Hotels in Oxford Slammed as Graduation Approaches

By Anna Kate Boyd

Journalism Student

Hotels in the Oxford area are essentially fully booked with no availability for this weekend as the 2022 University of Mississippi graduation ceremonies take place.

Many hotels, knowing the demand for rooms during graduation ceremonies every year, opened up their reservations a year ago and have been booked fully for months.

With hotel rooms being so hard to come by for those who waited, many families who will travel to Oxford for graduation are staying outside the city limits.

“We’re staying at the Courtyard in Tupelo,” said graduate Kathleen Greenan, “so it’s already like an hour drive. And we have to get here early to find seats, so it’s just really hard.”  

Home2 by Hilton Director of Sales Amanda Huggins said that their availability has been non-existent for months.

“We are completely booked for graduation,” says Huggins. 

For some who are traveling to see their loved ones graduate, their hope is lying in the hands of a spot on a waiting list at different hotels.

Receptionist Daniel Huacal of the Quality Inn and Suites said that their list is still adding names by the day. 

“We put them in order on this form that we have and whenever someone cancels, we call the next one in line,” said Huacal.

Even rental homes on services such as AirBnB have seen little availability, with the least expensive home going for $300 rent for a single night.

Home owner RJ Morgan said that his rental property, like many, has been booked for the entirety of graduation weekend for months.

“A family from Texas is coming the week of graduation. They booked for a couple of days before graduation and a couple of days after graduation… and yeah, been booked for almost a year,” said Morgan.

For those looking ahead to next year’s graduation, experts say now is the time to begin preparations and book a hotel if availability is offered.

The 2022 University of Mississippi graduation ceremonies are slated to begin on Thursday, May 5, and end on Sunday, May 8.