Cedar City is an interstate town of about 35,000 with no larger neighbour for nearly an hour, and that is the lodging picture in one line. SUU's own parents page lists ten hotels with parent discounts, and the nearest of them to campus, the Abbey Inn at 940 West 200 North, has 81 rooms by its own statement and is a three-minute drive. The Best Western Plus a block east has 56. SUU reported 3,466 graduates in its 2026 class, and the ceremony shape puts demand on two nights: the university-wide commencement is Thursday 22 April 2027 at 7 p.m. and the college degree convocations are Friday 23 April. If Cedar City is full, the answer is St. George, 56 minutes south on I-15, with Hurricane on the way at 48 and its rates tied to Zion rather than to SUU. Parowan, 24 minutes north, is a few motels. Book two nights in Cedar City now, refundably.
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The university already wrote the hotel list
SUU publishes a page called Hotel Discounts for SUU Parents. It names ten Cedar City properties: Abbey Inn, Best Western Plus, Best Western Town & Country Inn, Big Yellow Inn, Courtyard by Marriott, Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn Express & Suites, Ramada, SpringHill Suites and the Magnuson Hotel.
Read it for what it is. These are general parent rates, offered year-round, and the page itself says availability is subject to restrictions. It is not a commencement block and it does not hold rooms for April. But it is the university telling you where its own visitors stay, which is worth more than any list this site could assemble.
Eighty-one rooms, three minutes away
The nearest of those hotels to campus is the Abbey Inn of Cedar City, 940 West 200 North, under a mile and about three minutes by road. The hotel’s own website says it offers 81 rooms and suites. An earlier third-party listing put it at 83; the hotel’s figure is the one used here.
A block east, the Best Western Plus Cedar City has 56 rooms per the Cvent venue directory. South on Main Street, the La Quinta Inn & Suites has 89 by the same source and is not on SUU’s list.
Set those numbers beside the class. SUU reported 3,466 graduates in 2026. Cedar City is a town of about 35,000 on one interstate, and there is no other town of size for fifty miles. No matched-window availability series has been run here, so this page publishes no count of what is left on the ceremony weekend. It does not need one to say that the nearest rooms go first.
Two events, two nights
This is the detail that changes the booking. SUU does not hold a single ceremony. The university-wide commencement is Thursday 22 April 2027 at 7 p.m., per SUU’s graduation page, and the college and school degree convocations are Friday 23 April, per SUU’s events calendar. Both weekdays check out.
Most families attend both, and an evening ceremony followed by a next-day convocation means the Thursday night and the Friday night. Book two, refundably. One caution on the time: a retrieval of SUU’s 2027 event listing showed “Time TBA” where the graduation page says 7 PM. This page uses the graduation page and says so; re-check both as April approaches.
The ring is really one city
St. George, 56 minutes south on I-15, is the only large market within reach, with a hotel base that does not care about SUU’s calendar. If Cedar City is full, this is the answer.
Hurricane, 48 minutes, sits off I-15 on the St. George side and is a Zion gateway. Its chain hotels were built for park traffic, and in late April that traffic is running, so its rates answer to Zion rather than to a graduation.
Parowan, 24 minutes north, is a small town with a few motels. The closest fallback, and a thin one.
Drive times are off-peak road routes computed on 12 September 2026, not measured journeys. The ring is short on purpose: between Cedar City and St. George there is very little, and that is the point of this cluster.
Not claimed here
No hotel policy for commencement weekend, because none of the three named properties publishes one. No 2027 venue, because SUU has not published one; the 2026 ceremony was at the America First Events Center and that is history, not a forecast. No availability count, because none was measured.
