Area hotels nearly booked as Jubilee weekend nears

Published 11:13 pm Tuesday, February 26, 2013

As the final days before the annual Bridge Crossing Jubilee close in, area hotels are turning their vacancy signs off, signaling a packed house.

Four lodging options in Selma — Comfort Inn, Hampton Inn, St. James Hotel and America’s Best Value Inn — have all declared 100 percent of their rooms booked for the celebration, which begins Thursday.

The Selma Hotel is the only place that has admitted to sill having rooms available for the weekend.

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“But they’re going quick,” said Denise Jackson, front desk clerk.

Some desk clerks said rooms have been completely booked since late December.

“We had people call in months ago wanting to make reservations specifically for Jubilee,” said Jadarious Givan, front desk clerk at the historic St. James Hotel.

Lynn Lewis, front desk clerk at the Hampton Inn, said the hotel expects a few cancellations, but said those will likely be filled quickly.

“This is a big weekend,” Lewis said. “Rooms are always completely booked for Jubilee.”

And while lodging may be slim in Selma, the tourism department is gearing up for one of its biggest weekends.

Sheryl Smedley, executive director of the Selma-Dallas County Chamber of Commerce, said she hopes those that do visit Selma for Jubilee discover what all Selma has to offer.

“We will be out there letting people know that Selma is a place rich in history and a great place to visit,” Smedley said. “This is a big day for tourism.”

Smedley said pamphlets will be distributed to area hotels highlighting different attractions in Selma and Dallas County.

“We want people to enjoy Jubilee and then come back to see what else Selma has to offer,” Smedley said.