The science of Family Weekend hotel booking

Family Weekend is a designated space for Lehigh families to come from near and far, hosting events and activities to celebrate time together. However, with an influx of weekend visitors coming to Bethlehem, places to stay the night fill up fast. 

Every year, Lehigh provides families with information about the year’s upcoming Family Weekend, including places to stay. They list these hotels both on their website and in an email that they send out to families in May.

One of these places, Comfort Suites, is the hotel closest to Lehigh’s campus at a mere 9-minute walk away, located at 120 W. Third St.

Jadda Ortiz, an employee at Comfort Suites, said there was a group block designated for people staying for Family Weekend. Those who booked a room at Comfort Suites would get a set rate at $189 a night, which the university had already worked out with the hotel.

She said by Sept. 29, the first day of Family Weekend, the hotel had completely sold out, with Lehigh families occupying those rooms. 

“They wear their sweaters,” Ortiz said. “I see all the parents with their kids, so I’ve seen a lot of parents here for Family Weekend.”

Ortiz also said some families visiting for the first time need help figuring out how to get to campus from the hotel. The staff often takes families up the hill, which she said people express appreciation for.

Staying at a hotel so close to campus is convenient, but families are lucky if they can get hotel accommodations that are nearby because they tend to sell out first.

For Christine Iovino, who came to Family Weekend for the first time this year, staying in close proximity to Lehigh was a priority. However, she said before she decided to stay at the Hilton Garden Inn to visit her daughter Ava Iovino, ‘27, she did not have many options. 

Located at 1787 Airport Road in Allentown, families pay around $150 a night to be about an 11-minute drive away from campus. Iovino said families were given free breakfast for participating in Family Weekend.

She said she also referenced the list of hotels that Lehigh provided but many of them were sold out by the time she tried to book them. 

“I probably did it a month ago,” Iovino said, referring to booking her hotel. “I probably should have done it sooner, but I’m a first-year parent, so lesson learned.”

Paul Becker, father of Cole Becker, ‘24, said he called Hotel Bethlehem within an hour of the Family Weekend dates being announced. 

Becker wanted to stay at Hotel Bethlehem because it was close to campus, but he was already too late. 

“They were like, ‘No, sorry. It’s all booked up,’” Becker said. “They were booked up as soon as Lehigh leaked out that the date was set.”

Even for parents who have visited the area before, it can still be challenging to find accommodations. 

Daria Lovette has stayed near Lehigh several times, although this is her first year coming for Family Weekend. She and her husband, Dan Lovette, came to Family Weekend this year to visit their daughter, Gracyn Lovette,’27. 

On previous visits, the couple has stayed at a number of different hotels, including the Hyatt Place at 621 Grange Road, in Allentown. Daria Lovette said this year she chose to stay at Bethlehem’s Courtyard Marriot mostly out of necessity. 

“The Marriott is nicer, but the Hyatt Place is closer,” Dan Lovette said. 

Located at 2220 Emrick Blvd., Bethlehem’s Courtyard Marriot is about a 14-minute drive from campus. Daria Lovette said she paid $189 a night. 

“Hotels were already booked, so we just went with what was available,” Daria Lovette said. 

While they were glad they were able to find a place to stay, the Lovettes both said they wished they could have stayed closer to campus. 

For families that book months before Family Weekend, the options are still limited, but booking earlier often allows families to take their pick of local hotels.

Sandra Wainwright, mother of Maia Wainwright, ‘26, returned to Lehigh this year for her second Family Weekend. She said that she got the email with places to stay in May, and she made sure to book a hotel soon after.

Their family booked a room at the SpringHill Suites at 3800 West Drive in Center Valley, about a 10-minute drive from campus, for $209 a night.

Wainwright expressed the importance of booking the hotel months in advance.

“I think that the timing of when they sent that out was good, as well, because we were able to do it well before Family Weekend approached, so there were really no issues for us as far as finding a hotel available,” Wainwright said. 

She said she did the same thing last year, which gave her time to call around and find the place that best suited her family, which ended up being SpringHill Suites. 

“Every time we’ve gone to Lehigh we’ve stayed at that hotel,” Wainwright said. “We haven’t tried any other one yet. We may try some others eventually, but it’s worked for us so far.”