The hotel question at Arkansas State has an unusually short answer. The Embassy Suites by Hilton Jonesboro Red Wolf Convention Center, 203 rooms, is on campus next to First National Bank Arena, where A-State holds commencement, and the university's own lodging page says "Embassy Suites offers a special rate for A-State." Everyone will want it. The rest of Jonesboro's hotels are five to seven minutes out on Caraway Road and Johnson Avenue; the Hilton Garden Inn and Courtyard are on A-State's discounted-rates page for university guests. The dated round is Saturday 12 December 2026, on A-State's graduation page. Spring 2027 is stated only as "May 2027", with no day, and this page does not guess one. Jonesboro is isolated for a city of 80,000: Paragould is 26 minutes and nothing else is under an hour.
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The hotel is on campus
Embassy Suites by Hilton Jonesboro Red Wolf Convention Center, 223 Red Wolf Boulevard. On the A-State campus, next to First National Bank Arena at 217 Olympic Drive, where commencement is held. 203 rooms per the Cvent directory. A-State’s own lodging page: “Embassy Suites offers a special rate for A-State.”
That is the whole story for most families. Walk from the room to the arena. The catch is arithmetic: 203 rooms, one commencement, and every family reading this page.
When it is gone, the corridor across town
Hilton Garden Inn Jonesboro, 2840 South Caraway Road. About three miles and seven minutes from the arena. On A-State’s discounted-rates page for university guests. No room count confirmed in an English-language directory, so none stated.
Courtyard by Marriott Jonesboro, 4811 East Johnson Avenue. About two and a half miles and five minutes. On the same discounted-rates page. No count stated.
Both A-State pages are general travel pages for university guests, not commencement pages, and whether the rates apply to graduation weekend is not stated. No matched-window availability series has been run for Jonesboro, and the size of the graduating class was not verified in the research.
Saturday 12 December 2026, and a spring month without a day
A-State’s graduation page: “Fall 2026 Commencement Date: Dec 12th, 2026.” A Saturday, at First National Bank Arena, in two sittings. 10 a.m.: the College of Agriculture, Neil Griffin College of Business, College of Nursing and Health Professions, and University College. 2 p.m.: the College of Education and Behavioral Science, College of Liberal Arts and Communication, College of Engineering and Computer Science, and Beck College of Sciences and Mathematics. The Friday night either way.
The same page: “Spring 2027 Commencement Date: May 2027 Times: TBA.” A month, not a day. This page will not turn Spring 2026’s date into a 2027 one, and the ceremony weekend logistics page explains why. When A-State posts the day, the November review adds it; the Embassy Suites is the same first call for that weekend.
A thin ring, then Memphis
Jonesboro is isolated for a city of 80,000. Paragould, 26 minutes northeast on US 49, is the only ring town under an hour. Kennett, Missouri, is 61 minutes and small. Blytheville, 66 minutes, is an I-55 stop. West Memphis, 70 minutes, is the Arkansas side of the Memphis market, with Memphis and its airport across the river.
Drive times are off-peak road routes to the arena computed on 14 September 2026, not measured journeys.
Not claimed here
No availability count and no graduate count. No claim that the A-State rate applies to commencement guests; the university’s pages do not say so. No spring day. No room counts for the Hilton Garden Inn or Courtyard, because none was confirmed.
Verified hotel rules
| Hotel | Min. stay | Prepayment | Cancellation / forfeit | Typical rate | How to book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Embassy Suites by Hilton Jonesboro Red Wolf Convention Centersourcecheck rates | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Online, hotel’s own site |
| Hilton Garden Inn Jonesborosourcecheck rates | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Online, hotel’s own site |
| Courtyard by Marriott Jonesborosourcecheck rates | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Online, hotel’s own site |
- Embassy Suites by Hilton Jonesboro Red Wolf Convention Center: 223 Red Wolf Boulevard, on campus next to First National Bank Arena. 203 rooms per the Cvent venue directory. A-State's lodging page states "Embassy Suites offers a special rate for A-State"; the page is a general travel page, not commencement-specific, and whether the rate applies to graduation guests is not stated. No commencement-specific minimum stay, prepayment or cancellation policy was found, and none is claimed.
- Hilton Garden Inn Jonesboro: 2840 South Caraway Road, about three miles and seven minutes from the arena. On A-State's discounted-rates page for university guests. A room count was not confirmed in an English-language directory, so none is stated. No commencement-specific policy was found.
