Going to Oxford for the game weekend will cost you

OXFORD, Miss. (WLBT) - Fans still deciding whether to attend the Ole Miss-LSU game this weekend will pay a premium. At last check, the lowest ticket price on popular resale sites was running near $500.

Lodging demand drives up rates

Ashley Freeman, founder and CEO of Velvet Ditch Villas, a property management group in Oxford, said demand has been high since the game was scheduled.

“It’s like a frenzy at the last minute. People just...you should see us, it’s like ding, ding, ding,” Freeman said.

“People pay to play in Oxford and it’s a great place to come and play, but it’s very expensive,” Freeman said.

Freeman said prices are now lower than they originally were. Her company uses software to set rates based on demand.

“We actually use a dynamic pricing software. So, what that tool does is it looks ahead into the market and kind of forecasts what the activity is looking like and it bases our prices off the activity and the demand in the market,” Freeman said.

Planning ahead doesn’t guarantee lower prices

Fans who booked lodging months in advance also reported price increases. WLBT anchor/reporter and Ole Miss alum Verlecia Gavin said she booked an Airbnb about two months ago with a group of friends.

“We found Airbnb about two months ago. Super crazy cheap price, not cheap, but it was definitely less expensive than we were thinking for LSU weekend. So we were like, oh, booked immediately,” Gavin said.

Gavin said the reservation was canceled about an hour later.

“She was like, hi, so, sorry. We just noticed that the price on the booking site or on Airbnb is not what we want it to be. So we’re going to cancel your booking, but we’re going to change the price and then you’re more than welcome. We would love to have you with the new price,” Gavin said.

Gavin said the new price was at least $1,000 more than the original booking. She said they found lodging in neighboring Batesville instead.

“We knew regardless we were going to be there. It was just how much money are we willing to put in to go,” Gavin said.

Hotel rooms also in short supply

Options for last-minute hotel rooms in Oxford are limited. Budget chains such as La Quinta Inn and Suites, which typically charge around $100 a night, are listing rooms this weekend between $1,200 and $1,300 a night.

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