Aims and background: Hospitalization for acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) is recognized as a major event in the natural history of COPD. Besides hurting lung function, survival, risk of readmission, and quality of life, it tremendously increases healthcare costs associated with hospitalization. Information on the time course and recovery from AECOPD is important in standardizing the length of treatment, planning appropriate follow-up, and decreasing the loss of working days of the patient. Hence, this study aimed to identify predictive parameters for length of hospitalization in AECOPD patients. Materials and methods: It was a prospective and longitudinal clinical-based descriptive study conducted at a tertiary care center in northern India. After applying the exclusion criteria and obtaining informed consent, 200 consecutive AECOPD patients were enrolled over 1 year. The Rome Proposal classifies AECOPD severity as mild, moderate, or severe, and the term prolonged length of hospital stay (LHS) refers to a stay lasting for 7 or more days. Results: The mean age of the 200 AECOPD patients was 63.9 ± 8.2 years, the mean LHS was 10.9 ± 5.2 days, and prolonged LHS (≥7 days) was seen in 140 (70%) patients. Advanced age, previous hospitalizations for AECOPD, arterial hypoxemia, the need for noninvasive ventilation (NIV), and severe AECOPD upon admission were found to be significantly correlated with the LHS (p < 0.05). However, only severe AECOPD upon admission was identified as an independent factor predicting prolonged hospitalization (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Older patients with a prior hospitalization for AECOPD, arterial hypoxemia, severe exacerbation of COPD, and need for NIV at the time of admission are more likely to have a longer hospitalization.