Rita filling up San Antonio hotels

[TheWriter]

Rita filling up S.A. hotels

Web Posted: 09/21/2005 12:00 AM CDT

Melissa S. Monroe
Express-News Business Writer

San Antonio hotels are filling rapidly as residents from the Texas coast are fleeing here in fear that Hurricane Rita could do damage similar to what Hurricane Katrina left behind.

Rita had strengthened to a Category 2 storm on its way to the Gulf of Mexico, on a path that may threaten the Texas coast and parts of Louisiana devastated by Katrina three weeks ago. Sustained winds Tuesday were 100 mph, and they could get stronger by the weekend.

In a matter of 24 hours, many local hotels have seen their available rooms fill up, said Barb Machado, executive director of the San Antonio Hotel & Lodging Association.

"We usually don't get evacuees until it starts raining," Machado said. "With Katrina, people now don't want to take chances."

That's the case for Darlene Ringo and her husband, who live in Freeport. She's called just about every hotel in San Antonio only to find that not only are they filled up, but most hotels in Texas have no vacancies.

"I'm being told that I might have to drive to Oklahoma or Arkansas to get a hotel room," Ringo said. "I don't think I have a choice. Louisiana used to be an option, and now they are not allowing anyone in because they are still doing cleanup."

Machado said she's hearing that few hotels have rooms for Saturday, when the storm is expected to hit the Texas coast.

Hotels such as the Hampton Inn-Six Flags along Interstate 10 sold out within hours Monday.

"We started getting calls by 4:30 p.m., and by 7:30 p.m. we were sold out, and it's mainly due to Houston- and Galveston-area people calling in making reservations," said Hampton general manager Marc Salinas.

The 120-room hotel was already somewhat crowded due to an upcoming sports tournament and because Federal Emergency Management Agency officials are still staying there, Salinas said.

The hurricane turmoil has brought Salinas' hotel 15 percent more visitors this month than last September. Generally, occupancy grows only 1 percent to 2 percent a year, he said.

Reservations have also ed at the 296-room Marriott Northwest at I-10 and Loop 410.

"We've gotten calls from different oil companies and insurance companies mainly because they want to be here in advance of alleged problems," said the Marriott's Jan Baker, director of sales and marketing. "Katrina has set different standards, because we are definitely not this busy around this time of the year."

La Quinta spokeswoman Teresa Ferguson said hotels in Houston are 92 percent occupied, and the situation isn't much better in the 11 La Quintas in San Antonio.

"There's a heightened awareness of what can happen if you don't evacuate," Ferguson said.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/business....1209e53f.html

[Solid D]

They are already filled up....within a 75 mile radius.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

my mother was looking for a hotel today and she said they're booked all the way through dallas even

some people might even go to oklahoma