East Lansing hotels?

September 22, 2009 9:16 AM

MSU Football road trip advice: Where to stay in or near East Lansing, MI?

I'm planning a trip to Michigan State this November for some football, and need advice on where to stay. Some of the prices I'm seeing make me suspect that local hotels/motels jack up their prices on home game weekends. Is this true? If so, how far away do we need to stay to avoid this? My group just wants a couple of nice clean rooms in a non-sketchy neighborhood but not too pricey. We're traveling from Southern Ontario.

posted by rocket88 to travel & transportation (6 comments total)

Some of the prices I'm seeing make me suspect that local hotels/motels jack up their prices on home game weekends.

Standard market response to demand saturating the supply. I have no idea what it's like in East Lansing, but even in Bloomington (Indiana), it's nigh-impossible to get a hotel room less than a year in advance, and they're expensive.

In Tuscaloosa (Alabama), hotel rates double, triple, or more for home game weekends.

In either of those places, getting 30-45 minutes out of town (toward the nearest major metro) will typically get you some vacancies and lower rates.

Good luck.
posted by toomuchpete at 9:57 AM on September 22

I stayed at the Holiday Inn (7501 Saginaw Highway; 9 miles west of Spartan Stadium) for a game in 2007. I booked 1-2 weeks in advance. I was traveling for work, but the rate was $75 for the night (may have been a corporate rate). The hotel was fine, but reviews on Google suggest that it may be under new ownership and renovations at the moment.

That said, there were several hotels at that intersection of highway 69 and Saginaw. One of them will have a room, even if it is during the Penn State game.
posted by steeb2er at 10:08 AM on September 22 [1 favorite has favorites]

Do you have a car?

If so, stay out in Okemos.
posted by k8t at 10:10 AM on September 22

Not sure about places to stay, but my significant other was in East Lansing for a basketball game he highly recommended The Beggar's Banquet.
posted by WidgetAlley at 11:12 AM on September 22

WidgetAlley, thank you for making me smile. Beggar's was my introduction to the world of good food back in *cough* 1976, and from everything I've heard, it's still great.
posted by tizzie at 1:18 PM on September 22

Yes, the hotels do jack up prices on football weekends.

There are a number of hotels, including Marriott properties, along Delta Commerce Drive in Delta Township, just west of the Lansing city limits. Quick access to freeways gets you to campus in about 20 minutes on non-football days. Count on more time than that.
posted by megatherium at 3:41 PM on September 22