotels are 100% non-smoking.

Other than ADA or mobility requests, the size of the event precludes making room requests of this type through the convention. However, guests are welcome to indicate preferences in their reservations through their hotel's reservation management system. Please be aware such requests are on a "request basis." While hotels do attempt to fulfill such requests, they are not guaranteed.

Fire code generally prohibits rollaways in all room types except kings with a certain amount of floor size. Please see the specific hotel pages for additional information on availability, requests and fees.

All guests checking in will need to provide a credit card, debit card or cash to hold for room charges and incidentals. If you are using a credit card, the card will be charged the amount on the room folio upon check out.

If you are using a debit card, there will be a 'hold or pending authorization' placed on the card immediately upon check-in for the total room and tax for the duration of the stay, plus some amount per day for incidentals. This means that those funds will not be available to you during the convention. Upon check out, the exact cost of incidentals used are taken out, and the balance of the 'held' funds is released. Please note it may take up to a week or more to release the 'held' funds. For this reason Midwest FurFest strongly discourages the use of debit cards when checking into hotels.

If you will be paying cash, you will need to provide the room and tax payment for the duration of the stay upon check in, plus some amount for incidentals. Upon check out, the exact cost of incidentals used will be taken out, and the balance of the deposited cash is then reimbursed.

Incidental charges vary between hotels; if you need need an exact amount you should contact your hotel directly.

For guests staying at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare: Luggage carts are under the sole control of the Hyatt bell staff; carts will not be released to individuals. If you need to unload your car at the Hyatt, request the assistance of a bellman when you arrive at the hotel (they have a stand by the front door) and they will be happy to help you take your luggage to your room. Please remember to tip appropriately. Luggage cart policies at other properties vary by hotel.

Signs are not allowed to be taped to any part of the door, door jamb, or walls. Any material that is found to be inappropriate and/or offensive will be confiscated and brought to Operations to pick up later. Please note that any damage done to doors by adhesives or other methods used to post signs will be billed to the room occupants. Also, some innovative furries have engineered signs hung from string over their hotel room door.

Due to life safety issues, the Rosemont Fire Marshall stipulates no more than 4 people at a time may sleep in a standard sleeping room. No more than the lesser of four room keys or the number of guests registered to the room will be given out by the front desk. Please be aware that Rosemont is extremely strict about this requirement.

Note that messages to social media may be monitored by hotel staff and known overcapacity rooms will be referred to the property.

Wi-Fi is available at all hotels, and is complimentary at most hotels including Hyatt properties.

Sleeping in any type of vehicle is not permitted at any hotel. Also, due to space limitations oversize vehicle parking is not available at any of our hotel parking lots. In addition, most of the hotel parking is in the form of parking garages, which precludes tall, large and oversize vehicles. If your vehicle takes up more than a single standard parking space, you will not be able to park in the hotel parking lots.

While very rare, it is possible you will be provided a room type different from what you booked. Remember, though, that every hotel in the United States will always tell you that although they will guarantee a reservation they cannot guarantee the availability of a particular room type. Always have a Plan B, just in case! Additionally, the Hyatt Regency O'Hare has been instructed to disallow any room type changes from king to double or vice versa once the reservation is made. If a change is desired, contact us here.

Midwest FurFest encourages our guests to follow the tipping guidelines of the venerable Emily Post: Housekeeping: $2 - $5, daily Bellmen: $2 first bag, $1 each additional bag Valet: $2 - $5 Waiters/Waitresses: 15% - 20% of pre-tax bill if sit-down, 10% if buffet Bartender: $1 per drink or 15% - 20% of tab.

All Midwest FurFest hotels state no weapons are permitted on the hotel property. There are no exceptions to this policy, even if you have a concealed carry license. Law enforcement officers should consult their agency's policies.

Room resale in FurFest room blocks is prohibited, and subject to cancellation. Further, audits are periodically conducted to address resale and abuse concerns. Questions regarding room resale and related issues should be directed to the hotel help desk.

While suites at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare may not be transferred, standard rooms may be transferred under the following conditions:

• If the room is in a special block, it may only be transferred to a person who is qualified to be in that block (eg: staff can only transfer to staff, dealers can only transfer to dealers.)

• The primary room guest is updated in the hotel's reservation system to the person taking over responsibility for the room. This is not only a legal requirement, but for the protection of the room's occupants.

