Big Rapids is a town of about 8,000 and Ferris is most of it, so the lodging is exactly what you would expect: three chain hotels within two miles of Wink Arena and nothing else for forty-five minutes. The Holiday Inn Express on Perry Street is the largest at 118 rooms per the Cvent venue directory and is a two-minute drive from the arena; the Hampton Inn has 93 per Hilton's own page and the Quality Inn & Suites 88. All three are on Ferris's own visitor list. About 1,500 graduates walked in Spring 2026 across a Friday and a Saturday, and the 2027 round is the same shape, 7 and 8 May, with the college-by-college schedule still to come. Hold both nights refundably until it posts. If Big Rapids is full, Cadillac is 48 minutes north on expressway, Mount Pleasant 63 minutes east on two-lane road, and Grand Rapids an hour south with a city's worth of rooms.
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A town the size of the ceremony
Big Rapids has about 8,000 people and Ferris State is most of the reason it is there. Spring 2026 commencement put about 1,500 graduates through a packed Wink Arena over a Friday and a Saturday, per Ferris’s own release. Each graduate brings a party.
The town’s hotels are three chain properties, all within two miles of the arena, and Ferris lists them itself on a “Plan Your Stay” page along with a Country Inn & Suites and a Super 8.
The three, by the numbers
Holiday Inn Express Big Rapids, 1005 Perry Street. Under a mile and two minutes from Wink Arena. 118 rooms per the Cvent venue directory, the largest in town.
Hampton Inn Big Rapids, 15320 Waldron Way. About two miles and four minutes. 93 rooms per Hilton’s own property information.
Quality Inn & Suites Big Rapids, 1705 South State Street. Under a mile and two minutes. 88 rooms per Northstar and Cvent, which agree; an older HotelPlanner listing said 85.
Two hundred and ninety-nine rooms across the three, against a class of about 1,500 spread over two days. No matched-window availability series has been run for Big Rapids, so this page publishes no count of what remains on the weekend. It does not need one to say the town fills.
Two days, and which is yours is not yet published
Ferris’s academic calendar gives Spring 2027 commencement as May 7, 8, a Friday and a Saturday, with examination week ending on the Friday. The college-by-college schedule that says which day is which is not out.
That is normal at this range and it has one consequence: a family cannot yet pick a night. Hold the Thursday and Friday nights on a refundable rate and drop one when Ferris posts the assignments. With 299 rooms in town, holding early is the cheap side of the mistake.
Forty-five minutes, in three directions
Cadillac, 48 minutes north on US 131. A lake town with its own chain and independent hotels, and the quicker mid-distance drive because the road is expressway the whole way.
Mount Pleasant, 63 minutes east on M-20. Similar distance to Cadillac on the map, slower on two-lane road. A university town, Central Michigan’s, with a substantial hotel base around its campus and casino; check that its own commencement is not the same weekend.
Grand Rapids, 61 minutes south on US 131. The deepest option by a wide margin, inventory in every tier, and the airport most out-of-state families will use anyway.
Drive times are off-peak road routes computed on 12 September 2026, not measured journeys.
Parking, from the standing page
Ferris’s commencement map and parking page says all campus lots are available, with Lot 8E holding designated accessible spaces and general parking on a first-come basis. That is Ferris’s standing statement rather than a 2027-specific one, which is why it is quoted rather than promised.
December
Friday 18 December 2026, on the same calendar, at Wink Arena per Ferris’s standing location page. The same three hotels, closer in time, with the holidays added.
Verified hotel rules
| Hotel | Min. stay | Prepayment | Cancellation / forfeit | Typical rate | How to book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holiday Inn Express Big Rapidssourcecheck rates | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Online, hotel’s own site |
| Hampton Inn Big Rapidssourcecheck rates | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Online, hotel’s own site |
| Quality Inn & Suites Big Rapidssourcecheck rates | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Online, hotel’s own site |
- Holiday Inn Express Big Rapids: 1005 Perry St, under a mile and two minutes from Wink Arena. 118 rooms per the Cvent venue directory ("Guest Rooms 118"). On Ferris's own visitor list. No commencement-specific minimum stay, prepayment or cancellation policy was found, and none is claimed.
