Los Angeles fire evacuees get help from San Diego hotels

As evacuees from the Los Angeles fires search frantically for temporary lodging, many of them are reaching out to San Diego County hotels, which have mobilized to provide deeply discounted room rates.

The San Diego Tourism Authority, in tandem with the local lodging association, has created a web page with a growing list of discounted accommodations, from the Bahia Resort Hotel and Catamaran to the Rancho Bernardo Inn and La Jolla Shores Hotel.

San Diego-based Evans Hotels, which has properties in the Mission Bay area and La Jolla, already has about two dozen bookings from L.A. residents forced to leave their homes following multiple firestorms in Pacific Palisades, Malibu and Altadena. Many simply want to get away from the smoke and fire blanketing Los Angeles right now, said Robert Gleason, CEO of Evans Hotels, which operates the Bahia and Catamaran resorts, in addition to the Lodge at Torrey Pines.

According to the lastest estimates from fire officials, there are more than 9,000 homes, businesses and other structures that have been destroyed by the Palisades and Eaton fires burning across Pacific Palisades and Altadena, which is near Pasadena.

Gleason said that at the Bahia and Catamaran hotels, Evans Hotels is offering 25% off standard room rates, 40% off suites, and a waiver of resort, parking and pet fees.

“We started getting calls first thing yesterday morning from evacuees, trying to book a reservation because hotels in L.A. were filling up pretty quickly,” Gleason said Thursday. “The reality is that none of the guests staying with us really want to be with us but are here out of necessity.

“We had a call with the executive committee of the San Diego County Lodging Association this morning, and everyone is trying to do whatever they can. In the lodging business we get to participate in really joyous times for people and also in times of great stress and challenge for people. We see both extremes.”

The Tourism Authority has assembled a list of offers that is being continually updated on a website it created related to fire relief. Among the more generous discounts is 50% off at the Park Hyatt Aviara Resort in Carlsbad; a $99 daily rate at Humphreys Half Moon Inn on Shelter Island; and 50% off available rates at the La Jolla Shores Hotel and La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club. Expiration dates vary from property to property.

“We were monitoring conditions in San Diego to see if we would have any challenges here, but so far conditions look good,” said Kerri Kapich, chief operating officer for the Tourism Authority. “We had heard from a few hotels along the beach areas that they had calls from L.A. residents, and then thought we’re in a situation where we can reach out to our membership and other hotels in the community to see if they’d like to put offers out there. It’s gratifying to see hotels are doing that.”

In addition to local hotel discounts, Airbnb also has announced that it, too, is reaching out to those made homeless by the Los Angeles wildfires. It is offering free, temporary housing via a partnership with 211 LA to connect with those impacted by the fires.