The Virginian Pilot
By Kimberly Pierceall
February 7, 2019
The door to each room is sealed shut with a sticker, not as some sort of movie-style trap to detect a burglar, but to guarantee to those staying the night that no one else has dared enter since it was cleaned.
It’s just one of the steps the new Tru by Hilton Norfolk Airport hotel is taking since it opened six months into a global health pandemic that still keeps many people closer to home and on the ground, eschewing air travel for road trips.
Those driving vacations are a big reason why Hampton Roads — yes, this Hampton Roads — has been consistently filling more of its hotel rooms than Orlando, Los Angeles and Hawaii have.
During the week ending Aug. 29, and every week since June 21, the region has had the highest rate of occupied rooms among the top 25 markets observed by hotel research firm STR. For several weeks, Hampton Roads has been the only market to break through 60%, while places such as San Diego, Los Angeles and Detroit have only recently broken through 50%.
