OCEAN CITY, Md. — Every summer, thousands of vacationers drive into Ocean City, rolling their suitcases into hotels, motels and inns for a beachside getaway. But while many properties remain busy, some say this season has been quieter than expected.
Susan Jones, executive director of the Ocean City Hotel-Motel-Restaurant Association, said some smaller properties are reporting slower business, even though July’s occupancy numbers show an overall increase compared with last summer.
“They’re just feeling slower,” Jones said.
Jones noted that the official data largely reflects chain hotels and larger oceanfront properties. Smaller, family-owned motels often aren’t included in those reports, which she said leaves out part of the story.
“The oceanfront and the chain properties are doing fine,” Jones said. “Some of the people who are calling me directly would be the smaller mom-and-pop motels, and their numbers are not reported. So we don’t actually know what the real numbers are.”
We spoke with several smaller hotels about how their summer has gone. The Tides Inn reported slower weekdays compared with last year, while the Breakers Hotel said competing with larger chains has been a challenge.
But not every small business is struggling. Cristina Russo, owner of the Rideau Oceanfront Motel near the Ocean City Inlet, credited her location for a strong season.
Cristina Russo, owner of the Rideau Oceanfront Motel near the Ocean City Inlet, credited her location for a strong season.
“It’s a little gem,” Russo said. “Some people don’t even want me to talk about it because they want to make sure they get their reservation. So we book a year in advance.”
As summer winds down, local hotels are hoping for another boost in visitors during Ocean City’s fall festival season, including Oceans Calling and Country Calling music events.