D.C. hotels have availability for inauguration
WASHINGTON - Want to stay in the nation's capital for inauguration weekend? No problem.
With about nine weeks to go before Barack Obama's second presidential inauguration, there are still plenty of rooms available - even in Washington's most desirable hotels.
"All the hotels have availability," says Ed Baten, general manager of the upscale W Washington D.C., which is two blocks from the White House. "It's starting to dwindle, but it's still there."
Four years ago, President Obama's historic inauguration - when he became the USA's first African-American president - attracted a record number of people, says Washington tourism chief Elliott Ferguson, CEO of Destination D.C. An estimated 1.8 million celebrated on the National Mall on Inauguration Day in 2009.
Ferguson anticipates that the Jan. 21, 2013 inauguration will draw a smaller crowd, as the inaugurations of second-term presidents are historically not as well attended.
But with inauguration weekend also falling on the Martin Luther King holiday weekend, Ferguson believes more people will still book trips and hotels.
"You don't see the immediate response to hotels being booked, but it will pick up," Ferguson says.
To sleep in a Washington D.C. hotel on the night of Obama's Jan. 20, 2009 inauguration, visitors paid an average daily rate of $605, according to Destination D.C. While the average rate for 2013 can't yet be calculated, the deals being offered by hotels indicate they still expect strong demand.
Ferguson points out that people interested in booking rooms - whether they search booking sites such as Expedia or Orbitz, or brand websites such as Marriott.com - will find higher-than-normal room rates and special conditions such as three- or four-night minimum requirements. If they check availability for one specific night, they might find no availability due to those conditions.
Among the city's hotels with availability:
* Four Seasons: Washington D.C.'s only five-star, five-diamond-rated hotel, still has rooms available. The least expensive room costs $1,095 per night, with a five-night minimum required.
* W Washington D.C.: Basic rooms start at $999 a night, compared to around $450 for a typical midweek night in January, Baten says.
* Mayflower Renaissance: Rooms start at $849 with a four-night minimum, says Keith McClinsey, the hotel's sales director. Once guests book, he notes, they have 24 hours to cancel or it is a confirmed reservation. Rooms are 100% prepaid and non-refundable, he says. One Obama supporter flew in the morning after Election Day specifically to sign the contract to reserve a block of rooms, he says.
* Mandarin Oriental: Rooms start at $895 a night; packages with three- or four-night minimums available, says spokeswoman Linda Beltran.
For full-service hotels, the higher-than-normal rates won't include extras such as Wi-Fi, but guests can expect small, inauguration-themed gifts left on their bed each night.
Hotels spruce up for big event
When people do arrive at their hotel for the weekend, odds are high that they'll find a hotel with new guest rooms, a new restaurant or new lobby. Since the last inauguration, Destination D.C. estimates that hotels ranging from the luxury Four Seasons to the independent Madison have spent an estimated $250 million on renovations.
When it comes to economic impact for the nation's capitol, nothing comes close. Ferguson likens the event to hosting a Super Bowl. Hotels, restaurants, department stores, boutiques, security companies, champagne wholesalers, limousine companies and others make big money from the influx of visitors.
It's such a big deal that Marriott International CEO Arne Sorenson recently told Wall Street analysts that "the inauguration alone" should increase annual revenue per available room in the downtown Washington D.C. market. The Washington area contains about 5% of Marriott's rooms, he said.
"We anticipate the inauguration festivities will drive results," he told analysts.