Hotel rooms vanishing quickly for Inauguration

updated 11:26 a.m. ET Nov. 13, 2008

WASHINGTON - Heading to the capital city to be part of history on Jan. 20? Good luck finding a room.

You might be able to ante up $40,000 for a four-night stay at a fancy hotel, or you can crash on someone's couch or floor. Anything in between is just about gone for Barack Obama's Inauguration.

With hotels nearly booked up, lots of out-of-towners are suddenly deciding it's time to pay a visit to friends or relatives here. Others are more imaginative.

"Your apartment in Washington DC for a week ... for my apartment in Beverly Hills, CA," says one ad. "It's nothing large, just a smallish 1 bedroom, but it's smack dab in 90210!"

"With this being such a historical event, people are truly making the most out of it," said Doug Camp, marketing director at the sold-out Hay-Adams Hotel on Lafayette Square across from the White House. "It's almost like another Millennium experience."

Already, there is a waiting list at the Willard InterContinental Hotel, where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., finished writing his "I Have a Dream Speech." Guests are paying a minimum of $949 a night with a four-night stay required, spokeswoman Barbara Bahny David said.

"About 10 minutes after 11 on election night we had flurry of calls," she said. Most rooms at the hotel, located along the Inaugural parade route, were booked months ago.

Also gone: The 221 rooms at the Four Seasons in Georgetown, including a royal suite that costs $15,000 a night. So, too, are rooms at more modest-priced hotels such as the Quality Inn on New York Avenue in northeast Washington.

"There's a lot more interest this early than previous inaugurations," said William Hanbury, president of Destination DC, the city's tourism bureau. He said those serious about coming need to wrap up their plans in the next two weeks.

There are 29,000 hotel rooms in Washington and about 95,000 across the region, according to Destination DC. Many hotels are requiring a minimum three- to four-night stay. Other properties report setting aside their remaining rooms for VIPs and repeat customers.

"Unless you're lucky, or have a lot of money to spend, you might not get to be involved," said Stephanie Holloway, vice president of the Capital City Young Democrats in Austin, Texas.

Holloway said she initially hoped to bring a large group to Washington if Obama won, but quickly realized the costs were too exorbitant.

For those with deep pockets, the Hyatt Regency Hotel on Capitol Hill still has a $25,000 Inauguration package for two that includes four nights in the grand Presidential Suite with limousine service, a day at the spa and a private butler.

The butler can be summoned for almost anything — even, the hotel promises, for "drawing a bath with rose petals." The over-the-top package also comes with two tickets to watch the Inaugural parade and, for warmth, Thomas Pink designer scarves and gloves.

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Speaking of the parade, it might be difficult to get within eyesight of the cars going by. And the swearing-in at the Capitol? That could be a tough ticket, too. Call your senator or representative — and be wary of others who claim to have tickets to sell.

Wealthy folks can spend $40,000 on an "Eco-Inaugural" package at the Fairmont Hotel in Foggy Bottom. The four-night extravaganza includes the exclusive use of a Lexus hybrid vehicle — driver included — and his and her organic spa treatments with a massage and manicures. The Fairmont's "First Lady" will also get her own eco-friendly ball gown. And, following a night at the Inaugural balls, the hotel will serve an organic supper for 10.

Travel tips for the inauguration Hotels: Most downtown hotels are already filled, but there are still some rooms available in outlying areas of the city and the suburbs. Many hotels are requiring three- and four-night minimums. Travelers can check Web sites such as Expedia and Orbitz for deals as well as http://www.washington.org. "You really want to get at it right now," advises William Hanbury with Destination DC, the city's tourism bureau. Groups requiring 10 or more rooms can call Destination DC at 1-800-422-8644. Other options: Hanbury says people are coming up with innovative approaches such as sleeping in church basements, school cafeterias or on friends' couches. Some D.C. residents have posted ads on Web sites such as Craigslist offering to rent out their homes. Transportation: Many streets downtown and around the National Mall will be closed on Inauguration Day, so plan to use public transportation whenever possible. Your best options include Metrorail and Metrobus and the DC Circulator bus. You can avoid waiting in line in Metro stations by pre-purchasing all-day Metro passes online. Be aware that security is heightened. For example, your bags might be checked on Metro and Amtrak trains. Tickets: Tickets to the inauguration ceremony are free — but sure to be scarce — and will be distributed through members of Congress in January. Contact your senator or representative to request a ticket. Congressional offices will get the tickets about a week before the Jan. 20 swearing-in ceremony; in-person pickup is required. Be wary of any Web site or broker claiming to sell tickets; Congress is the only way to go. Information from Destination D.C. and the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies The Associated Press

"I'm so shocked at the enormity of the price gouging," said Elle Peterson, a writer in Charlotte, N.C., who posted an ad last week on Craigslist seeking lodging. She is hoping to stay along with her three sisters at a home in Georgetown for up to $80 a night. "We want to share in this most memorable occasion without having to pay outstanding prices," her ad reads.

Peterson is hardly alone. "We are willing to pay rent, do dishes," reads another ad pleading for help. "We are fun people!"

Holloway, with the Austin Young Democrats, said she, too, turned to Craigslist for help and has arranged to stay at a home for free in Alexandria, Va.

Demand is so intense that business is even brisk at Cherry Hill, an RV park and campground in College Park, Md. Owner Mike Gurevich says 100 of park's 300 sites have already been reserved. The cost: $55 a night.

"A typical weekend in January would be zip," he said. "The only other time that we really saw a spike was Clinton's first Inauguration — and that was a dozen and a half people."

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