Chapel Hill hotels fill for graduation, even a year in advance

As hotels prepare for graduation weekend, family and friends anticipating next year’s commencement celebrations should think ahead about reservations.

“It’s like the Super Bowl is in town or Fourth of July at the beach,” said Anthony Carey, general manager of the Siena Hotel. “It’s our biggest weekend of the year.”

Hotels closer to campus like the Carolina Inn, the Franklin Hotel and the Siena Hotel are booked a year or more ahead of graduation weekend and fill up within a couple of months.

“Our staff looks forward to it every year,” Carey said. “Everybody’s in a great mood and wants to party, so we love it.”

Liz Rodriguez, the reservations manager at the Carolina Inn, said the hotel starts taking reservations for the following year on the Monday after graduation.

“In past years, we’ve filled up in one or two hours and ended up with a 300-person wait list by the end of the day,” she said.

Rodriguez said people who want reservations for the 2012 ceremony should call by 10 a.m. on May 9.

For a head start on reservations, parents of UNC students can join the Carolina Inn’s 1924 Club for free. Club members can make reservations for graduation weekend a week early and also have free local transportation.

Jamie Frydlo, the director of sales at the Franklin Hotel, said his hotel also relies on customer loyalty.

“A lot of our guests or parents that are staying here have a connection as they’ve been here for three or four years visiting their children,” he said.

Other nearby hotels, including the Courtyard by Marriott, Hampton Inn Chapel Hill and Sheraton Chapel Hill Hotel, also start taking reservations about a year before graduation and can sell out as early as the next fall.

There are a few rooms available in nearby hotels for last-minute guests for this year’s May 8 ceremony, although many may have to commute.

Chapel Hill University Inn has rooms available, and How Suite It Is and Chapel Hill InnTown both offer furnished homes for rent and have units available.

Outside Chapel Hill, several hotels have available rooms, including the Holiday Inn Express, Microtel Inn and Suites and Southern Country Inn in Hillsborough and the Durham Skyland Inn and Scottish Inn in Durham.

Many of these hotels continue to fill up quickly, said Patty Griffin, communications director of the Chapel Hill-Orange County Visitors Bureau.

“If you’ve not booked your hotel room, certainly go ahead and book your hotel now,” she said.

Contact the City Editor at city@dailytarheel.com.