Virginia and I occupying tavern to no avail (2,4)
I believe the answer is:
in vain
'to no avail' is the definition.
('in vain' can be a synonym of 'to no avail')
'virginia and i occupying tavern' is the wordplay.
'virginia' becomes 'va' (US state abbreviation).
'and' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'occupying' is an insertion indicator.
'tavern' becomes 'inn' (I've seen this before).
'va'+'i'='vai'
'vai' going into 'inn' is 'IN VAIN'.
(Other definitions for in vain that I've seen before include "'To no avail (2,4)'" , "Futile" , "Uselessly, without success" , "Without effect" , "no benefit" .)