Data experts at canadasportsbetting.ca reviewed 1,247 hotel and Airbnb listing results across the weekends before, during and after the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy. A like-for-like comparison of Markham hotels found a typical race-weekend premium of 22.2%, with the largest observed increase reaching 146.3%.
Key Findings
What the Analysis Found
Markham is preparing to host what the City describes as the largest sporting event York Region has hosted, as the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy arrives from August 14–16, 2026.
More than 150,000 attendees are expected over the three-day weekend, with the event making its Markham debut after almost four decades in Toronto. The Ontario government expects the race to generate significant economic activity through tourism, hospitality and event services.
Accommodation demand is already firmly in focus. Race organisers are encouraging visitors to book as far in advance as possible, with Toronto Marriott Markham named as the event’s official host hotel.
The analysis compared accommodation pricing around the event to see how race-weekend costs differed from the weekends immediately before and after.
The Typical Markham Hotel Premium Was 22.2%
To see whether visitors could be paying a premium during the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy, we compared hotel rates for August 14–16 with prices at the same properties over the weekends immediately before and after the event.
Across the seven Markham hotels with comparable prices for all three weekends, the median increase was 22.2%, meaning the typical hotel in the comparison carried a premium of just over one-fifth against its surrounding-weekend baseline. Six properties were higher during race weekend, while one was lower.
Which Markham Hotels Have the Biggest Indy Weekend Premium?
| Hotel | Surrounding-Weekend Baseline | Indy Weekend Rate | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto Marriott Markham | US$321.33/night | US$791.36/night | +146.3% |
| Delta Hotels by Marriott Toronto Markham | US$292.89/night | US$394.24/night | +34.6% |
| Park Inn by Radisson Toronto-Markham | US$178.48/night | US$229.41/night | +28.5% |
| Sonesta ES Suites Toronto Markham | US$204.23/night | US$249.50/night | +22.2% |
| Monte Carlo Inn Markham | US$169.49/night | US$192.81/night | +13.8% |
| Monte Carlo Inn & Suites Downtown Markham | US$224.09/night | US$240.18/night | +7.2% |
The table ranks the six properties with positive race-weekend premiums. Liberty Suites, the seventh comparable Markham hotel, was 13.1% below its surrounding-weekend baseline and remains included in the seven-hotel median and average calculations.
Toronto Marriott Markham Stands Out
The most significant difference was at Toronto Marriott Markham, where the observed race-weekend rate was 146.3% above its surrounding-weekend baseline. Its Indy weekend rate was approximately US$791.36 per night, compared with a baseline of around US$321.33 — a difference of roughly US$470 per night.
The Typical Hotel Premium Is 22.2%
While average prices across the seven comparable hotels were 39.9% higher during Indy weekend, that figure needs some context. Toronto Marriott Markham’s unusually large increase has a significant effect on the overall average.
For that reason, the 22.2% median premium provides a better indication of what a typical hotel in the comparison looks like. In other words, although some visitors could encounter substantially larger increases depending on the hotel they choose, a typical property in the analysis was priced around one-fifth higher than its own surrounding-weekend benchmark.
Airbnb Prices Tell a Different Story
The broader Markham Airbnb market does not show the same race-weekend pattern. Among Airbnb listings identified as being in Markham and with a captured price, the median nightly price was:
The average of the two surrounding-weekend medians is US$169.50 per night. That puts the Indy weekend Airbnb median of US$158.50 around 6.5% below the surrounding-weekend average.
This does not mean individual Airbnb hosts reduced their prices for the race. Unlike the hotel analysis, Airbnb properties were not matched listing-for-listing across all three weekends, meaning the available mix of properties can change between searches.
The result is therefore best viewed as a snapshot of the wider Airbnb market rather than a direct measure of individual host pricing. What it does show is that the clearer race-weekend premium in this dataset appears among the comparable Markham hotels rather than across Airbnb listings as a whole.
Why Markham Accommodation Is in Focus
The 2026 Ontario Honda Dealers Indy marks a major change for IndyCar’s second-oldest street race. After nearly four decades at Toronto’s Exhibition Place, the race moves to a new 3.52-kilometre street circuit in Markham Centre for 2026 under a multi-year agreement.
The provincial government expects more than 150,000 attendees during the three-day event and says the Indy will support tourism, hospitality and other local businesses.
With organisers themselves strongly encouraging visitors to secure accommodation early, the hotel-price differences provide a snapshot of what some racegoers could encounter when booking around the event.
Methodology
canadasportsbetting.ca analysed accommodation prices for three consecutive two-night weekends: August 7–9, August 14–16 and August 21–23, 2026.
Hotel Analysis
The main hotel comparison includes seven confirmed Markham hotels with prices available across all three periods. Using the same properties allows each hotel to be compared against itself.
Indy Weekend Premium
The premium measures how far the observed Aug. 14–16 rate sits above or below each hotel’s surrounding-weekend baseline.
Typical Premium
The 22.2% figure is the median of the seven individual hotel price changes. Median is used because it is less affected by unusually large movements at a single property.
Airbnb Analysis
Airbnb listings identified as being in Markham were analysed separately using median nightly prices. Because the properties were not matched across all three periods, Airbnb is presented as broader market context.
Accommodation prices are dynamic and may change based on availability, room type, booking conditions and the time of search. The figures represent prices observed in the underlying dataset at the time of collection and do not establish that the Indy caused any individual property to change its rate.
