Carweek + Visitors = No Vacanies

Car Week attracts 85,000 visitors to Monterey County and 57 percent of them live outside of the area and will need a place to stay.

The Carmel Garden Inn told KION their rooms sold out a year in advance.

“Pretty much every place on the peninsula is going to be full,” said innkeeper, Curtis Lederle. “Which is nice because we have a lot of repeat guests who we can actually give the rooms to. They say hey I’m staying in this room next year, put me in for next year as well so it’s nice we don’t have to use other sites to fill our rooms.”

Casa Munras Garden Hotel and Spa said Car Week is their busiest week. All of their 163 rooms were also booked well ahead of time.

Front Office manager at Casa Munras, Renee Silva said, “We have people making commitments as soon as they’re walking out the door from the previous Concor.”

Other hotels have a waitlist in case someone cancels.

“So for example if someone does call and say hey we’re hoping to get a room this week if you have a last minute cancellation can we be on your first list of call, once in a while it happens, people get lucky.” -lederlee

All of the visitors flocking to local hotels and restaurants will create a major economic impact but it will not just be businesses who benefit.

“With visitors spending 53.5 million dollars during Car Week that’s also 4.8 million in taxes so for residents that money goes to fund government services like paving roads and other services that we as residents and communities need,” said Jessica Keener, Communications mgr. Monterey county convention & Visitors Bureau.

KION’s Maya Holmes has the story at 5 p.m.