Rooms filling up fast around Culpeper

From Texas, North Carolina and Florida, hundreds of travelers are flocking to Culpeper for lodging on the eve of President-elect Barack Obama’s historic inauguration.

As Jan 20 quickly approaches, area chain hotels are nearly booked. And despite reported hotel bookings as far away as Waynesboro and even West Virginia, most smaller, local establishments still have rooms available.

“(Culpeper) is easy in access as probably any of the other surrounding areas,” said Beth Burns, director of the department of tourism. “We’re fairly close — a whole lot closer than West Virginia. Plus we have Amtrak if people want the option of taking the train.”

Culpeper’s largest hotel, the 158-room Best Western on Madison Road, was completely booked as of mid-December. But there have been a handful of cancellations since, according to a secretary. The hotel’s rate was not adjusted for the event and remains $109.99 a night for a standard room.

The Comfort Inn on Willis Lane has a total of 49 rooms, all but two of which are booked for Jan 19. Manager Timeko Dancy said the normal rate of $109.99 was increased to $169 for the 19th and 20th.

“They’re coming from everywhere,” Dancy said of the guests for those days. “They’re ranging from Dallas, Florida, from everywhere.”

Microtel Inn & Suites has 36 of its 59 rooms available for Jan 19. The normal rate for this time of year was not available, but was raised to $250 for inauguration bookings.

Both the Red Carpet Inn (48 rooms) and Rodeway Inn (60 rooms) are completely booked, according to local managers.

The Red Carpet Inn did not adjust its rate, booking at its lowered winter rate of $65 a night. Its regular rate is $74.95. The Rodeway Inn increased its rate from $72 to $89.

“Anything that gets people to Culpeper,” Burns said of the increase in local hotel bookings. “Even if they’re planning to go to D.C., if they can get in Culpeper, hopefully they will come back and visit when they have more time.”

Aside from the chain hotels, Culpeper is home to many bed and breakfasts, though those — with significantly fewer rooms — are seeing fewer bookings. The three rooms at Thyme Inn, above the East Davis Street eatery It’s About Thyme, are all booked, but many others are not.

Thyme Inn’s rates were not adjusted and range from $125 to $175, said Connie East at the Thyme Market.

The Lord Culpeper Hotel on Main Street houses 28 rooms, though only 10 are regularly available to guests. Three of the 10 are booked — at an adjusted $450 a night — for Obama’s inauguration, according to manager Rebecca Tate. Normal rates are $82.50 a night.

A few blocks over on East Street is Fountain Hall Bed & Breakfast, with six rooms. Owner Kathi Walker said two rooms were booked online, one from North Carolina and one from Pennsylvania. The Walkers did not adjust their rates of $125 to $175 a night.

And the newly-renovated building at 249 E. Davis St. with its three European-style suites remains empty for Jan. 19 and 20. Rachel Lukow, manager of Suites at 249, said they did have a reservation earlier this winter, which was later cancelled.

When it comes to advertising Culpeper as an inauguration destination, Burns said her office sends out a regular e-newsletter to “a couple thousand subscribers,” which advertised a local bed and breakfast.

“I think people hadn’t really thought about bed and breakfasts in their inauguration planning,” she said. “That is certainly an option.”