<p>Just called a few hotels in New Haven to book for graduation thinking it would be cheaper ....got the shock of my life! The rates for graduation are over $500 per night, with a minimum stay of 3 nights! Also has to be paid and booked well in advance with a non refundable, non cancellation clause....I asked , what if there was a genuine reason I needed to cancel( after all no one can foretell the future so far in advance!) reply was , unfortunately there is no refund I would just have to find someone myself to take the room otherwise the money will be lost!
Unfortunately, as there are very few hotels close to Yale I suppose they can get away with their own rules...:(</p>
<p>If you can manage to have a car at graduation, you will save a lot of money by staying someplace a half-hour or so away, like Milford. This is what we did when my son graduated–we needed two rooms, and we didn’t want to stay for three nights. Parking near the campus is not too bad.</p>
<p>Stay on Old Campus, it’s cheaper, convenient, but bare bones.</p>
<p>entomom is right–that can be a good option. We had Grandma with us, though, so it wasn’t an option for us.</p>
<p>The Hampton in Milford is simple, clean, and cheap (around $90; don’t know if it goes up at graduation time). It’s only 11 miles from the Yale exit on 95. I stayed at the La Quinta right at the NH exit on 95 on our last visit, and I DO NOT recommend it. Filthy.</p>
<p>There’s some kind of a Marriot in Orange, I think a Courtyard, tho I don’t know prices or reviews… It’s off exit 41on 95, quite close to New Haven, but I’m sure they jack up their prices for graduation. There’s a Homewood Suites in Stratford - it’s right at the entrance to Route 15, about a 20 minute drive to New Haven if you take the connector to 95. That might be a nice option, tho I haven’t housed anyone there in the last 4 years. If you need 2 rooms, it might be quite reasonable… Not cheap, but not $500, either. You could try other surrounding towns . Branford/Guilford and North Haven are reasonable (15 or 20-minute) drives that may be far enough away to escape the worst price gouging.</p>
<p>If you wind up having to shell out a huge chunk with no refunds offered, I highly recommend trip insurance.</p>
<p>I just checked the Hampton in Milford and it’s around $160 (AAA/AARP rate), which is almost twice the normal rate. The website did say “filling up fast”. Guess I’ll have to put getting a hotel room on my to-do list for next June (my kid is class of 2015). It looks like they are enforcing a three day stay minimum.</p>
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Yikes! :o The Hampton is where we stayed my son’s freshman year and it was a lot cheaper. Sure not looking forward to 2015 either.</p>
<p>I am a really frugal person normally and it really galls me that they jack up the prices like that (for Parents Weekend, too). I do know this is not unique to Yale, though - it’s common practice in college areas, especially those with limited hotel rooms nearby.
That said, I bit the bullet and booked the Courtyard on Whalley Ave. for next year. I just saw the charge on my credit card bill - I think it was around $1600 for 3 nights (at a Courtyard!!!) But it’s a once in a lifetime thing and really special for us. I also wanted the ease of walking places and not worrying about parking, etc. And we’ll have made our last payment to Yale in Feb 2014, so we’ll probably feel flush after 4 years of those hefty tuition payments! :)</p>
<p>^Lol, that was my thought as well, think of it as a three day binge celebrating the end of tuition payments and the word ‘Yale’ on your baby’s college diploma ;)</p>
<p>^ Yes, at a luxurious vacation spot overlooking the Popeye’s! :D</p>
<p>A few years ago, I innocently scheduled my son’s bar mitzvah during Yale commencement weekend. Only months before the event there were perfectly reasonable rooms at the North Haven Holiday Inn. And Madison, Guilford, or Branford–more pleasant than hugging 95 in Milford.</p>
<p>We stayed in Timothy Dwight in 2009. Nice rooms, but single beds. All done through Yale at a very reasonable price. You will get a mailing about this.</p>
<p>We also stayed on Old Campus. It was fine. The only serious shortcoming was that the fitted sheets provided were not XL, so they kept popping off the mattresses. Also, the only seating guaranteed to be available in the suite is a desk chair. As it happened, a couple of bean bag chairs were left in the suite’s common room by next year’s occupants,which we made use of.</p>
<p>We ran into this same problem when my D graduated in May from a college in a small college town- it is pretty isolated and there really isn’t a “next town over” to stay in. Rooms normally priced at around $100/night went up to $500/nite, non-refundable, with a 3-day minimum. I got on Craigslist and found a “granny flat” at a house owned by a college professor for $500 for 3 nights for 6 of us. It was in a gorgeous section of town and included a mini-kitchen. I have had great luck with CL, but you can also try rental agencies if you are worried about CL.</p>
<p>I was on the waiting list at the Omni and when offered the rooms for $500/night I turned them down. Planning on staying in the dorms which I’m told are quite reasonably priced. Staying on campus makes a lot more sense to me than staying anywhere besides the five or so hotels that ring the campus just to avoid driving in the congestion. The biggest downside will be having no A/C if it is particularly hot.</p>
<p>The truth is that the driving and parking is not a big deal. We parked in the Howe Street garage with no difficulty. There’s also dedicated handicapped parking that’s pretty convenient.</p>
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<p>And don’t forget to bring your earplugs for the frequent ringing of the campanile :).</p>
<p>We were in JE for last May’s graduation. Cost was a flat $150/person for three nights (Saturday, Sunday, and Monday – no adjustments permitted). They provide sheets, towels, and soap to use in the dorm bathroom (coed with private showers, so it can be an adjustment). A single bed in a lockable private room for each of us. We had the suite to ourselves, although this is not guaranteed. It was comfortable and very convenient, if a little spartan. Reservations can be made starting in November. We came in and left from Phelps Gate by CT Limo – no car and never felt the need for one.</p>
<p>Oh, and I liked the bells.</p>
<p>I agree that staying on Old Campus is an excellent option. We were in Lawrence and had a nice view of that sea of white chairs set up for the weekend! We also were able to save excellent seats for commencement and class day while being able to run back easily to the room when necessary. I really enjoyed being in the same dorm where we dropped off the graduate four years earlier - full circle!</p>