Power Outages Increase Business at Local Hotels

Baltimore County hotels are profiting from power outages caused by Friday night's thunderstorms.

Richard Phillips, manager at in Towson, said all 280 rooms at the hotel were booked on Sunday.

"We picked up 100 more rooms than we normally would have," Phillips said.

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Phillips said the Sheraton, like many hotels, bases its rates on expected occupancy. Because hotel officials anticipated this past weekend would be slow, rates were down from the typical $159 per day to $129.

"We've definitely been keeping busy, but it'll probably drop off today or tomorrow," Phillips said.

in Hunt Valley, which has 223 rooms, was also filled to capacity on Sunday. Colleen Wolf, director of sales, said the hotel is completely booked on Monday as well.

Because Hunt Valley was by the storms, Wolf said many of the guests are from out of town.

"We're seeing people from Baltimore, Pikesville," Wolf said.

Kenny Shrestha, general manager of in Catonsville, said phones at his 92-room hotel were ringing off the hook. The area from the storms.

"If we had another 500 rooms, we'd probably still be all booked," Shrestha said.

Comfort Inn, like Embassy Suites, was also at capacity on Sunday and Monday nights. Shrestha expects business will be higher than usual throughout the week.

"People are checking everyday to see if their power has returned," he said. "When they find it hasn't, they are extending their stay."