Are Your Parents in the Commencement Club?

Are your parents concerned about the limited hotel space during Commencement? The Charles Hotel Commencement Club offers an opportunity for Harvard parents to reserve rooms in advance.

Parents of any Harvard student (not just freshmen) are eligible to join the club. Once members have stayed at the hotel for 20 nights, they have the privilege of booking up to two rooms for their child's Commencement three weeks before non-members, who are not allowed to book rooms earlier than one year in advance.

So, that means members who want to reserve for the Class of 2011's Commencement could have done so starting last Thursday, while the general public will not be able to until the week after the Class of 2010's Commencement.

This way, parents are guaranteed a room during one of the busiest times of the year, when the Charles Hotel has to accommodate thousands of requests for a limited 294 rooms.

Other perks of membership include discounted suite upgrades, dining credits, and tickets to the Regattabar at the Harvard Square, depending on the number of nights accumulated.

According to Director of Sales and Marketing Jennifer MaMahon, the four-year-old program is well received by Harvard parents: its membership varies from 75 to 90 year from year. (Only 100 are allowed in any given year.)

So the good news is that if a freshman plans for Commencement early enough (four years ahead of time seems like a good amount...or maybe even before the acceptance letter arrives?), when the time comes, his parents will be guaranteed a space at the Charles Hotel. It's one less thing to worry about, right?

Photo by Sirui Li/The Harvard Crimson.