Myrtle Seaside lodges almost full for Memorial Day weekend, some requiring new minimal night time keep

MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – “Welcome back to Myrtle Beach” is the city’s message to visitors to this Memorial Day weekend.

The vacation weekend begins in Myrtle Beach and the town is preparing for a busy weekend. Hotel occupancy is approaching total capacity, showing that Myrtle Beach is recovering quickly.

As of Thursday, more than 80% of the rooms in Myrtle Beach were booked. City officials expect that number to climb above 90% by Friday or Saturday.

“The good news is that we are up double-digit percentage points from May 2019, a very good year in tourism. This is very promising for our business community,” said Karen Riordan, President and CEO of Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce.

Some hotels are working to keep up with the demand for vacation weekends with new measures.

Hotels have developed strategies to be more resourceful this year as many companies are still grappling with staff shortages.

The chamber asks visitors to be patient and recommends making plans and reservations in advance.

Bikers awaited at Atlantic Beach this weekend despite the BikeFest being canceled

Several hotels have introduced new minimum length of stay to meet demand.

The chamber backed the move and said it was a good idea to recoup the profit margins.

“That means there is incredible demand,” said Riordan. “People want to be here, so you don’t have to choose between a guest without or for one night. You can say, “Hey, we’re full right now. If you want to stay at our hotel, you’ll need to stay at least three or four nights.”

Another new tactic concerns the role of housekeeping. In some hotels, housekeepers only prepare rooms when a guest arrives instead of providing daily service.

The City of Myrtle Beach began enforcing its traffic schedule for the Memorial Day weekend at 6 a.m. on Friday.

As with any other major holiday weekend at Grand Strand, public safety is increasing, which means more officials, blocked off streets and barricades.

Memorial Day weekend kicks off with an expected record summer at MYR

Those heading downtown this weekend can expect all northbound lanes on Ocean Boulevard to be closed. Starting Friday morning, vehicles must follow a one-way street south from 29th Avenue North to 29th Avenue South.

There will also be a stronger police presence than usual.

Three hundred officers from various local departments will be coming to assist the Myrtle Beach police force.

“It will be busy so we all need to be prepared for it,” said Riordan. “We know that MBPD and HCPD are ready for this from a public safety perspective. We also need to recognize when the city is so full with so many visitors. We need to think a little about what we’re up to as residents and business owners. “