• If a non-refundable deposit was made, it is acceptable for the person taking over the room to reimburse the deposit, but no additional fee or amount above the deposit is permitted.

If you believe someone is reselling rooms or otherwise acting in a manner inconsistent with hotel policies, please contact us. To transfer the room, use the Passkey link you received and used when you confirmed your room. Update the information to the new primary guest. Remember that the name on the credit card used to confirm the reservation must match the primary guest’s name. You do not need to contact Midwest FurFest to transfer a room, and the convention has no role in the transaction.

Our hotels treat e-cigarettes just like regular cigarettes. As such, they are not permitted to be used in any public space or function space, and may only be used in designated smoking areas.

Illinois liquor law and the Illinois Liquor Control Commission (ILCC) make a distinction between open (public) and closed (private) functions. Open functions are treated much the same as bars, restaurants and festivals, all of which have significant licensing and regulatory requirements. Conversely, many rules that govern licensed or licensable events do not govern private functions (hosts are reminded that age requirements still apply, including Rosemont restrictions on the presence of underage individuals where alcohol is served). The registered guests in a room hosting a party are responsible for adherence with applicable local, state and federal laws; the following guidance is provided as an aid to comply with these requirements. In Illinois, a private function is defined thus: Private Function (5/1-3.36) – a prearranged private party, function, or event for a specific social or business occasion, either by invitation or reservation and not open to the general public, where the guests in attendance are served in a room or rooms designated and used exclusively for the private party, function, or event. Further guidance is provided by the ILCC — an event is a private party when all of the following are met: The event must not be open or advertised in any way to members of the public. Any form of media advertising which publicizes an event to members of the general public makes the event public. (Keep in mind that publicizing a party in social media or in public areas of the hotel or event spaces may be construed as advertising to the public.) The sale of alcoholic liquor is made by a licensed retailer or caterer directly to the host of the party either before or after the event. Per drink sales of alcoholic liquor make the event public. No cover or admission charges of any kind should be collected at the door prior to entry. Any collection of money as a condition of entry makes the event public. No indication of pre-payment should be required to enter. For example, an event is considered public when a per-person presentation of a ticket, wristband, or other form of per-person, pre-payment is required prior to entry. There should be no promotion of a specific alcoholic liquor brand.

A block is available at the Crowne Plaza for dealers on a first-come, first-serve basis until the block fills. Additional information is available in the lottery FAQ. In addition, numerous hotels are connected to the convention center via covered pedway. The walking time is similar for all immediately adjacent hotels between the Dealers lobby and hotel lobbies (about 5 minutes when unencumbered).

There are a limited number of ADA-compliant rooms available, and their distribution is done at the time of the room lottery. Additional information is available in the lottery FAQ.

If you do not require an ADA-compliant room, but would like to request an accessibility accommodation, please reach out to our accessibility team at accessibility@furfest.org to discuss available options. Common accommodations include quiet floor placement, low floor placement, and close proximity to elevators/stairways.

First and foremost, MFF strongly encourages people rooming together to know each other well. Should you be uncomfortable with your roommate knowing your identity, or if one of your roommates is uncomfortable with sharing theirs, we gently suggest rooming with others may not be in your best interest.

To respect the privacy of all of our guests, we cannot provide information on whether another person has lodging in any of Midwest FurFest’s partner hotels. However, we can tell you if your name is included on a reservation. Be sure to request that the primary guest add your name and email to the reservation. If you are part of the primary guest’s room group in the lottery your information will be included in the reservation once it is confirmed. You can then contact hotel@furfest.org for confirmation your name and email are associated with a room.

Additionally, there is no need to prepay for your hotel stay. You can split the folio at the front desk when you arrive / check out, so each person is paying their percentage of the room. (This also gives you confidence that the room is not going to be overbooked; splitting the portfolio only works with the roommates listed on the reservation)

Please do not call your hotel "to be sure" until after Nov 23, 2026. Please understand that processing your reservations from the Housing Bureau into the Hotel system will take a few days. Rest assured that if you have received a confirmation number already from the Housing Bureau, the hotel will honor your booking.

After our block closes, you may contact your hotel directly for reservation changes. The block close date and your hotel's phone number may be found at the very bottom of your passkey acknowledgement under "Additional Information".