Winter storm stimulates hotel room bookings

Perhaps recalling the dearth of hotels rooms after February's ice storms or the need for shelter after March's floods, Monday's storm predictions caused a surge in hotel bookings.

"It's nothing like last year, yet, but I'm looking outside and I think it's coming," said Anna Leroux, manager of the Townhouse Inn, which has locations in Cape Girardeau and Jackson. The Cape Girardeau rooms sold out quickly, she said, and just four rooms remained in Jackson by 8:45 p.m. Monday. She was sure they'd sell out by 11 p.m.

"We managed to keep power last year when most people didn't," Leroux said.

The six rooms available for tonight, she said, would probably be gone by noon, "if it's as bad as they say it's going to be, and it looks like it will."

The phone was ringing constantly at the desk of the Drury Cedar Lodge on South Vantage Drive in Cape Girardeau and people were lining up at the desk for room keys by 8 p.m. Monday night.

Only two rooms remained at the Victorian Inn And Suites in Cape Girardeau. In Charleston, Mo., the EconoLodge was booked for two days; few rooms remained at three Sikeston, Mo., sites, the Holiday Inn, Super 8 and Days Inn were "nearly sold out" according to the customer service agent who answered a toll-free booking number.

At the Pear Tree Inn, which was sold out Monday, 10 rooms were available for tonight, according to the reservation line.

Only Rajani Shah, owner of the 28-room Relax Inn, 200 Morgan Oak St., said he had not gotten any storm-related reservations yet.

As for Leroux, she isn't worried about traveling through the wintery streets to get to work or finding a place to stay away from the icy streets. She lives in the managers' apartment of the Townhouse Inn's Jackson location.

pmcnichol@semissourian.com

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