The Hilton Garden Inn at Stony Brook, which provides accommodations for thousands of guests and visitors who attend Stony Brook University events and activities, will raise its guest room rates per room and per evening during the May commencement.
“This is a high demand for all of Long Island, since it is a holiday and start of the summer season,” Jeannine Lang, director of sales and marketing for the Hilton Garden Inn at Stony Brook, said.
The rise of guest room rates will be in effect on Memorial Day.
Guest room rates will start at $279 per room, per evening. The Hilton Garden Inn at Stony Brook will provide students and their family with guest rooms, dining, the hotel’s private banquet rooms and other features and amenities.
The Hilton guest room prices are about $149. The price jumped from from that price to $279 per room per evening because of the high demand in the Stony Brook area and other surrounding areas. Other hotels near Stony Brook will be sold out, Lang said.
“The rate is set by the time of year and the demand as well,” she added.
The intersection of the university’s May commencement and Memorial Day weekend is the main reason for the increase in guest room rates.
Lang insisted that hotel prices are higher during the holidays. The hotel has to deal with high demand for hotel rooms, travelers booking plans and other demands.
The Hilton Garden Inn has 135 guest rooms, including 12 junior suites, four executive suites, a full service garden grill serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as a Pavilion Lounge and Bar.
The hotel provides a nine-passenger shuttle that will be available to the Stony Brook train station, Stony Brook village, Port Jefferson village and around campus.
The university requires drivers to have a Stony Brook University ID card present at the main entrance. Drivers will have to stop at the gate and tell the main entrance security guard that they are guests arriving at the hotel.
However, there are other hotels around Stony Brook that are willing to offer students and their families lower guest room rates during the May commencement.
The Three Village Inn at Stony Brook offers visitors and guests cultivated cuisine, professional services and high-quality ingredients. The hotel offers a Main House starting at $129 on weekdays and $199 on weekends.
The Main House guest room rate differs based on room types and on weekdays and weekends. Main House Staterooms has combination of traditional and modern furniture and luxuries.
“We offer many themes one night and two night stays,” Daniel A. Laffitte, innkeeper and general manager at the Three Village Inn at Stony Brook, said. “Most are tied into the seasons, holidays, area events all current packages can be found on our web page under the hotel tab.”
Among the rooms and suites the hotel offers to their guest are Main House Staterooms, Cottage Master Suites, Studio Rooms and Signature Suites. Visitors can check in and out of the hotel for college commencements. Guests can stay at the hotel on any date.
The Three Village Inn does not increase its guest prices during holidays, graduation or for any other important event. “We do not raise our prices as we feel that as a community driven location that would not be conducive to community relations,” Laffitte said. Laffitte indicated that the hotel determines the guest room rates. “We price our rooms by weekdays and weekends as well as seasonally,” she said.
The Holiday Inn Express hotel in Centereach provides visitors and travelers lodging accommodations near Stony Brook University and Stony Brook University Hospital. The hotel has rooms available from $160. The hotel’s guest rooms have two-and three-room oversized suites that include whirlpool tubs, rollaway beds and other niceties. Students and their families can enjoy the hotel premium services which include newspapers, refreshments, work space and data services.