- Courtyard by Marriott Jonesboro: 4811 East Johnson Avenue, about two and a half miles and five minutes from the arena. On A-State's discounted-rates page for university guests. Room count not confirmed; none stated. No commencement-specific policy was found.
Opens live availability around campus via our partner Stay22. Several of the properties above take graduation bookings only by phone, mail-in form, or lottery, so treat this as a price check against the rules in the table, not a replacement for them. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
The ring
| Town | Drive time | Typical availability | Rate vs. epicenter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paragould, ARCheck rooms in Paragould, AR → | 26 min | Not measured for this cluster. The nearest town of size, with chain lodging on the highway. | Not measured. |
| Kennett, MOCheck rooms in Kennett, MO → | 61 min | Not measured for this cluster. A small Bootheel town with limited lodging. | Not measured. |
| Blytheville, ARCheck rooms in Blytheville, AR → | 66 min | Not measured for this cluster. An I-55 stop with interstate chain hotels. | Not measured. |
| West Memphis, ARCheck rooms in West Memphis, AR → | 70 min | Not measured for this cluster. The Arkansas side of the Memphis market, with deep interstate hotel inventory. | Not measured. Interstate pricing. |
Drive times are off-peak road routes to First National Bank Arena computed with OSRM on 2026-09-14, not measured journeys. No matched-window availability series has been run for any town in this ring. Jonesboro is isolated for a city its size; the ring is thin and the on-campus hotel matters more than usual.
“Check rooms” are partner links (Stay22), and we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Live availability near campus
Map and booking links are provided by our partner Stay22. We may earn a commission on bookings made through this map at no extra cost to you.
Frequently asked questions
Which hotel is closest to the arena?
The Embassy Suites Red Wolf Convention Center at 223 Red Wolf Boulevard, on campus next to First National Bank Arena, 203 rooms per the Cvent directory. It is the nearest hotel to any ceremony in this batch of clusters. The Hilton Garden Inn on Caraway Road and the Courtyard on Johnson Avenue are five to seven minutes.
Is there an A-State rate?
A-State's lodging page states "Embassy Suites offers a special rate for A-State", and a separate page lists discounted rates for guests of A-State at several hotels. Both are general travel pages; whether the rates apply to commencement guests is not stated. Ask when booking.
Will Jonesboro sell out?
No matched-window availability series has been run for Jonesboro, so this page publishes no count. One 203-room hotel beside the venue and a chain corridor across town is the structure; the class size was not verified. Book the Embassy Suites first and early.
Which night do we need?
For Saturday 12 December 2026, the Friday night. The 10 a.m. sitting is Agriculture, Griffin Business, Nursing and Health Professions and University College; the 2 p.m. sitting is Education and Behavioral Science, Liberal Arts and Communication, Engineering and Computer Science, and Beck Sciences and Mathematics. A morning sitting makes the Friday unavoidable.
Where is the overflow?
Paragould, 26 minutes northeast, is the only town of size under an hour. Kennett, Missouri, is 61 minutes, Blytheville 66, and West Memphis 70, with Memphis and its airport across the river.
Does A-State publish a hotel list?
Yes, two general pages: a lodging page naming the Embassy Suites and others with an A-State rate, and a page of discounted hotel rates for guests of A-State. Neither is a commencement list.
When is Spring 2027?
A-State's graduation page says "Spring 2027 Date: May 2027" and no more. No day is published, and this page does not infer one from 2026. The November review checks for it.
How we verified this
Last verified:
- Arkansas State University, Graduation ("Fall 2026 Commencement Date: Dec 12th, 2026"; 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. sittings by college; "Spring 2027 Commencement Date: May 2027 Times: TBA")
- Arkansas State University, cap and gown ("First National Bank Arena, 217 Olympic Dr.")
- Arkansas State University, lodging ("Embassy Suites offers a special rate for A-State")
- Arkansas State University, discounted hotel rates for guests of A-State
- Cvent venue directory, Embassy Suites by Hilton Jonesboro Red Wolf Convention Center (203 guest rooms)
This page is verified in two stages. Every fact is checked against the primary sources listed above, then the page is reviewed and signed off by our editor, A. Hassan. Corrections and enquiries: hello@graduationstay.com