Business is picking up in Abilene as the university prepares for a weekend of Homecoming festivities. Hotels experience a significant increase in occupants every year thanks to ACU Homecoming.

The Alumni Association link on the ACU Web site offers a list of hotels within five to 10 minutes of campus, but seven out of nine of the provided hotels are at maximum capacity.

LaQuinta Inn has limited space left, but all 98 rooms at the Days Inn are booked.

“We’ve started a list, so if anyone cancels, we call them up,” said Ricky Ragsdale, manager of Residence Inn. “We’re overbooked by seven extra.”

Some hotels are taking advantage of this weekend to offer special rates for Homecoming guests.

“We do have a roughly 15 percent discount to ACU students and parents,” said Tony Silvestri, Holiday Inn Express Sales representative.

Restaurants and retail stores also need to be ready when Millie Dillmount meets the Abilene Civic Center in “Thoroughly Modern Millie.”

Tickets have been on sale since this summer, and seats have been filling up. Of the 2,057 seats up for grabs, 636 have sold for Friday night’s show, 1, 049 for Saturday night and 410 for Sunday’s matinee performance.

Tickets to the musical will be on sale through next week in the box office and at the door, but Nick Mills, sophomore theatre major from Mesquite, said he suggests buying them before the date of the performance, because Friday and Saturday could sell out.