Washington Area Hotels Offer Bargains To Ring In New Year

WASHINGTON, D.C.— According to a report in the Washington Post, the 340-room Washington Plaza Hotel at Thomas Circle, which was nearly empty, has thought of a way to fill its rooms. General Manager Crawford Sherman decided to offer a $20.02 rate for New Years Eve night and now the hotel is booming. “We were looking for something fun to get people in, and its just zoomed,” Sherman said. He has barely two dozen rooms left and expects to be sold out for New Years Eve — a rarity for hotels in the District during the off-season, said the newspaper. With a full hotel, Sherman said, hell be able for the first time in months to bring back his entire 250-member staff of housekeepers, cooks, bellhops and front-desk clerks for two days. He laid off about 100 workers over the last few months because business was so slow. In fact, area hotel rates are about 20% to 30% lower for this New Years Eve compared with last year, according to managers and event planners. Another hotel in the area, the Omni Shoreham on Calvert Street, is offering rooms for as little as $105 over the holiday— well below last years $159-a-night rate. Some hotel managers also are throwing in freebies, such as breakfast and parking. But, even with lower rates, hotel managers expect occupancy rates to be down as people stay home more and spend less. SOURCE: Washington Post