Obama’s inauguration has region’s hoteliers ‘psyched’
The crowds expected for President-elect Barack Obama’s Jan. 20 inauguration are already staking their claim to Baltimore-area hotels. Rooms are selling out quickly at a time of year when business is typically slow.
The Sheraton BWI Airport Hotel sold out its 203 rooms shortly after the election, General Manager Heinz Woschitz said.
Already, transportation officials at Amtrak and Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport say they may add extra services or personnel to keep pace with demand. About a million people are expected to attend the inauguration and its festivities.
Baltimore has long benefited from its 38-mile commute to the nation’s capital. D.C. visitors account for the majority of Baltimore’s annual 5 million day-trippers.
But tourism officials say demand is higher than previous presidential inaugurations. Obama’s administration marks the first Democrat in the White House in eight years, and he will be the first black president.
“We are all psyched about being sold out for several days, especially in a month when things are not that busy,” Woschitz said.
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