Will influx come back this May?
Businesses see ‘big change’ in Commissioning Week plans
With an in-person Naval Academy Commissioning Week not yet decided, renters watch to see what might happen with their stays.
Typically, at the end of May, families of graduating midshipmen flock to Annapolis to celebrate their midshipman. They usually stay in hotels, Airbnb or other rentals and populate local stores and eateries.
The academy has not yet publicly announced a decision about an in-person Commissioning Week.
The Naval Academy canceled the in-person Commissioning Week in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The announcement came after spring break, during which midshipmen were sent home and scattered.
This year, the academy, following other universities in the country, canceled spring break and the midshipmen remain on the yard. The academy is currently easing restrictions on midshipmen following a COVID-19 outbreak.
Rentals for Commissioning Week are usually made years ahead of the actual week, said Long and Foster property manager Lauren Byer.
The pandemic has changed that. Families with graduating midshipmen are still calling about possible rentals, and families with midshipmen graduating in 2022 are
making inquiries now about renting next year.
“That’s a big, big change,” Byer said.
There are also changes to the size of groups renting, she said. Some people do not want to travel out of concern.
Others will plan to come to Annapolis even if there is no in-person commissioning to see their child, Byer said.
“I felt terrible for the families,” she said. “And they don’t know what to do this year.”
Last year, multiple families who had rentals had to cancel, and while it is up to the owner to release the guest from the contract, 100% of Long and Foster partner properties refunded their guests.
Those properties can cost between $5,000-$12,000 to rent for the week, Byer said. That money was another loss during the pandemic for the renters. If renters have to cancel again this year, that means more loss for the owners who may have already budgeted the money.
“It’s not a win-win for anyone,” she said.
Renters also put their homes or properties for rent on Airbnb, including Brad Mollet, who rents a place on Fleet Street. He was one of the first to list his property on the renting app.
Last year, he took a loss when the guest who rented his place had to cancel. They were able to get a refund because they could prove COVID-19 was the reason for the cancellation.
Mollet is starting to see people reach out again, but there is hesitation, he said. Especially toward 2022’s commissioning because of the uncertainty of how long the pandemic will continue.
Mollet also lost money from other rentals, including reunions, games and other Naval Academy events, he said.
Still, he is hopeful that as more people get vaccinated, some sense of normalcy will begin to return.
Commissioning Week is also an economic boost for Annapolis because guests come into hotels, restaurants and shops, said Gary Jobson, chairman of the board for Visit Annapolis.
The week is important to the city’s economy, he said, because of all the visitors.
“Having no in-person May Week will definitely have an effect on our economy,” he said.