Photo by dianp
President Obama will be inaugurated into his second term in seven days. With January 21, 2013 rapidly approaching, hotels, restaurants and other merchants across the D.C. area are grabbing at the opportunity to raise their rates for this quadrennial celebration of patriotism. And sometimes, they go too far. “Ridiculous Inauguration Deal of the Day” will examine the most ludicrous offerings we can find.
Hotels in and around D.C. keep telling us about their crazy inauguration weekend packages, whether it’s a $100,000 package for two at the Ritz-Carlton including cupcake parties and private consultations with the city’s best couturiers, or a $200,000 frenzy for the entirety of Alexandria’s Morrison House Hotel. Well, the price-gouging offers keep rolling in as hotels fill up with the 600,000 to 800,000 expected to be on hand for President Obama’s second swearing-in, but what about us full-time D.C. denizens. What is the hospitality industry doing for us?
In fact, there are hotel deals for us D.C. residents, they just don’t happen to be located in D.C. With this town set to go into Obama-overdrive mode in just a few days, there’s still enough time to pack up and head out of town, and some far-flung hotels are offering us a break.
The Lemon Tree Inn in Naples, Fla. is offering D.C. residents a 10 percent discount for the entire month of January, but especially this coming weekend, when there will be no better time to get out of the city. Rooms at the bed and breakfast, not far from the heart of the seaside resort city, start at $153 per night, but with the flash of a D.C.-issued driver’s license, guests can lop a few bucks off that total.
Reviews on TripAdvisor give the Lemon Tree Inn solid marks, particularly for its proximity to Naples’ shopping and restaurant districts and for offering decent rooms at rates that don’t reach Florida’s sometimes exorbitant heights. Writes one recent guest who visited all the way from the United Kingdom:
Spent four days in Naples, probably the most expensive place in USA certainly Florida. You will be run over by Porsche, Aston Martin, Ferrari etc. This motel is very close to the center, i.e. 5th Avenue and very reasonable prices and good parking as you would expect. They even include a continental breakfast with coffee and muffins with fridges in each room and obligatory air conditioning. Reasonable size swimming pool but it is location, location, location in the heart of Naples that scores as value for money.
Aside from this person’s near-disaster with a luxury sports car, doesn’t sound so bad!
So, if you’re gunning for the far side of the Capital Beltway later this week, here’s one potential destination. On one hand, its the nicest offer we’ve received from Florida. lately. On the other hand, it is Florida.
