<p>Just a head's up - if your student is (hopefully, cross your fingers and toes) going to graduate next spring - Class of '11 - in a college town, you may need to make hotel reservations soon, like yesterday.<br>
I'm going to visit my DD in her college town next week, so I was on Travelocity, and decided to plug graduation weekend into the search since my sister was talking about maybe coming to graduation. Of the 12 hotels in town, only 2 had rooms still available and neither is one where we like to stay. Of course this is Travelocity, and some hotels hold rooms back for their own reservation system, but it reminded me that we got aced out hotel rooms for son's graduation and ended up in an RV parked at the stadium (at twice the price of a nice hotel, plus gas).<br>
Based on this experience, we got a reservation just <em>before</em> this year's graduation. Yes, a year and a week ahead.
Book early. Most places let you cancel or change up to a time when your kid should surely know if he or she will actually be graduating.</p>
<p>Actually…anyone with a kiddo graduating next year should book hotels as soon as it it possible to do so. In larger urban areas, there could be MULTIPLE colleges having graduations the same weekend as yours (in places like Boston, this happens every weekend in May).</p>
<p>Another thing to book…reservations if you plan to dine out. The places most families choose also get booked early on.</p>
<p>LOL, I just made them on May 30 as he will be graduating May 29 next year and they won’t take reservations more than 365 days in advance. Many of the closest hotels required a 2 night stay (at an astronomical price). Then I found a nearby Hampton Inn for a reasonable price for 1 night. And in searching again, I found that the price has since gone up. I learned this lesson with my D when I tried to make reservations in February for her graduation in May. It was tough!</p>
<p>Few days ago a colleague emailed me to ask me for a name of hotel they should stay at for freshmen orientation this Aug. I emailed her back to let her know the chance of her getting a room in Ithaca with 3000 new students and their families there at the same time is practically impossible at this time. I told her that many people booked as soon as they were accepted, including EDers in Dec. She said to me, “I see what you mean - 3000 students and their families in Ithaca - I don´t see it happening.” I don´t know if she´s able to get a room, but she did quickly reserve for parents weekend in Oct.</p>
<p>I am one of those planning ahead people. I already booked and paid for a house for D1´s 2011 graduation 1 year ago.</p>
<p>:) ^^We booked for Parents Weekend next November about 30 seconds after d’s ED acceptance arrived in December. We got the last room at a cute (and reasonable) B&B.</p>
<p>Oldfort: when my son got his <em>likely</em> letter to Cornell … i.e. before ED decisions were out, I booked rooms for orientation. Then … this year was graduation. We did NOT make reservations, we had a dorm room lined up through the lottery system. And then … we were not at graduation because the guys were at the NCAA Lacrosse Final Four. </p>
<p>For the big weekends … plan ahead if you want to stay in Ithaca. Include things like Easter and Mother’s Day in your schedule if you like to have family time for those days because the hotels book up. And watch the weekends with big sporting events.</p>
<p>ps. it <em>snowed</em> in Ithaca on Mother’s Day this year!!</p>
<p>We made reservations in Columbus OH for DD1’s graduation next year. The first place we tried required paying in advance and only allowed canceling within 24 hours of booking. NEXT! We made reservations at a different place…</p>
<p>We have our reservations for next year’s Pitt graduation, and I did have trouble getting rooms. Our favorite hotel was asking an astronomical rate, with three days minimum. I ended up calling another chain, and the reservations person directed us to a brand-new hotel three miles from campus. All the others were booked already! So I would recommend that if you’re not successful online, call the 800 number or call the hotel directly. And do it as soon as possible.</p>
<p>We paid through the nose for S’s graduation in terms of hotel rooms. We actually got rooms very close to the university late in the process, to my surprise, until I got the price quote. No wonder they had available rooms! But we needed handicap facilities and something close to the university, plus we were familiar with this hotel which was huge and had everything we needed for a wheel chair bound grandmom. So we paid. </p>
<p>I think that if I had made the reservations earlier, scrounged up points, worked at it, Icould have saved a lot of money. Like airlines, these days, hotels have similar rooms priced at various rates as the rooms get taken. The last of the bunch can cost a fortune until they decide to turn them over to those bidding services like Priceline. I fell right into what was predicted to be when they could get prime rates.</p>
<p>If your kid’s college is in a touristy area, you should also look at Vacation rentals by owner
[VRBO</a> is Vacation Rentals By Owner](<a href=“http://www.vrbo.com/]VRBO”>http://www.vrbo.com/)
Be advised, all properties are owned and managed by individuals and the quality varies, but a house can be cheaper than 2 or 3 hotel rooms and give you a spot to host a barbeque</p>
<p>I made hotel reservations for D’s Vanderbilt graduation a year in advance … good thing, as everything nearby is sold out already … and the rooms are about $100/night more than they are normally. Yikes!! I was lucky, because I got an Entertainment Book discounted rate (still more expensive than usual, but at least the discount softened the blow).</p>
<p>It only took one look at this year’s graduation ceremony to convince me to make reservations for next year. It wasn’t hard after I did the math. I realized a shortage of hotel rooms was highly probable. I immediately booked 3 rooms for mid-May. at the Hampton Inn. They proceeded to inform me that it was a 2 night minimum at top rate I might add. I think they’ve done the math too!!!</p>
<p>When my parents took me to my college for Freshman Orientation, my parents attended an information session for parents. They were told to book reservations right then for my graduation in 4 years. Now, at the time (35+ years ago), the town had three “decent” hotels/motels and nothing else within 30 miles. But they were optimists and decided I probably would graduate in 4 years and booked the hotel then.</p>
<p>I will echo staying at smaller places. We stayed at a very nice Bread and Breakfast for four nights (decided if we were traveling cross country we might as well enjoy ourselves). It was comfortable, included a great breakfast each morning, wine in the early evening, fresh baked cookies at bedtime and was like being in a comfy home. We had a beautiful yard, nice pool, and comfortable accommodations…and less expensive than ALL of the chains we called. The innkeeper was most accommodating!! </p>
<p>We found it on the school website. Booked a full year in advance. </p>
<p>To the above poster…Boston University has that speech about booking the graduation hotels while there for orientation. It’s an interesting idea…but we found NO hotels that would take reservations more than a year in advance.</p>
<p>We also used a larger B and B for the Boston event we hosted.</p>
<p>As an alternative to hotels, look into school-owned properties, particularly at large schools. UCLA has a Guest House on campus, plus near the UCLA Medical Center is Tiverton House, primarily used by patients and their families. Both offer low-cost housing, breakfast each morning, and, at Tiverton House, free parking.</p>
<p>In addition, check into any discounts at hotels offered to those who are visiting the schools. You may have to call the hotel directly to make the reservation, but the savings are well worth it!</p>
<p>The prices went up SO much, I booked a dorm room for $25/night and it was convenient. Saved over $800 for the same amount of time. I tried to make reservations over a year ahead, but that didn’t work well, as they wouldn’t take reservations until certain dates, and those dates NEVER showed up on the internet sites and they tripled the cost or more and required minimum stays.</p>