Photo by Skip Lawrence Deborah Miller, marketing director at the Hampton Inn and Suites on Opossumtown Pike, takes a call Wednesday. The hotel was packed for several days with visitors for the inauguration of President Barack Obama.
	COMPLETE INAUGURATION COVERAGE — — —

The effort and time planning for the historic event was worth it, local business owners said.

Quantifiable data on the economic impact of inauguration visitors won't be available until around Jan. 28, said John Fieseler, executive director of the Tourism Council of Frederick County. But indications are the inauguration was a financial bonanza.

"It was probably the busiest we've been in a couple of years," said Jennifer Cuozzo, owner of Touch of Class Limousines. "We had every single one of our cars out around the clock from Sunday through Wednesday."

An employee of the limousine business waited in line for two days to get permits that would allow the cars to transport inauguration visitors through the nation's capital, but it was time well-spent, Cuozzo said.

A high point for Touch of Class Limousine was having the opportunity to transport the "Little Rock Nine" -- the first nine black students to attend a segregated school in Little Rock, Ark., Cuozzo said.

"To transport people that special was a great opportunity," Cuozzo said. "The hardest thing for our chauffeurs was finding the time to get some sleep."

Getting ready for the inauguration required preparation at Hampton Inn & Suites on Opossumtown Pike, hotel marketing director Deborah Miller said.

The number of reservations fluctuated as reservations made far in advance were canceled as rooms closer to the nation's capital opened up, Miller said. But all 104 rooms at Hampton Inn & Suites were occupied by the time the inauguration rolled around.

Miller has heard Frederick did better than some other cities near Washington.

"I heard that Baltimore had a 70 percent occupancy rate and Frederick did 90 percent overall," she said.

Visitors said they had a good time, Miller said.

"Hopefully, people who were here for the first time will have a reason to come back and spread the word about Frederick ," she said.

A hotel full of patrons during a traditionally slow January was welcome, said Donald Harver, front office manager of Quality Inn on Baughman's Lane.

"Other than waiting in cold weather for long hours at the inauguration, the visitors had a nice time, and many of them are staying over to tour other sites in the area," Harver said. "We did very, very well. We had a lot of groups and they were very hospitable, very nice people."

The story was the same at the Inn at Buckeystown , owner Janet Well said.

"We were very successful this weekend. It was a true blessing" that several families chose the bed and breakfast, Well said.

Visitors included a three-generation family and several couples who stayed five days.

"They have been sightseeing not just in D.C. but in Frederick County as well, and I was able to pass some history on to them," Wells said. "One grandfather said he was so pleased with our area."

The number of visitors to Monocacy National Battlefield did not dramatically change because of the inauguration, but the field drew a few guests who were in the area for the event, park ranger Cathy Beeler said.