Need a hotel for Cal Poly graduation? There are rooms — but it could run you up to $3,000
It’s that time of year again, San Luis Obispo.
As Cal Poly seniors prepare to don their caps and gowns for graduation this weekend, a flood of parents, families, friends and well wishers are expected to flood into the area, filling streets and businesses downtown as they celebrate their students.
This year, Cal Poly expects a total of 50,000 guests will attend its six graduation ceremonies, university spokesman Matt Lazier told The Tribune.
But where do all those people stay?
For the out-of-towners, it means booking rooms at hotels throughout San Luis Obispo County, where prices can skyrocket during the high-demand graduation weekend.
Though many have been sold out for months, several hotels did still have rooms available for the weekend — but they’ll cost you a pretty penny.
Throughout San Luis Obispo, posted prices throughout the weekend ranged from about $272 for Saturday night at Motel 6 on Calle Joaquin to just under $3,000 for a three-night stay at Hotel SLO (the downtown hotel requires bookings to be at least three nights during graduation weekend).
With fees and taxes, that translates to more than $1,100 per night to stay at the luxury downtown hotel.
According to Hotel SLO’s director of sales and marketing Lydia Bates, the property has been sold out for this weekend since roughly six weeks after it opened up the dates for reservations in June 2023, though there have been some cancellations, leading to a trio of rooms available for Thursday through Saturday nights.
Meanwhile, closer to Cal Poly, San Luis Creek Lodge employee Logan Peck said the Monterey Street hotel was essentially sold out through Sunday — and it was already getting reservation inquiries about next year’s graduation weekend.
He estimated that of the hotel’s 25 rooms, about 20 were occupied by people in town for graduation.
“I think grad weekend is a big driver for us,” Peck said.
According to its website, San Luis Creek Lodge did have one room still available for Friday night for $521. With taxes, the double queen room would come out to $610 for the one night. It did not have any availability for Saturday night.
Comparatively, the Michelin Key-ranked hotel did have several rooms open next Friday, ranging in price from $404 pre-tax for a deluxe king room to $476 pre-tax for a premium double queen room with a fireplace.
The Apple Farm Inn nearby was also sold out for Saturday, an employee confirmed to The Tribune on Thursday, though it did have “a couple rooms” available for Friday.
According to its website, prices for those rooms range from a pre-tax member’s rate of $367 for a king specialty room to $499 before taxes and fees for the Mill House Room with a king bed.
With taxes and fees applied, those rooms range from about $446 to $595 per night.
At The Wayfarer SLO, general manager Golda Mae Escalante said the hotel was seeing a slight year-over-year decline in occupancy rates, though she expected the rooms to sell out by the end of the weekend.
According to the hotel’s website, four rooms were available Friday and Saturday nights, with prices ranging from a Hilton Honors Club rate of $545 for a room with a queen bed to a standard $781 for a suite with a king bed. With taxes and fees added, that would cost between $618 and $898 per night.
“Although we’ve seen a modest downturn along with other area hotels, the recent surge in short-term and same-day bookings is very promising,” Escalante said. “We are confident that we will be fully booked from Friday through Sunday.”
Visitors hoping to catch a break by looking for lodging outside of San Luis Obispo won’t find much comfort.
A scan of hotels from Pismo Beach to Paso Robles also showed high prices across a range of hotel levels.
Want to get under $200? You’ll have to head to Santa Maria.
%20Cropped.jpg)