Gators fans flooding into Gainesville for home football games this season will face strict reservation rules at some hotels - including a two-night booking minimum.
The Hilton University of Florida Conference Center requires a minimum two-night stay on home football game weekends for high-demand games like the University of Tennessee and University of Alabama contests, said David Burgraff, director of sales for the hotel.
Hotel guests must reserve a room for both Friday and Saturday night on those weekends.
"We'd be doing ourselves a disservice if we sold out on a Friday night but not a Saturday night," Burgraff said.
The requirement is geared to help the Hilton meet the massive demand for rooms on these weekends and maximize its occupancy.
The Hilton also requires people to prepay for their rooms 45 days in advance.
"I guess those who complain about it just don't book with us," he said. "[As for] the people who are here - I'm assuming they're OK with it since they're putting their money down."
Rates vary, although they are usually higher for weekends where the Gators play prime opponents, Burgraff said.
Staff at some hotels said these minimums could be waived for games that draw smaller crowds, such as the recent Gators matches against Florida Atlantic University and University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Kelly Nutt, a third-year zoology major at UF, said her parents attended two football games last year and stayed in local hotels.
They didn't like the two-night minimum requirement because they like to save money when possible, she said.
But they made the best of their weekend stays, she said, by spending time with their daughter.
"They couldn't really do anything about it, so they might as well take advantage of it," she said.
Her mother has stayed at her apartment on solo visits. But when both of her parents come to Gainesville, they stay in hotels because Nutt doesn't want to burden her two roommates with the extra guests, she said - especially since she and one of her roommates share a bathroom.
She said their favorite hotel to stay at in Gainesville is Cabot Lodge.
While visiting for the UF Homecoming game this year, she said, her parents will spend time with Nutt and her sister Cara, a freshman.
The Sweetwater Branch Inn, a Gainesville bed and breakfast, also has a two-night minimum for most game weekends, said Rhea Looney, reservations manager at the inn.
Guests can choose whether to spend their two required nights on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday.
The inn will sometimes drop its two-day requirement as the game date nears, depending on the expected occupancy. No prepaid deposits are required, but there is a strict cancellation policy.
"Sometimes people will call a year ahead, and then within a week of a reservation they'll cancel," Looney said.
If a person wishes to cancel after making the reservation, they must pay a $10 cancellation fee at the inn.
When people cancel less than 30 days before their reservation date, they must pay the room costs in full, she said.
The full-payment requirement may be waived if there are extreme circumstances, such as a death in the family or if people find replacements to fill the now-empty room, she said.
The Holiday Inn University Center also has a two-night minimum requirement for home game weekends, said Trusha Jariwala, a guest services representative at the hotel.
People must book both Friday and Saturday night on those dates. There is also a 30-day cancellation policy for reservations.
The Laurel Oak Inn, another Gainesville bed and breakfast, also has a two-night minimum that requires customers to book Friday and Saturday nights on home game weekends, although sometimes the inn may make exceptions for Saturday and Sunday reservations, said owner Monta Burt.
The inn also has a 30-day cancellation policy, after which people must pay for rooms in full. If people cancel 31 days or more before their reservation date, there is a $50 processing fee.
Cancellation costs are waived if the inn is able to re-book the room with a new occupant, Burt said.
If a person does have to pay fees for canceling their reservation, they receive a gift card for their next visit, he said.
