I need 4 rooms for my son’s graduation in May 2016. Since rooms don’t come online until about a year in advance, I have been watching and waiting for them to show up. They are finally starting to, but when I click on the date it says “No rooms available.” Are you kidding me?
Anybody with experience in booking rooms for graduation, please tell me how you did it. Thanks.
@Slippy Lodging venues book early in Tuscaloosa for popular events. I own 3 VRBO rentals and 2 have LONG been booked for graduation 2016. The 3rd one isn’t yet booked simply because I only recently purchased and listed it. I suspect that it will get booked within a few days.
Yes, the rates are much higher for “high demand” times. That’s because for these venues to “stay in the black” they have to compensate for the many periods when vacancy rate is high. Tuscaloosa is not Baton Rouge. Other than school events, there aren’t many other events to draw people in.
The alternative would be for these lodging venues to not exist at all.
:laughing at the thought of an attorney complaining about price-gouging.: :))
Slippy, you’re complaining about price gouging but I don’t see mention of price in your post. Could it be that rooms are just not posted yet?
Sorry, but when a La Quinta charges $479 for a room the night of a football game (which I saw online this morning for November 7), that is price gouging.
I’m just wondering how all the rooms can be booked if there were only opened up for reservations yesterday (and yes, I mean literally yesterday).
By the way, how have you people been? I’ve been away for awhile. In a Turkish prison.
Get used to it in cities with large universities and good sports teams. Happens everywhere. D just graduated last weekend and we ended up a half hour away. OOS parents probably grabbed most of the rooms in town and they were $400 plus. Nothing was available by the time I looked.
If it’s true that many are already booked, I suspect that this is the reason:
Graduation was this past weekend. Those guests in attendance likely have shared to those with younger students to book ASAP. I got 2 phone calls this weekend regarding that 3rd open condo, which is why I know that it will likely book very soon.
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La Quinta charges $479 for a room the night of a football game
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If that’s the LSU game, then that may seem high, but it’s actually a good rate for THAT game. I think Capstone and Embassy Suites booked for $800-1000 per night.
Again, it’s because of the vacancy rate at other times. If these lodging venues charged “regular rates” during high demand dates, they would run in the red and have to close.
Simple - supply and demand. And if they want to block off dates, they can.
Slippy, my son graduated last weekend and I stayed at the Graystone Inn in Vance. I think it was $85/night and I didn’t book it until the fall. It was nice and clean. Even had a small kitchen in my room. The only drag was driving back and forth but that only took about 20-25 minutes. All the traffic was in Tuscaloosa around the University. If you have a larger group I would recommend a condo rental if this hotel is too far for your group. It would make it easier just to spread out and for meals/ snacks. There was no where to eat near my hotel. Good luck.
I booked a hotel at one of the Choice hotels for this past weekend (graduation weekend) only a few months ago. No, the room is not the Embassy Suites, but it is decent and has a good breakfast. The room was $89 for Thursday and $139 for Friday, but because I used my points, it was free. Not a bad deal at all. I also stayed at this same hotel for Iron Bowl weekend and booked less than two months in advance.
When my son graduated two years ago, we stayed in Bessemer. Did not mind driving back and forth. It was quiet. There are restaurants nearby. Made for an easy getaway when we had to fly out the following morning.
I had to be in T-Town last weekend (also graduation weekend) to move my son out, and kept checking the Hampton Inn site for any vacancies. Lo and behold a week before, rooms became available. They wanted $349 or something ridiculous like that, but I got it for points I had accumulated on my Hilton account. That was a great use for those points.
All’s well that ends well. Just booked 4 rooms at the Microtel on Veterans for $160. No prepay, and fully cancellable.
Hey Slippy, have missed your unique perspective good to hear from you.
Glad to hear that you found some rooms at the Microtel, have stayed there before and it is quite functional for a stay. Not the best breakfast layout but you will find enough to hold you over.
Hope your DS is still doing well, good to hear he is still on track to walk next May. Maybe we will run into you there.
I am doing fine, Memphis. Life doesn’t suck. Yeah, I’m happy that junior has stayed on schedule and will graduate on time. (Actually he could graduate in December but why not use all of his scholarship?)
He is definitely going to graduate school, but is not certain where. I suspect he will send out multiple applications. Staying at Bama is one option, as he would be fully funded by the English department. But I think he wants to get out and see someplace new, and I cannot blame him.
I will be in Tuscaloosa for the LSU game in November. Hope to meet some of you folks before it’s too late.
My family stayed at the Hotel Capstone for graduation. We only paid $99+tax per night for club level rooms that I booked the day my graduation date was announced 17 months in advance. It made things extremely easy.
I see drastic changes in hotel pricing at a lot of places I travel. For example, sometimes I can get a nearly free room at a number of properties in Las Vegas, yet during popular times those rooms are $300-500 per night if there’s availability. It’s the same thing at resort and convention hotels where rooms can be $250+ per night during prime times, but a last minute booking could be as little as $50.