Verified hotel rules
| Hotel | Min. stay | Prepayment | Cancellation / forfeit | Typical rate | How to book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abbey Inn of Cedar Citysourcecheck rates | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Online, hotel’s own site |
| Best Western Plus Cedar Citysourcecheck rates | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Online, hotel’s own site |
| La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Cedar Citysourcecheck rates | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Online, hotel’s own site |
- Abbey Inn of Cedar City: 940 W 200 N, under a mile and three minutes from campus. 81 rooms, per the hotel's own website ("offers 81 new luxurious rooms & suites"); an earlier third-party listing said 83 and the hotel's own figure is used. First on SUU's parent hotel-discount list; the discount is a general parent rate, not a commencement block, and must be confirmed with the property. No commencement-specific minimum stay or cancellation policy was found.
- Best Western Plus Cedar City: 50 W 200 N, about a mile and three minutes from campus. 56 rooms per the Cvent venue directory. On SUU's parent discount list, which notes availability is subject to restrictions; that is not a commencement guarantee. No commencement-specific policy was found.
- La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Cedar City: 1377 S Main St, about two miles and four minutes from campus. 89 rooms per the Cvent venue directory. Not on the SUU parent 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parowan, UTCheck rooms in Parowan, UT → | 24 min | Not measured for this cluster. A small town with a few motels; the nearest overflow, not a deep one. | Not measured. |
| Hurricane, UTCheck rooms in Hurricane, UT → | 48 min | Not measured for this cluster. A Zion gateway town with chain hotels built for park traffic, which in late April is already running. | Not measured. Expect national-park pricing. |
| St. George, UTCheck rooms in St. George, UT → | 56 min | Not measured for this cluster. The regional city, with a large hotel base independent of Cedar City's calendar. | Not measured. Full range. |
Drive times are off-peak road routes to campus computed with OSRM on 2026-09-12, not measured journeys. No matched-window availability series has been run for any town in this ring. The ring is deliberately short: between Cedar City and St. George there is little else, and that is the point of this cluster.
“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
What is the closest hotel to SUU?
The Abbey Inn of Cedar City at 940 W 200 N, under a mile and three minutes from campus. The hotel's own website says it offers 81 rooms and suites; an earlier third-party listing said 83 and the hotel's figure is used. It is first on SUU's parent discount list.
Does SUU publish a hotel list?
Yes, a "Hotel Discounts for SUU Parents" page naming ten properties: Abbey Inn, Best Western Plus, Best Western Town & Country, Big Yellow Inn, Courtyard, Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Ramada, SpringHill Suites and Magnuson. These are general parent rates, not a commencement block, and the page notes availability is subject to restrictions.
Will Cedar City sell out?
No matched-window availability series has been run for Cedar City, so this page publishes no count. The structure is the tightest of any cluster added this month: a small town, ten listed hotels, the nearest with 81 rooms, 3,466 graduates in 2026, and demand on two nights rather than one.
Why two nights?
Because SUU runs two events. The university-wide commencement is Thursday 22 April 2027 at 7 p.m., per SUU's graduation page, and the college and school degree convocations are Friday 23 April, per SUU's events calendar. Most families attend both.
Where do we go if the town is full?
St. George, 56 minutes south on I-15, the regional city with a large hotel base. Hurricane, 48 minutes, is a Zion gateway with chain hotels priced for park traffic. Parowan, 24 minutes north, is a small town with a few motels.
Is driving back from St. George after the Thursday ceremony realistic?
It is 52 miles of interstate and the ceremony is scheduled for 7 p.m., so expect to be on the road after 9. Feasible, and then you drive back up for the Friday convocations. Two nights in Cedar City avoids it.
Is the 7 p.m. time certain?
SUU's graduation page states 7 PM. One retrieval of the 2027 event listing showed Time TBA. This page uses the graduation page and flags the discrepancy; re-check both before travelling.
How we verified this
Last verified:
- SUU Parents, Hotel Discounts for SUU Parents (ten properties listed)
- Abbey Inn of Cedar City ("offers 81 new luxurious rooms & suites")
- Southern Utah University, Graduation ("Commencement - April 22, 2027 at 7PM")
- SUU events calendar, College/School Degree Convocations ("Friday, April 23, 2027")
- SUU news, Class of 2026 127th commencement ("3,466 graduates")
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