ORLANDO (BP) — Nearly 4,000 rooms across more than two dozen hotels will be available at noon Eastern today (Oct. 6) for booking through the Southern Baptist Convention’s (SBC) housing office for next year’s SBC annual meeting in Orlando.
Hotel options include something for every budget and itinerary. And that means those reserving rooms today can expect heavy traffic.
“There will be a lot of people trying to make reservations as soon as the portal opens,” said SBC Convention Manager Lynn Richmond, “so be patient.”
Richmond added that users should not open the portal on multiple platforms, as that will slow things down for everyone. The number of reservations will be limited per user, she said.
“Due to other events happening in the area, we do not have as many rooms in some hotels as you might anticipate,” she said. “There will be a maximum of five rooms that can be booked at once.”
Jonathan Howe, vice president for convention administration, said the housing office expects hotels to fill quickly, but added: “We would encourage all potential attendees to go ahead and reserve rooms within the block even if you aren’t able to get into your preferred hotel.
“Room availability will expand and change over the next few months, and it’s easier to move your reservation once you have one,” Howe said.
Last month, Howe said the large number of hotels in the host city is a good thing for Southern Baptist messengers.
“The number one deterrent for annual meeting attendance is cost of lodging,” he said. “Thankfully, Orlando’s hotel inventory allows us to offer the best nightly hotel rates in recent memory to attendees. There is truly something for attendees in every price range.”
The 2026 SBC Pastors’ Conference and annual meeting are scheduled for June 7-10 at the Orange County Convention Center.
Free shuttles to and from the convention center will be available for many hotels as well.
“Be sure to follow @SBCmeeting on X (formerly Twitter) for updates on hotel availability between now and the annual meeting,” Howe said.
Housing reservations can be made here.
(EDITOR’S NOTE — Laura Erlanson is managing editor of Baptist Press.)
