Hotels in Northeast Ohio in the path of totality started getting booked early in anticipation of the April 8 solar eclipse, but for those still looking for a getaway in the path of totality, time has not yet run out.
The eclipse will put a swath of Ohio in total darkness and is expected to attract travelers from all over the country. That’s meant an increase in demand and prices for hotels in the best viewing areas.
“Before I actually knew anything about it, we were getting phone calls, Laurie Cadwaller, the manager at the Ariel Broadway hotel in Lorain, said. “It was probably late summer that we started getting a lot of phone calls and started really filling up, and by the end of the year, we were sold out.”
Jim Garrity, the director of public affairs at AAA East Central, said room rates are based on demand, and the upward trend in pricing for the eclipse is typical for events like this. He said anyone still looking for a room should book soon.
“When you do see big events coming into town or big occurrences like what we’re going to see in April, you do see hotel prices start to increase and meet the demand,” Garrity said.
Though demand has increased, high hotel rates for dates surrounding the eclipse are by no means unusual, said Joe Savarise, the president and CEO of the Ohio Hotel and Lodging Association.
“Rates have gone up because there’s scarcity,” he said. “We haven’t seen something that is unusual or unprecedented in terms of hotel rates in Ohio.”
There are still affordable rooms available, Savarise said, but options will likely dwindle in the coming weeks.
“Virtually all the hotels in the prime viewing areas say they will be sold out, or sold out with only a few rooms open,” he said.
The economic impact of the April eclipse in Ohio could likely exceed $100 million, Savarise said.
“We think that it’s a completely fair estimate to say this is probably between $100 and $200 million and closer to the $200 million number based on what we saw in other states in 2017,” he said, pointing to the previous time a total solar eclipse could be observed in the U.S.
Savarise said there are many events going on throughout Ohio on the day of the eclipse and the weekend leading up to it. That includes the women’s NCAA tournament in Cleveland from April 5-7 and the Guardians’ home opener on April 8. However, he said finding a good rate is still possible, especially if people are willing to look past their first choices.
“Certainly, there are some hotels with higher rates, but what we encourage travelers to do is to check their options,” he said. “If you find one hotel that doesn’t have availability on a particular night or has a rate that you feel is higher than what you hope to pay, check the hotels that are around that hotel or in the path of the eclipse in that region because we still see availability and affordability.”
Savarise said for those still looking for a room ahead of the eclipse, the time to act is now.
“There is no benefit to waiting any later,” Savarise said. “Yes, there is availability, but every day, that’s going to get tighter and tighter, and it will move quickly.”
