Parents coming to Tucson for Family Weekend Oct. 24-27 are finding themselves at the mercy of a supply-demand imbalance when it comes to finding a hotel room.
Hotels in the Tucson area, especially those near the university, are seeing prices triple or even quadruple; a night at Tucson University Park is typically $200 while Aloft hotel is $100.
The Okmin family, traveling from Chicago, Illinois, booked a room at the Graduate Tucson last spring.
“I bought a room for my husband and me for three nights. The room was around $700 per night,” Julie said. “The price is so high, but I enjoy staying on campus because my son lives in the Aspire apartment building.”
The annual Parents’ Weekend offers campus tours, family brunches and a variety of fraternity and sorority events. With a student population exceeding 47,000, the influx of families seeking convenient lodging near the university far exceeds the available rooms, leading to an inevitable price spike.
Patricia Velasquez, a front desk agent at the Graduate Tucson, acknowledged the extensive planning the hotel takes to accommodate the mass crowds.
“As a hotel, we have to bring in more staff for the weekend,” Velasquez said. “We bring in about triple the number of staff members to ensure we can provide the proper hospitality for our guests.”
As local hotels near and on-campus reach full capacity, families are left searching for accommodations farther away. Many are turning to areas north of the university despite wanting to stay near the children.
Hacienda Del Sol Resort, located about 20 minutes from the university, understands the demand families are facing.
Alex Cotter, a dining room server at the hotel, is preparing alongside other employees for the large cluster of families.
“To handle the increased demand during Parents Weekend, the hotel enforces a no-time-off policy for staff,” Cotter said. “We prioritize putting our most robust employees on that weekend to maintain high service standards.”
Employees of Hacienda Del Sol say the clientele for Parents Weekend tend to be higher income and don’t question the rates.
“Our prices are significantly higher during this weekend, often close to double,” Cotter said.
Families looking for rooms can still find vacancies at AC Hotel Tucson Downtown and Aloft Tucson University.
Arizona Sonoran News is a news service of the University of Arizona School of Journalism.
