Ellensburg is a valley town on I-90 and its hotels are a short list: the TownePlace Suites with 76 rooms and the Holiday Inn Express with 66, side by side at the interstate exit seven minutes from the stadium, and the independent Hotel Windrow with 59 rooms downtown, four minutes away. About 200 rooms. Central Washington has already published its 2027 round in full, Saturday 12 June at Tomlinson Stadium with a 9 a.m. sitting and a 2 p.m. sitting and the colleges assigned to each, so you can book the right night now: Friday for the morning sitting, Friday and possibly Saturday for the afternoon. When Ellensburg is gone the answer is Yakima, 49 minutes south on I-82, the only city within an hour. Wenatchee and Sunnyside are an hour and a half; Seattle is further and over a pass.
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A valley town with a short list
Ellensburg sits in the Kittitas Valley where I-90 meets I-82, about 20,000 people, with the university on its north side. Its hotels are few enough to name in one breath.
Hotel Windrow, 502 North Main Street, downtown. About a mile and four minutes from Tomlinson Stadium. 59 rooms per the Cvent venue directory. Independent, and the closest.
TownePlace Suites by Marriott, 1709 South Opportunity Street, at the I-90 exit. About two miles and seven minutes. 76 rooms, the largest, extended-stay format.
Holiday Inn Express, 1620 Canyon Road, next to the TownePlace. 66 rooms.
About 200 rooms across the three. CWU’s own travel office keeps a local hotel and motel list with a few more; it is a staff resource, not a commencement block, but it is the university’s own inventory of the town.
The ceremony is published, so the night is knowable
Central Washington has done what few universities do this far out. Its commencement page already states Saturday 12 June 2027 at Tomlinson Stadium, a 9 a.m. sitting and a 2 p.m. sitting, and which colleges walk at each. The registrar’s 2026-27 calendar carries the same day.
That means a family can book the right night now instead of holding two. The morning sitting needs the Friday night. The afternoon sitting needs the Friday, and many families add the Saturday rather than drive after several hours in an open stadium.
No matched-window availability series has been run for Ellensburg, so this page publishes no count of what remains. Two hundred rooms, two sittings and no other city within an hour is enough to say: book now.
Yakima, and then not much
Yakima, 49 minutes south on I-82, is a regional city of nearly 100,000 with chain hotels in depth. It is the overflow, and the only one that works for a 9 a.m. sitting.
Wenatchee, 97 minutes north on US 97 over Blewett Pass, is a real hotel market and too far. Sunnyside, 89 minutes, sits beyond Yakima on I-82 and only makes sense if Yakima itself is full.
Seattle is an hour and three quarters west over Snoqualmie Pass. Unlimited rooms, a mountain highway, and not in the table.
Drive times are off-peak road routes to Tomlinson Stadium computed on 13 September 2026, not measured journeys.
Outdoors, in June, with rules
Tomlinson Stadium is an open stadium. CWU’s commencement page states that all guests pass through metal detection and that small purses are permitted; its visitor page says the nearest lot is limited and first come, first served. Those are the standing statements as read on 13 September 2026, quoted rather than promised for 2027. A stadium ceremony in June in central Washington also means sun; the university’s page is the place to check for a rain plan.
Not claimed here
No commencement-specific hotel policy, because none of the three publishes one. No graduate count, because none was verified for 2026 or 2027. No availability count, because none was measured.
Verified hotel rules
| Hotel | Min. stay | Prepayment | Cancellation / forfeit | Typical rate | How to book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TownePlace Suites by Marriott Ellensburgsourcecheck rates | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Online, hotel’s own site |
| Holiday Inn Express Ellensburgsourcecheck rates | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Online, hotel’s own site |
| Hotel Windrowsource | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Online, hotel’s own site |
- TownePlace Suites by Marriott Ellensburg: 1709 S Opportunity St, at the I-90 exit, about two miles and seven minutes from Tomlinson Stadium. 76 rooms per the Cvent venue directory. Extended-stay format. No commencement-specific minimum stay, prepayment or cancellation policy was found, and none is claimed.
- Holiday Inn Express Ellensburg: 1620 Canyon Rd, next to the TownePlace at the exit, seven minutes from the stadium. 66 rooms per Cvent. No commencement-specific policy was found.
- Hotel Windrow: 502 N Main St, downtown, about a mile and four minutes from the stadium. 59 rooms per Cvent; an independent hotel and the closest to campus. No commencement-specific policy was found. No map anchor: its coordinate returned 404 on Stay22's embed endpoint on repeated tries; the pin is omitted rather than moved.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yakima, WACheck rooms in Yakima, WA → | 49 min | Not measured for this cluster. A regional city of nearly 100,000 with chain hotels in depth. | Not measured. Chain tier; full range. |
| Sunnyside, WACheck rooms in Sunnyside, WA → | 89 min | Not measured for this cluster. An I-82 town in the Yakima Valley with highway-oriented lodging. | Not measured. |
| Wenatchee, WACheck rooms in Wenatchee, WA → | 97 min | Not measured for this cluster. A regional visitor and business hotel market in the Columbia Valley. | Not measured. |
Drive times are off-peak road routes to Tomlinson Stadium computed with OSRM on 2026-09-13, not measured journeys. No matched-window availability series has been run for any town in this ring. The ring is short because the geography is: Ellensburg sits in a valley with Yakima the only city within an hour.
“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 stadium?
Hotel Windrow at 502 North Main Street, downtown, about a mile and four minutes from Tomlinson Stadium, 59 rooms per the Cvent venue directory. An independent hotel.
What else is in Ellensburg?
The TownePlace Suites by Marriott (76 rooms per Cvent) and the Holiday Inn Express (66), neighbours at the I-90 exit on the south side of town, about two miles and seven minutes from the stadium. CWU's own travel office keeps a local hotel and motel list with more.
Will Ellensburg sell out?
No matched-window availability series has been run for Ellensburg, so this page publishes no count. About 200 rooms in three named hotels, an outdoor stadium ceremony in two sittings, and no other city within an hour: the structure says yes, and early.
Which night do we need?
The Friday night for the 9 a.m. sitting. The Friday for the 2 p.m. sitting too, and the Saturday if you would rather not drive after an afternoon in the stadium. CWU has published which colleges are in which sitting for 2027, so you can check now.
Where is the overflow?
Yakima, 49 minutes south on I-82, a regional city of nearly 100,000 with chain hotels in depth. It is the only real option. Wenatchee is 97 minutes north over Blewett Pass; Sunnyside is 89 minutes beyond Yakima.
What about Seattle?
About an hour and three quarters west over Snoqualmie Pass, with unlimited rooms and a mountain highway between you and a 9 a.m. sitting. Not in the ring table, and not sensible for the ceremony morning.
Is it really in June?
Yes. CWU is on the quarter system, so commencement is Saturday 12 June 2027, later than almost every campus on this site. There is no December round on the quarter calendar.
How we verified this
Last verified:
- Central Washington University, Commencement ("CWU-Ellensburg Campus, Tomlinson Stadium"; "Date: June 12, 2027, at 9:00 a.m."; "Date: June 12, 2027, at 2:00 p.m."; colleges per sitting)
- CWU Finance and Administration, travel procedures ("Local Ellensburg Hotel/Motel List")
- Cvent venue directory, TownePlace Suites Ellensburg ("Guest Rooms 76")
- Cvent venue directory, Hotel Windrow ("Guest Rooms 59")
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