- Hampton Inn Big Rapids: 15320 Waldron Way, about two miles and four minutes from Wink Arena. 93 rooms per Hilton's own property information ("93 Guest rooms"). On Ferris's visitor list. No commencement-specific policy was found.
- Quality Inn & Suites Big Rapids: 1705 S State St, under a mile and two minutes from Wink Arena. 88 rooms per Northstar and Cvent, which agree; an older HotelPlanner listing said 85. On Ferris's visitor list. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cadillac, MICheck rooms in Cadillac, MI → | 48 min | Not measured for this cluster. A northern Michigan lake town with its own chain and independent hotels, independent of Ferris's calendar. | Not measured. |
| Grand Rapids, MICheck rooms in Grand Rapids, MI → | 61 min | Not measured for this cluster. A large metropolitan hotel market with inventory in every tier. | Not measured. Full range. |
| Mount Pleasant, MICheck rooms in Mount Pleasant, MI → | 63 min | Not measured for this cluster. A university town (Central Michigan) with a substantial hotel base around campus and the casino. | Not measured. |
Drive times are off-peak road routes to Wink Arena computed with OSRM on 2026-09-12, not measured journeys. No matched-window availability series has been run for any town in this ring. Cadillac and Mount Pleasant are the same distance on the map; Cadillac is the faster drive because US 131 is expressway the whole way.
“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 ceremony?
Two are equally close. The Holiday Inn Express Big Rapids at 1005 Perry St and the Quality Inn & Suites at 1705 S State St are each under a mile and about two minutes from Wink Arena. The Holiday Inn Express is the larger, 118 rooms per Cvent; the Quality Inn has 88 per Northstar and Cvent.
Does Ferris publish a hotel list?
Yes, a "Plan Your Stay" page on its alumni site listing Country Inn & Suites, Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn, Quality Inn & Suites and Super 8. It is a visitor resource, not a commencement block.
Will Big Rapids sell out?
No matched-window availability series has been run for Big Rapids, so this page publishes no count. The structure: three named hotels of 88 to 118 rooms, a couple more on the university's list, about 1,500 graduates in 2026, and no other town for forty-five minutes.
Which nights do we need?
Both, until the schedule posts. Ferris's calendar gives Spring 2027 commencement as 7 and 8 May, Friday and Saturday, and assigns colleges to days closer to the round. Hold Thursday and Friday nights refundably and release one when your college's day is announced.
What is the fallback?
Cadillac, 48 minutes north on US 131, is the quicker mid-distance option because the whole run is expressway. Mount Pleasant is a similar distance east but 63 minutes on two-lane M-20, and it is a university town with its own May calendar. Grand Rapids, 61 minutes south, has inventory in every tier.
Where do we park?
Ferris's commencement map and parking page states that all campus lots are available, with Lot 8E holding designated accessible spaces and general parking on a first-come basis. That is the standing statement; re-check it for the 2027 round.
Is there a December round?
Friday 18 December 2026, on the academic calendar. Same three hotels, same distances, the holidays added, and only months away.
How we verified this
Last verified:
- Ferris State University Alumni, Plan Your Stay ("Hotels & Accommodations", five properties listed)
- Cvent venue directory, Holiday Inn Express Big Rapids ("Guest Rooms 118")
- Hilton, Hampton Inn Big Rapids, hotel information ("93 Guest rooms")
- Ferris State University academic calendar ("Commencement May 7, 8"; "Commencement Dec. 18")
- Ferris State University, Commencement Map & Parking (Wink Arena; "All campus lots are available for parking")
- Ferris State University news, Spring 2026 ("about 1,500 Ferris State students"; "packed Wink Arena")
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