ANAHEIM, Calif. — Several local hotels are stepping up and helping fire evacuated residents.
The Anaheim Hotel in Anaheim and Avenue of the Arts Costa Mesa in Costa Mesa, both owned by Wincome Hospitality, are offering a steep discount to help residents who are being displaced by the fast-growing Silverado Fire. The Tropicana Inn & Suites, the Hyatt House Anaheim Resort, and Homewood Suites in Anaheim are also offering a discount. An additional 15 hotels in Anaheim and Garden Grove have also agreed to participate to help wildfire victims, according to Visit Anaheim, Anaheim's tourism and marketing arm.
“We are all in support of helping our neighbors,” Wincome Hospitality Corporate Communications Director Sivilay Henry said. “Obviously, this has been a tragic year for all of us, and now this on top of the coronavirus, it’s been tough.”
The offers come as a wind-driven fire scorches parts of the Silverado area of Orange County. With hotel occupancy hurt due to the coronavirus catalyzed-downturn, this could also be a great way to not only help residents impacted by the wildfire but help local hoteliers looking to fill their rooms.
The so-called Silverado Fire started near Silverado Canyon around 7 a.m. Monday. By early afternoon, the fire had grown to more than 4,000 acres.
More than 500 firefighters are battling the fire. Two firefighters were critically injured with second and third degree burns, according to Orange County Fire Authority officials.
No structures have been destroyed, but two homes did catch fire, according to reports.
Residents who live in the fire’s path in Lake Forest, Yorba Linda, and Irvine have either been ordered to evacuate or prepare for evacuation.
More than 60,000 residents are under mandatory evacuation orders. More than 20,000 homes have already evacuated, according to the Orange County Fire Authority.
Greg Eisenman, the general manager at The Tropicana Inn next to Disneyland, said the hotel's standard room rate is $119 a night but is dropping the price to $79 for evacuated residents.
"All they have to do is show us an identification card that shows us the city where they are coming from," Eisenman said. "We have to help our community because we live in this community as well."
The Anaheim Hotel is offering a nightly rate of $89 per night with parking. The rate is usually in the mid-$100s, Henry said. The Avenue of the Arts hotel in Costa Mesa, next to the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, discounted their rooms to $119 per night, down from the usual $200 range, Henry said.
"Wincome hospitality has always been a believer in community and community relations," Henry said. "We are a family owned business and we want to make sure we are there for our neighbors. We got the space. We're happy to jump in and help those that need it most."