No room at the Albany inns

Places to stay in Albany during the Anzac centenary commemorations later this year are virtually booked out, with potential visitors being turned away because many accommodation providers are full.

The Albany Advertiser this week canvassed 13 accommodation providers and all reported they were full for the October 30 to November 2 Anzac centenary events.

Middleton Beach Holiday Park owner Trish Shuttleworth said they had a maximum capacity of about 350 people but had been turning away people for months and it was “embarrassing”.

Pelicans Holiday Village manager Simone Cameron said her rooms had been booked for more than a year and jokingly suggested she might rent out her house because demand was so high. “It has been chockers … it is going to be interesting, I have turned away heaps and have a lot on a waiting list,” she said.

Dog Rock Motel manager Matt Mitchell said they had started getting bookings for the centenary commemoration dates 18 months ago and were now virtually full, while Amity Motor Inn Albany confirmed it had been booked out since last September

Hotel Ibis Styles Albany general manager Bob Overend told a similar story, but said this level of bookings was to be expected at this type of event.

“We are full at the moment and have been since last September or August,” he said.

Emu Point Motel and Apartments manager Vivienne Elliot said they had 25 units which were booked out.

“People have booked for three or four days over the period … we have been booked out for three to four months,” she said.

“I have put people on a waiting list, there is just not enough accommodation.”

David Palfrey from Dolphin Lodge also said they were fully booked and described the level of interest for accommodation as “crazy”.

Concerns have been raised in the past about whether Albany could accommodate the expected influx of people.

At a community forum last October, City of Albany corporate services executive director Garry Adams said it was important the City did not rush into “opening up tent cities” to accommodate everyone.

An audit of the region’s short-stay accommodation is being undertaken by Tourism WA at present with the results expected next month.

Albany Heritage Park general manager Dean Lee said this included looking at what accommodation was available in surrounding towns.

“The neighbouring centres of Denmark and Mt Barker have considerable accommodation capacity, and Tourism WA is currently assessing this capacity,” he said.

Mr Lee said the City was also working on an overflow plan that could allow community groups to provide short-term overflow accommodation and commercial operators like caravan parks to activate their overflow policy.

It is estimated as many as 30,000 visitors may visit Albany for the Anzac centenary events.