THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, May 30, 1996 TAG: 9605300349
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BILL REED, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: 65 lines
Dank weather threw a wet, cool blanket on the Memorial Day weekend, keeping visitors at bay at a time when resort businesses normally kick off the tourist season with a bang.
Hotel and motel bookings along the Oceanfront dropped by an estimated one-third and retailers fared poorly for the most part, although most restaurants managed to hold their own.
``Obviously, business wasn't very good,'' said Michael Lagiglia, president of the Resort Retailers Association and operator of Beach Bumper Boats on Pacific Avenue at 21st Street. ``A lot of people closed up early (Monday). I did.''
Rick Hall, operator of Barr's Rexall Pharmacy on Atlantic Avenue at 17th Street, said soggy conditions kept shoppers away from his doors. ``I haven't seen a Memorial Day weekend like it,'' Hall observed. ``Last night (Monday) it rained so hard there was not a soul in sight on Atlantic Avenue.''
William Lawton, president of Forbes Candies, which has several Oceanfront outlets, said the rain definitely dampened commerce. ``Where are the people?'' he asked, half in jest. ``We missed our numbers. Business was off by something under 15 percent.''
Mother Nature also squeezed resort innkeepers, noted Ron Kuhlman, marketing director for the city's Department of Convention and Visitor Development.
``I can't quantify it for you, because we don't have the (hotel) occupancy numbers yet,'' he said. ``But it looks like we had 75 or 80 percent going into the weekend with advanced bookings and . . . it looks like we had a real heavy checkout on Sunday.''
Kuhlman's assessment, which won't be validated for almost a week when the official numbers are tallied, fit the business picture painted by Rick Anoia, chairman of the Resort Leadership Council and operator of the Windjammer Motel on Atlantic Avenue at 19th Street.
``Our occupancy rate for the weekend was about 65 percent,'' Anoia said. ``Fridays are always alittle bit soft. We normally see about 50 to 60 percent reservations and the other 40 (percent) are walk-ins. We didn't have many walk-ins and most reservations arrived, but a few left early.''
Anoia summed up the effect of the weather on the Oceanfront hoteliers this way: ``I'd say it was 30 to 40 percent off for the weekend.''
The past few Memorial Day weekends have been just as dismal, Anoia said, noting that last year's holiday also was rainy and inhospitable and that his occupancy numbers for both years nearly matched. ``We finished the weekend about even with last year,'' he said. ``We were two rooms less this year on Sunday.''
Restaurant owners generally fared better than hoteliers and retailers in the tourism season opener, according to a survey of eateries ranging from Alexander's on the Bay at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay to Rudee's Restaurant and Raw Bar on Rudee Inlet at the south end of the resort strip.
``Almost everybody had a great weekend, except for Monday'' said Wayne Smith, proprietor of Alexander's on the Bay and president of the Virginia Beach Restaurant Association. ``I guess everybody just went home on Monday.''
Carter Turpin, who owns Rudee's, was less sanguine than Smith. ``We did very well, but not as well as I would've liked,'' he said. ``If it hadn't been for the locals we would have been down this weekend. We didn't get those folks from Richmond and upstate Virginia that we normally do.''
Ken Byrnes, chef at King of the Sea Restaurant on Atlantic Avenue at 27th Street, saw a rosier picture. ``We had a pretty good push over the weekend,'' he said. ``The weather was bad, but we still had a good crowd.''
KEYWORDS: TOURISM VIRGINIA BEACH by CNB