<p>Parents Weekend in New England during the height of leaf-peeping season. Crazy.</p>
<p>I think the issue is this…</p>
<p>If the school is in a very large city that has lots of hotels that are filled year round, then the gouging is less for these “school events” because there are enough hotels in the area anyway…and they don’t have to rely on a limited number of weekends to “pay the bills”.</p>
<p>However…If the school is in a city that isn’t huge and the hotels don’t have enough “daily occupants” to pay the bills, then they have have to gouge on “event weekends” just so that they can exist the resst of the year. </p>
<p>These hotels may also be very busy on “move in day”…move-out day…graduation…and a few other “event weekends”. At other times, many of these hotels have serious vacancies. There are 365 days in a year, and if they are only busy for less than half of those days, then that’s a reason to gouge when busy. If they didn’t raise price for these events, they’d likely have to close.</p>
<p>I think it’s demand & supply. The two schools we’re going to the graduations for are in the SAME city–LA. There are a good # of hotels near each U but the one WALKING distance of campus jacks up its rates for these events because it knows it can & will still sell out. We could (& in 2010 did) stay elsewhere but this time, we figure we will take it easy & just stay VERY close to campus. 
Obviously enough folks feel this way & are willing to pay the ridiculous inflated rates like us or they wouldn’t be able to charge them & sell out. ;)</p>
<p>Guess not all SEC schools gouge their followers. Of course, it is what the market will bear.</p>
<p>???</p>
<p>You do realize that the “SEC schools” do not own these hotels and have no control over what these hotels charge their fans.</p>
<p>If you’re talking about the hotels in Baton Rouge don’t gouge as much as the hotels in a city that is not a busy capital city and has much less to draw visitors year-round, then that’s the reason.</p>
<p>This wouldn’t work for smaller towns, but for those going to bigger cities, if you have the stomach for it, you could wait til a few days before and Priceline it, as the rates will drop dramatically as the hotels realize an empty room is about to occur. We’ve planned a trip to the Boston area for several months (leaving today) but just got a hotel room 2 days ago. $50/night which isn’t bad at all for a nice hotel. H was holding out for $40 but I couldn’t take the idea of waiting til today to book it! Same thing for rental cars - I’m paying $12/day.</p>
<p>Even smaller towns can jack up the prices. My favorite (a great cheap-o and they let us bring the dog) near D’s college jumps nearly 80% on P Weekend.</p>
<p>Maybe the hotels and businesses can raise the rates even further and balance it out by giving scholarships based on either need or some kind of merit.</p>
<p>Obviously just kidding, and I’m as annoyed as anyone else to see the prices rise for particular dates. However, the reality is that the rooms are more valuable that weekend. Generators are more valuable when the power is out, plywood sheets are more valuable when a hurricane is coming. Etc, etc.</p>
<p>The next time you’re in a hotel room, read the fine print on the fire evac instructions on the back of the door. Federal regs require that notice to include the maximum rate allowed for your room. If you’re paying more than that, see the manager. Or, if you’re really mad, notify the regulators.</p>
<p>Thanks for setting me straight, guys. Of course, the SEC doesn’t own the hotel rooms. I only commented it was SEC as that is the BEST FOOTBALL, and would of course warrant high prices for hotel rooms, perhaps as much as a city hosting the Super Bowl. I guess even a small university will charge high prices for rooms during their premium events. </p>
<p>Quick comment about the fire notification. My husband noticed that recently during a stay near son’s college town and like to faint, thinking I was paying 500 a night for our hotel room at the hotel an hour away from the school. I assured him that no, I was paying a Triple A rate of around a hundred a night. So, putting things in perspective, I guess it could be worse.</p>
<p>Another reason for finding a college in a city. 
Although my sister whose two daughters attended college in upstate NY said that oftentimes parents could stay in the dorms ( which were emptied of underclassmen in time for graduation)</p>
<p>We were at Paren’t Weekend last weekend. The hotel prices were the same as always but a room was hard to find…and I booked at the end of July. The only special stipulations were no early check in and no late check out available. We even got two free breakfast buffet tickets included.</p>
<p>We usually stay at a really nice (just built) super 8 when there for about $50 but it was full.</p>
<p>We were only required to stay one night.</p>
<p>I figured if there was a price difference, it’s the same as resort hotels having off season & peak season dates.</p>
<p>Duke and UNC had graduation the same weekend.
The hotels made a bundle that weekend.</p>
<p>We have two in college, and both have football teams ranked in the top 25 and both colleges are in the middle of nowhere. We are presently at Parents Weekend for S (game tomorrow with two top 25 teams). We will be at D’s U for game in October … national night time game. Hotel rates? We feel your pain…times two. </p>
<p>Even better, for graduation next May (booked in February), we get the three night minimum!</p>
<p>Mothek, next time you have to go to Providence, try staying at the Johnson & Wales Inn in nearby Seekonk or else it is at the E border of E Providence (I think), just google it. It looks like a 60s motel on the outside but inside it is clean, inviting, & run by the students of the hospitality school. Breakfast included, and it is way way less expensive than staying in the city. And just over the bridge, easy to get to rte 195 to cross to the East Side.</p>
<p>If I lived in one of those SEC towns, I would rent out my house on those weekends!</p>
<p>^^^I think people actually do do that. I know a lot of people rent out their houses in New Orleans for Jazz Fest, at about a thousand a night! </p>
<p>I really do believe it has nothing to do with the school getting money from this. There are many businesses that sell tickets, hotel rooms, merchandise, that have never even attended these schools. It’s a lucrative business.</p>