With the presidential campaign in the homestretch, Washington, D.C. is seeing a surge in hotel and vacation rental bookings for early 2025, as visitors rush to secure spots ahead of a potentially historic Inauguration Day.
A Travel Weekly search on the Marriott International, Hilton and IHG Hotels & Resorts websites for hotels in the capital over the Jan. 20 inauguration found that dozens of properties in the city were listed as sold out. A search of Hilton and IHG properties showed only three with availability in the D.C. area, all in Virginia or Maryland. And prices at those properties started at $650 per night.
Elliott Ferguson, CEO of Destination DC, confirmed that the organization has anecdotal evidence of strong hotel bookings for the inauguration period, adding that a potential win for Kamala Harris, the vice president and Democratic presidential nominee, could significantly boost visitation levels.
"The demand is definitely there," Ferguson said. "And we're excited that this could be the first inauguration in a long time that we'd see large numbers of individuals traveling, because if [the outcome is] unprecedented, with her becoming the first female and first woman of color president, then clearly we're going to see higher demand."
To manage that demand as well as the uncertainty surrounding election results, D.C.-area hotels typically implement special booking strategies, with many properties enforcing a three- or four-night minimum stay and some implementing nonrefundable bookings or harsh cancellation penalties.
The short-term rental sector in Washington is experiencing a similar boost in inauguration-related bookings, according to Ryan Saylor, director of product marketing at Beyond, a revenue management software platform for vacation rentals. Beyond works directly with around 1,500 of Washington's total supply of roughly 17,000 short-term rental units.
Beyond's data shows that occupancy levels for the inauguration period of Jan. 19 and 20 are already at around 62% or 63%, compared to about 47% during the same time of year before the 2021 inauguration. On Jan. 18, 2021, short-term rental accommodations ultimately hit an inauguration-time occupancy peak of 75%.
Ryan Saylor
"Bookings are already pacing ahead of 2021 by about 10% on occupancy," Saylor said. "And if Harris wins, and we're looking at something that's more of a historical moment, that would certainly drive quite a bit more demand."
Saylor pointed out, however, that short-term rental supply can often expand amid periods of extraordinary demand.
"Something that we can also see -- which also typically happens with events like the Super Bowl or the Olympics -- is that rental supply skyrockets," he said. "People think, 'Oh, let me put up my extra bedroom and sell it for $1,000.' If we do see the first woman president, then we're likely going to see quite a bit more supply come online as the general public realizes there's going to be more demand."
The potential inauguration surge comes on the heels of what's likely to be another strong year for D.C. tourism in 2024.
According to Destination DC, the city welcomed a record high of nearly 26 million visitors in 2023, surpassing 2019's visitor count by 4%. Ferguson predicts that the final 2024 visitation numbers could run even higher.
"We're anticipating year-over-year growth," said Ferguson, adding that international inbound travel into D.C., while still a small percentage of overall visitors, is on the upswing.
That growth is reflected in the destination's latest hotel data, with CoStar reporting that D.C. hotel occupancy is up 3% year to date through July, compared with 2023.
Ferguson attributes some of the recent tourism success to Destination DC's "Only One DC" campaign, which the group debuted last November. The marketing effort aims to highlight the city's unique experiences and wealth of free activities, and it directs potential visitors to its website, Washington.org, where they can find hotel deals, event listings and dining and itinerary suggestions.
"The campaign is really appealing, and it's resonating with the global community," Ferguson said. "They want to know more about what we're selling and how visitors can take advantage of what we have to offer, which is great."