If you are planning to stay in Oxford for the Ole Miss playoff weekend in what has been billed as one of, if not the biggest sporting events in Mississippi history, get ready to shell out some big dollars.
As anticipation builds for the Ole Miss playoff matchup against Tulane on the weekend of December 19–21, Oxford’s hospitality industry is preparing for what could be one of the most expensive lodging weekends in the city’s history. With limited hotel inventory and a football-fueled tourism surge expected, visitors may see room rates climb well above traditional game-day levels.
It will be the first game for the Rebels since coach Lane Kiffin departed for LSU. Former defensive coordinator Pete Golding was promoted to take over as the permanent replacement.
Oxford has long been known for steep hotel prices during marquee football weekends, but the first-round game of the College Football Playoff, just days before Christmas, could push rates into unprecedented territory.
How much will it cost?
A check into many hotels showed that there are no rooms available at all. Even more than 20 miles away, most of the hotels in Batesville are completely booked.
If you are willing to drive a little further, say 50 miles to Tupelo, you can get a night at Hotel Tupelo for about $300 a night. With fees, that’s going to cost you about $700 for the weekend.
But one of the nicer hotels in Oxford has at least one room but get ready to shell out some dollars.
The Graduate, showed a price of $6,537.82 for that Friday and Saturday night.
How about an Airbnb?
If that price tag is not your cup of tea, maybe an Airbnb might be more suited for you.
How about a 4-bedroom, 4-bathroom home that is walking distance to the square?
The price will be $15,260 a night for a total of more than $30,000 before you ever have a ticket to the game.
That is definitely the most expensive but there are nearly a dozen more offering modest homes more than $10,000 a night.
On the low end of the Airbnb rates, there are a few homes listed at around $300 a night. However, that small home is 25 miles from the city limits. It goes up from there with rate costing near $1,000 for the weekend on a about a dozen before rates jump to $1,000 a night and up.
Ross Reily is a writer for the Clarion Ledger, part of the USA TODAY Network. He can be reached at rreily@gannett.com or 601-573-2952. You can follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter @GreenOkra1.
Ole Miss offensive lineman Patrick Kutas (75) lifts up wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling (1) after scoring during a college football game between Mississippi State and Ole Miss at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Miss., on Friday, Nov. 28, 2025. Ole Miss defeated Mississippi State 38-19 in the Egg Bowl.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Have $30K? Oxford, MS, hotel prices for Ole Miss vs. Tulane sky high