<p>The Hotwire thread got me thinking - I know finding hotels in Tuscaloosa can be a pain, especially for football weekends. If anyone is still looking for accommodations for a football weekend (or any other weekend), PM me and I might be able to help. It hadn’t occurred to me to post here, but it seems like I might be able to help someone out, which I would love to do, since this board has helped me so many times!</p>
<p>One of my CC friends posted last year that they weren’t using a hotel for move out, and H and I jumped on it, as we’re too tired after move out to have to drive an hour afterwards. Rates were high, but we discovered a new favorite hotel, the Hampton on Harper Lee. In fact, H liked it so much, he stayed at a Hampton for a business trip, rather than the usual Marriott properties he stays at.</p>
<p>For Parents Weekend, I had to wait until one month before the date I wanted to call to see if there were any cancellations. I tried every couple of hours, but by the end of the day, I was able to grab a room at the Hampton Harper Lee for Parents Weekend. Costs a fortune, but we’re happy to not have to drive to Bessemer, where our previous reservations were, and we’ll get a lot of points, hopefully, to use toward a graduation trip.</p>
<p>Now, the Fairfield in Tuscaloosa may have a shorter time period for cancellations, so you can probably check them. They will also have high rates, but it’s a nice place, clean, though the breakfast is not as good as the one at the Hampton. Can’t remember if Hampton has bacon or not, but it was a very nice breakfast.</p>
<p>I will probably cancel my Bessemer hotel, since I’m now committed to the Hampton, and others may do the same, so while you may think you have to stay all the way in Hoover or Birmingham for now, you may be able to get something closer as game time approaches.</p>
<p>Every time I pay that credit card bill after Parents Weekend and Move Out, which corresponds with graduation, I thank my lucky stars that son got such a generous scholarship to Bama, as I certainly wouldn’t be able to pay tuition AND pay these hotel rates!</p>
<p>Thanks Montegut. I don’t actually need a place to stay, I was offering the possibility of renting my condo to anyone who is still looking for accommodations. 
If you are going to pay those crazy rates anyway, it is nice to have room to spread out and have your own kitchen and W/D. Plus the condo is walking distance to the stadium, which I’m sure is nice on game day (our first game day experience will be parents weekend, and I am very glad we won’t have to deal with traffic and parking!).</p>
<p>Anyway, just trying to help out, but thanks for the suggestions also! My son will probably be living in this condo next year, so I may need to go back to dealing with hotels then.</p>
<p>Wow, this is my first real experience with the crazy Alabama football culture. It is unbelievable how quickly football weekend accommodations get snatched up. I have only had my condo on VRBO for 4 days, and already 3 weekends have been taken. Anyone who might be interested better act fast, yikes! (of course, if someone needs a place to stay on a different weekend they can always let me know that).</p>
<p>Now let’s see some actual offense in the second half of this VT game and I’ll be happy. :)</p>
<p>can you PM me the VRBO link?</p>
<p>Please PM the link to me, also. Thanks!</p>
<p>Can you pm me the link as well. Thanks!!</p>
<p>Yes, lodging venues go very quickly. All the games but one are booked on my VRBO.</p>
<p>I would also like to have the links for any of the VRBOs of CC members. Thanks</p>
<p>I would like the link, too! Thanks!</p>
<p>^^^^send me the link too Lisa6191, thanks.</p>
<p>To get a room, you have to book a year in advance, or at least as soon as the hotel allows you to. Expect to pay $250 and up a night.
Hampton on Harper Lee is usually one of the first to be booked up, as it is the closest hotel to the campus that is not ON campus.</p>
<p>For my VRBO condo, the LSU game booked first…during Christmas break. I could have rented it 20 times over. </p>
<p>Graduation 2014 booked over a year in advance. </p>
<p>The rates are crazy during peak times (football games, move in, move out, Greek Preview, graduations, etc), but that’s because vacancies are high during the low season. </p>
<p>I was thrilled that Bama hosted American Ballet Theater this summer so most of July was booked, otherwise it would have been spotty bookings at best.</p>
<p>^^^I thought that would be the case, too, but to my surprise, the Fairfield and Hampton in Tuscaloosa never seem to have lower rates during off season. Son has worked on campus for two summers straight, and I have often visited during the year because of family issues, and I was surprised that the Fairfield was always filled, either with wedding parties, youth sports events, etc. I had hoped, at some point, I would be able to get less than 100 a night, but have never been so lucky. At the Fairfield in Houston, where I stay for family, I can get 70/night for weekends, but have trouble finding a room during the week, as business people stay there for work on their company dime, and rates are also high for weekdays. </p>
<p>Since we enjoyed our stay at Hampton Harper Lee for move out last spring, I tried every day to book a room for graduation from that day forward. Close to the year anniversary, I got a room on what must have been the first day reservations opened. I am actually paying for graduation, a normal rate. It’s still higher than the Fairfield, but we love the location and the amenities. I had also been trying the Marriott properties for graduation in case I couldn’t get in at Hampton, and the closest I could get was Bessemer. </p>
<p>I am happy that Tuscaloosa economy is being fed by the OOS students whose parents are buying real estate and putting money into the city. Lord knows, in my city of NOLA, we are very dependent upon the OOS kids who attend Tulane whose parents buy homes/apartments for their kids to stay in and keep them as rental property/vacation homes for years to come. We have many friends who have condos for their kids at LSU, and in their case, they are used as hurricane evacuation homes, rather than investment properties, but are also great to have as they come back as alumnae and attend games.</p>
<p>I would also like the VRBO links to properties of CC members! Thank you!</p>
<p>We are in the market to buy a property near campus. They are few and far between. I keep a watch out daily. Want it for us to stay at when there, rent out when not for us, and for D to possibly live in and rent out the other bedrooms to her friends/roommates for a few years.</p>
<p>If anyone does hear of something coming on the market soon, I’d love to know.</p>
<p>When I stay at the Fairfield in Tuscaloosa, they usually have a real estate magazine with listings in several surrounding areas. There are some gorgeous expensive properties, and some very cheap little houses near campus for gameday/students/etc. I remember seeing some properties on Hargrove. I just threw my latest edition out, wish I could remember the name, but it’s called Crimson something, of course. Have you contacted a real estate agent to assist you in your search?</p>
<p>Are you looking for a small house or condo? I was out with a Realtor yesterday looking at more properties. </p>
<p>I found one near Forest Lake that had lots of space, but it had been a college student rental before (to boys!) and was in need of too much “love” for me to accept it. </p>
<p>What price range are you looking for?</p>
<p>If you’re looking for condos (which I think are easier to maintain - no yard, exterior maintenance), there are some showing on Trulio.</p>