Hotels across the region are either already full or have just a few rooms left.
Hotel managers told Channel 9 that people who live as far away as Florida are trying to find a place to stay in Charlotte.
Eyewitness News anchor Liz Foster spoke to Phil Pendergrass, his wife and seven children, who are among thousands evacuating the Carolinas coast.
They’re heading north to family and hoping it to make it to West Virginia before stopping.
“[We’re] hoping that it’s far enough north we’ll be able to find a hotel,” Pendergrass said.
Many hotels from Charlotte to Rock Hill and beyond are booked 100 percent or expect to be, with people traveling for the big race or heading inland.
“We’re filling up very quickly," Kelly Steele, director of sales for the Courtyard Marriott at the corner of Billy Graham Parkway and South Tryon Street, said. "We’re getting phone calls from the Charleston, Florida area.”
Travel websites have posted advisories warning of high call volumes and many people searching online are seeing messages about “no rooms available.”
Jerry Oshekas and his family just arrived in Charlotte, where they will ride out Hurricane Matthew, which is expected to batter their home in Charleston.
They booked a place to stay days ago because they knew they would need a pet-friendly hotel for their therapy dog, Blondie.
“We decided to beat the rush,” Osheka said.
Hotel staffers said that if an online search shows no rooms available, call the hotel.
Availability is changing fast and there may be cancellations. Even if hotels can't accommodate guests for multiple nights, they might have openings for one night.
Cox Media Group
