MOBILE, Ala. (WPMI) Since the passengers of crew of the Carnival Triumph could be arriving as early as Thursday afternoon into Mobile, downtown hotels are preparing for the influx of guests they are about to receive.
Carnival began making arrangements at several hotels on Tuesday.
A Carnival spokesperson said in a statement they are "currently finalizing travel arrangements for guests from Mobile," as guests were given the option of "boarding buses directly to Galveston or Houston, Texas, or to spend the night in a hotel in New Orleans."
Downtown Mobile hoteliers said many Carnival workers will be staying downtown, and that means extra revenue for hotels and for the city.
"They reached out to us early yesterday, and collectively we have about 100 rooms reserved presently for The Battle House," Battle House General Manager Margo Gilbert said.
Gilbert said employees of the cruise liner are already trickling in, and more will likely check in as the Carnival Triumph is towed to the Alabama Cruise Terminal Thursday.
"Mostly workers with Carnival, and some of their corporate office folks, are coming in to assist with the debarkation of the boat," Gilbert said. "We'll make some staffing adjustments here at the hotel to make sure we accommodate them in our food and beverage outlets and restaurants."
Similar preparations are being made just down Royal Street at the Candlewood Suites, where Carnival booked 14 rooms. General Manager Teresa Floyd said one of the requests by their incoming guests was for washing machines to clean their clothes.
"We want to make them feel as if they aren't missing anything at home in the environment that they have been in," Floyd said.
While guests look forward to freshening up, hoteliers said the added revenue is a nice boost in the post-Mardi Gras lull.
"Fortunately we are at a high occupancy," Floyd said.
"Our staff is excited because, you know, we're working, and we're making money," Margo Gilbert said. "So that's what we're in the business for."
Hotel managers at three other hotels Local 15 News contacted said they too have been contacted by Carnival, though they are still waiting to see if the cruise line will be booking rooms.
