Inland hotels fill up as Isabel nears coast

Hotels hundreds of miles from the coast are filling up fast as seaside residents flee Hurricane Isabel.

Managers said they expected high occupancy rates for the rest of the week, although rooms were still available in the Carolinas and Virginia yesterday.

By Tuesday afternoon, the Holiday Inn Express in Dunn, N.C., 40 miles south of Raleigh, was booked solid through tomorrow evening, said front-desk clerk Demetrice Massey.

“We really didn’t expect this to happen so soon. We thought more people would wait and see,” she said. The hotel is recruiting every available staffer to work an extra shift to accommodate the crowds, she said Tuesday.

Dozens of Studio 6, Motel 6 and Red Roof Inn motels near the evacuated regions are prepping for more bookings, said Eric Studer, marketing-services vice president for Accor North America.

“The managers are in a waiting period right now, especially because the hurricane was downgraded. But it could be upgraded just as easily,” Mr. Studer said.

Hotels also may see extended bookings if the hurricane inflicts major residential damage, he said.

Further north in Woodbridge, Va., just 30 minutes south of Washington, hotel managers were expecting an evening rush from people evacuating Virginia Beach.

At the Rodeway Inn on Jefferson Davis Highway, General Manager Amy Latham said four persons had checked in by 3 p.m. yesterday. “Some of those people are coming up from Virginia Beach who have gotten a jump on the traffic,” she said.

Ms. Latham said several local residents had also reserved rooms because they live in mobile homes.

“When the weather gets dangerous like this, you see people living in trailers seeking more secure shelter,” she said.

Several evacuated families from Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, Va., have already settled into their temporary homes for the next few days at the Econo Lodge two miles down the road in Woodbridge.

“I don’t know why they forced us to evacuate. I would have rather stayed at home,” said Technical Sgt. Michelle Lindsey. Sgt. Lindsey, her husband and two children drove up to Woodbridge yesterday afternoon after being told to move 100 miles inland.

“We got lucky getting a room here because most of the places were already sold out when we called,” Mrs. Lindsey said.

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