January is typically a good month to book hotels in Southern California. This year is different.
In the wake of the fires that uprooted hundreds of thousands of Los Angeles County residents, thousands of displaced families and individuals are finding room in surrounding counties, particularly along the coast and in the desert. In addition to those under mandatory evacuation, many people, including many families and concerned pet owners, have evacuated due to poor air quality and general alarm over the county’s unstable conditions. are.
“This is insane,” said Marie Corbett, group sales manager at 14 West, a boutique hotel in Laguna Beach. “Some people are crying…you can see their emotions are raw. And they have animals. There was a woman whose hand was bitten by a dog. It’s stressful.”
Mr. Corbett said that by 2 p.m. Friday, the 70 rooms at the 14 West hotel were “nearly booked” for the night. She estimated that more than 80 percent of the guests had come from Los Angeles in recent days.
Because the region’s hotel inventory is so high and January is typically very quiet along the coast, many properties say they still have rooms available, often at emergency discounts. And some of the Angelenos who left town midweek are starting to return.
For information on available hotels, Discover Los Angeles has compiled a list that includes dozens of hotels in Los Angeles County. There are 39 hotels listed in Anaheim. San Diego Tourism has over 40 more listings. VisitGreaterPalmSprings.com has a listing of over 30 hotels. There is also a list for Santa Barbara. Some of these listings include detailed pricing information, and all are subject to change as rooms fill. Meanwhile, Airbnb is working with the group 211LA to provide free emergency housing to many displaced people and first responders.
After being evacuated from their home in the Hollywood Hills, Ansgar and Julia Friemel and their children ended up on Ocean Avenue in Laguna Beach.
(Christopher Reynolds/Los Angeles Times)
Due to the sudden exodus in LA, many accommodation facilities are already fully booked and occupancy rates have skyrocketed. And it was already a busy season in desert communities like Palm Springs and Joshua Tree. The result is an influx of reluctant travelers. People who are lucky enough to have the luxury of booking hotels on short notice still prefer to stay at home.
“We really couldn’t get out,” said Mike Muny, 33, of Mar Vista, explaining his family’s departure Friday.
“We feel really lucky. We know a lot of people who lost their homes,” said his wife, Libby Muney, 35.
As they spoke, they were standing near the entrance to the Marriott Laguna Cliffs Resort in Dana Point with their son Nate, 1, and their yellow Labrador Winnie. The sky was bright blue, with no helicopters or ash. Inside the hotel, staff transformed a conference room into a children’s play area, showing “Bluey” on a big screen and lining the floor with Twister games.
Andrew Strisno, the hotel’s marketing director, said weekends will be quiet and occupancy is expected to be below 50%. However, due to the exodus of residents due to the fire, the facility’s 378 rooms were almost fully booked over the weekend. Strizno estimated that most of the hotel’s guests come from Los Angeles. January hotel rates typically start around $300.
“Wednesday night was the biggest jump,” Strisno said. “It’s hard to imagine until you see it, until you see hotels suddenly filled up.”
“This hotel was great,” Mike Muny said later.
“Two people I know went to Palm Springs, and another friend is coming here,” Libby Muney said.
Ansgar Fremiel, 27, and Julia Fremiel, 32, of Ocean Avenue in Laguna Beach, and their children Emily, 7. Liam, 3 years old. Hailey, 2, may have looked like any other family hanging out at the beach on Friday afternoon. But Ansgar said they were only in town because they were “evacuated from the Hollywood Hills,” about 90 miles north.
“We just kept as far away as we could,” Ansgar Fremiel said. “I have three kids, so I don’t get in the car that early.”
The Fremiels were relieved that the Sunset Fire was extinguished and hoped to return home by the end of the week. But many families will be living apart for longer periods of time. These emergency travelers make hasty decisions about when to leave, where to stay, and when to return, requiring hoteliers to juggle more variables than usual.
Hoteliers are also bound by state anti-gouging laws, which limit them from raising rates by more than 10% of the rates that were in effect before a local or state state of emergency was declared. California Hotel and Lodging Association officials said the law could apply even if there is an emergency in one county and the hotel is located in another county. Said.
Orange County was home to many people evacuated from the Los Angeles County fires. Here, three guests from Los Angeles sit by the fire pit at El Caminanto Bar & Bungalows on Capistrano Beach in Dana Point.
(Christopher Reynolds/Los Angeles Times)
At the 120-room Pacific Edge Hotel, also in Laguna Beach, a receptionist reported Friday that “occupancy was 18% on Tuesday.” The last two nights I’ve been at 100%. ” Guests evacuated by the fire will typically pay 25% of the regular rate, and resort fees and pet fees will be waived, the clerk said.
For Fairfax Buchanan Banks, 36, who lives near the University of Southern California and West Adams, his decision to leave “was all about the air quality…it was raining ash.”
Pets were also a factor. Buchanan Banks has a dog and a 16-year-old male cat (named Papa) battling viral bronchitis. Her best friend had two dogs. Both pet owners loved the idea of clean air and open space. Buchanan-Banks said they were questioning the idea of permanently squatting in a friend’s home, and “fortunately we have the means to move.”
They tried Joshua Tree but couldn’t find anything that suited their situation. But they got an Airbnb rental in nearby 29 Palms with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a washer, dryer, and a fenced yard. On Thursday they made a plan.
On Friday, they left in their car while dealing with a pet accident. Still, Buchanan-Banks said, “By the time I got through Redlands, I noticed that my sinuses and throat were feeling better.”
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