Graduation Weekends
A house for graduation weekend.
Two private homes in Washington, one two blocks from GWU and one a walk from Georgetown Law. Room for everyone who is coming, and a kitchen table to sit around afterward.
Graduation is the trip the whole family makes. Grandparents fly in, a sibling drives up, and the plan that started as two hotel rooms becomes four, on the one weekend of the year when every room in central Washington is spoken for. A whole house solves the arithmetic and most of the logistics with it.
We have two, and they have been hosting families since 2021, with 360 reviews averaging 4.97. Booking here is booking with the owner rather than a platform, which on a weekend with this much riding on it tends to matter.
The 2027 dates
Three of the city's largest commencements fall on consecutive May weekends.
- American University. Commencement weekend activities Friday May 7 and Saturday May 8, degrees awarded Sunday May 9.
- George Washington University. Commencement weekend Thursday May 13 through Sunday May 16, with the university-wide ceremony on the National Mall and degree conferral on the 16th.
- Georgetown University and Georgetown Law. Both Thursday May 20 through Sunday May 23.
Individual school and department ceremonies sit inside those windows and are often spread across several days, which is why three nights is the usual stay rather than one. Confirm your specific ceremony against the university's own calendar before you book, since schedules can move.
Foggy Bottom, for GWU
Two bedrooms, sleeps five, two blocks from the GWU campus. The National Mall, where GW holds its university-wide ceremony, is a walk from the front door, which on a morning when every road near the Mall is closed and every rideshare is surging turns out to be the whole ballgame. The Kennedy Center is eight minutes on foot for the celebratory dinner, Georgetown is fifteen, and the Foggy Bottom Metro is six.
It also has a private off-street parking space with free use of a Level 2 EV charger, which is close to unheard of in this part of the city and the single thing guests mention most. Families driving in from out of state park once and walk for the rest of the weekend. See the Foggy Bottom home.
Capitol Hill, for Georgetown Law and the larger family
Three bedrooms, sleeps six, in a fully renovated 1895 Victorian with a private patio. Georgetown Law sits at 600 New Jersey Avenue NW, on Capitol Hill rather than on the main campus across town, about a twenty minute walk, or a few minutes by car, from the house. Union Station is a ten minute walk, which matters when half the family is arriving by train.
This is also the house to ask about when the party is six rather than four. It is the larger of the two, it is quiet, and it is the one families with grandparents tend to choose. Street parking is free and we register your plate with the city before you arrive, so there is nothing to display and nothing to feed. Catholic University and Gallaudet are both nearby in Northeast as well. See the Capitol Hill home.
Why a house rather than a block of rooms
- Everyone is together. Graduation weekend is short. Splitting the family across three floors of a hotel is how you end up texting each other about breakfast.
- A kitchen and a dining table. Restaurants near the campuses are booked solid on commencement weekend. Cooking one dinner at home is often the better evening anyway.
- Laundry and space to get ready. Four people, one ceremony, one morning.
- One booking, one bill. Rather than four reservations under four names at four rates.
- A dedicated workspace with a printer in both homes, for the tickets someone forgot to print.
Book early. Earlier than feels necessary.
Commencement bookings here concentrate six to twelve months ahead, and the houses go well before the ceremony. If your graduate is finishing in May, the time to book is the autumn before. Rates on these weekends are higher than an ordinary spring weekend and we would rather say so plainly than have you find out at checkout.
Practical notes
Three night minimum on commencement weekends at both homes. Check in after 4:00 PM, check out by 11:00 AM, with flexibility on request. Entry is by keypad, with a code sent before you arrive. One dog of 50 pounds or under is welcome for $200 per stay. Cancellation is a full refund 30 or more days before check in. The primary renter must be 30 or older, and there is no smoking and no events at either home. The full FAQ is here.