Do not book near the campus. LSUA's commencement is at the Laborde Earles Coliseum, 5600 Coliseum Boulevard in Alexandria, which the university's own page also calls the Rapides Parish Coliseum, eight miles north of the campus. The Holiday Inn Express & Suites on North MacArthur Drive, 80 rooms, is six minutes from the arena; the Courtyard, 96 rooms, and the TownePlace Suites at the Alexandria Mall are nine. LSUA points guests to the Alexandria/Pineville Visitors Bureau rather than naming hotels, and Alexandria is a regional city with more than a class of 800 needs. LSUA graduates on Thursday mornings: 17 December 2026 at 9 a.m. is stated in full, so book the Wednesday night now. Spring 2027 is Thursday 13 May on a registrar calendar that is subject to change and could not be re-read when this page was built, so book spring only on a cancellable rate.
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The arena is in the city, not on campus
LSUA’s campus is south of Alexandria on US 71. Its commencement is not there. The ceremony information page gives the venue: “Location: Laborde Earles Coliseum, 5600 Coliseum Blvd, Alexandria, LA 71303”, and elsewhere on the same page calls it the Rapides Parish Coliseum. One building, two names, eight miles north of the campus.
So the hotel question is about the arena. Alexandria answers it comfortably.
Six minutes, then nine
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Alexandria, 2340 North MacArthur Drive. About two and a half miles and six minutes from the coliseum. 80 rooms per IHG’s own amenities page. The closest.
Courtyard by Marriott Alexandria, 3830 Alexandria Mall Drive. About four miles and eight minutes. 96 rooms per Marriott’s own rooms page.
TownePlace Suites by Marriott Alexandria, 3810 Alexandria Mall Drive, beside the Courtyard. Nine minutes. Extended-stay; no room count confirmed. Its map pin is absent from this page because its coordinate would not resolve on the map provider after repeated tries.
LSUA names none of them. Its page says: “In need of lodging? Please visit the Alexandria/Pineville Visitors Bureau for available lodging options.”
No matched-window availability series has been run for Alexandria, so this page publishes no count. It does not need to warn you: a regional city holds more than a class of nearly 800 needs, and a Thursday-morning ceremony competes with business travel rather than weekend tourism.
Thursdays, which change the night
LSUA graduates on Thursdays. Fall 2026 is Thursday 17 December at 9 a.m., stated in full on the ceremony page with no ticket requirement, no guest limit and a clear-bag policy. A 9 a.m. Thursday means the Wednesday night, and a weekday off work. Book it now.
Spring 2027 is Thursday 13 May, per the registrar’s Spring 2027 calendar as read by the research pass on 13 September 2026. Two cautions. The registrar states its calendars are subject to change. And LSUA’s website was refusing connections when this page was built, so the row was not re-read. Book spring only on a cancellable rate.
Pineville, and not much else needed
Pineville, eleven minutes across the Red River, is effectively part of the Alexandria market and closer to the arena than the mall. Natchitoches, 67 minutes north on I-49, is a university town with its own hotel row; Northwestern State graduates the same week in May. Opelousas, 76 minutes south, is the far edge. In a market this size the ring is nominal.
Drive times are off-peak road routes to the coliseum computed on 14 September 2026, not measured journeys.
Verified hotel rules
| Hotel | Min. stay | Prepayment | Cancellation / forfeit | Typical rate | How to book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holiday Inn Express & Suites Alexandriasourcecheck rates | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Online, hotel’s own site |
| Courtyard by Marriott Alexandriasourcecheck rates | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Online, hotel’s own site |
| TownePlace Suites by Marriott Alexandriasource | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Online, hotel’s own site |
- Holiday Inn Express & Suites Alexandria: 2340 N MacArthur Dr, about two and a half miles and six minutes from the Laborde Earles Coliseum. 80 rooms per IHG's own amenities page ("Total rooms: 80"). The closest to the arena. No commencement-specific minimum stay, prepayment or cancellation policy was found, and none is claimed.
