SALINA, Kan. — More than 89.5 million people are expected to hit the roads this holiday season.
Yet, many may face dangerous roads due to winter weather.
It’s a problem familiar to many Salina businesses.
“We can have a full house within an hour or two Yeah. if the storm’s bad enough,” said Christina Bowles, general manager of Days Inn in Salina.
In February, a winter blast shut down parts of I-70. Bowles said some travelers stayed at her hotel for a few days.
Tuesday, some Kansans north of I-70 may get up to a couple inches of snow. Several Salina hotel managers say they anticipate this storm may not affect them much.
Some say, typically, this time of year is slow, but a storm can change the game if it hits at the right time, said Mike Robinson General Manager of Super 8.
“If it happens to come in the early afternoon, into the evenings, some people still head out in the morning’s to get where they wanna,” Robinson said. “If they run into bad weather, they’ll stop at that time and deal with it then.”
Yet, a big part of winter preps is working together.
Robinson said the Kansas Highway Patrol often contacts him to be sure there are enough rooms to accommodate stranded drivers. Bowles said neighboring businesses look out for each other.
“I know all the hotels in this area,” she said. “We all keep in contact pretty well, and we all let each other know, hey, we got so many rooms, if you got any available, we’ll send them your way.”