- Courtyard by Marriott Alexandria: 3830 Alexandria Mall Drive, about four miles and eight minutes from the arena. 96 rooms per Marriott's own rooms page. No commencement-specific policy was found.
- TownePlace Suites by Marriott Alexandria: 3810 Alexandria Mall Drive, beside the Courtyard, nine minutes from the arena. A room count was not confirmed, so none is stated. Extended-stay format. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pineville, LACheck rooms in Pineville, LA → | 11 min | Not measured for this cluster. Alexandria's twin across the Red River; Louisiana's tourism site lists four hotels and motels. | Not measured. Same market. |
| Natchitoches, LACheck rooms in Natchitoches, LA → | 67 min | Not measured for this cluster. A university town with a chain-hotel row on University Parkway and a historic-district inn trade. | Not measured. |
| Opelousas, LACheck rooms in Opelousas, LA → | 76 min | Not measured for this cluster. The city publishes a hotel list with several chains. | Not measured. |
Drive times are off-peak road routes to the Laborde Earles Coliseum computed with OSRM on 2026-09-14, not measured journeys. No matched-window availability series has been run for any town in this ring. The ring is nominal: Alexandria and Pineville together hold far more rooms than a class of 800 needs.
“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
Where is the ceremony?
The Laborde Earles Coliseum, 5600 Coliseum Blvd, Alexandria, which LSUA's ceremony page also refers to as the Rapides Parish Coliseum. It is in the city, eight miles north of the LSUA campus. The map on this page is anchored on the arena.
Which hotel is closest to the arena?
The Holiday Inn Express & Suites Alexandria at 2340 North MacArthur Drive, about two and a half miles and six minutes, 80 rooms per IHG's own amenities page. The Courtyard (96 rooms, Marriott's own figure) and TownePlace Suites at the Alexandria Mall are about nine minutes.
Will Alexandria sell out?
No matched-window availability series has been run, so this page publishes no count. Alexandria and Pineville together are a regional city market, and a Thursday-morning ceremony for a class of nearly 800 competes with business travel, not weekend tourism. The rooms exist.
Why a Thursday?
That is LSUA's pattern: Spring 2026 was Thursday 14 May, Fall 2026 is Thursday 17 December at 9 a.m., and the Spring 2027 calendar row reads Thursday 13 May. A 9 a.m. Thursday ceremony needs the Wednesday night and a weekday off work.
Why cancellable only for spring?
Two reasons. LSUA's registrar states its calendars are subject to change. And the Spring 2027 calendar could not be re-read when this page was built, because LSUA's website was refusing connections; the date rests on the research read of 13 September 2026.
Does LSUA recommend hotels?
Its ceremony page says: "In need of lodging? Please visit the Alexandria/Pineville Visitors Bureau for available lodging options." No named list, no block.
What about Natchitoches?
67 minutes north on I-49, a university town with its own hotel row, and Northwestern State graduates the same week in May, on 12-13 May 2027. Not needed in a normal year; Alexandria has the rooms.
How we verified this
Last verified:
- LSUA Commencement, ceremony information ("Location: Laborde Earles Coliseum, 5600 Coliseum Blvd"; "Rapides Parish Coliseum"; "In need of lodging? Please visit the Alexandria/Pineville Visitors Bureau"; 17 December 2026, 9:00 AM)
- IHG, Holiday Inn Express & Suites Alexandria, amenities ("Total rooms: 80")
- Marriott, Courtyard Alexandria, rooms ("96 stylish, comfortable guest rooms and suites")
- LSUA Registrar, Spring 2027 on-campus academic calendar PDF ("Thursday, May 13 Commencement"; not re-read at build, site unreachable)
- LSUA Athletics, Spring 2026 graduation ("nearly 800 graduates"; Laborde Earles Coliseum)
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