For typically lower-priced hotel properties on the outskirts of D.C., the annual trips of eighth graders to the nation’s capital are valuable sources of money, bringing in hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue, The Washington Post reports.
This year, as government spending cuts continue to pelt the hospitality industry, hotel managers say eighth-grade trips have become more important than ever.
Over the years, as eighth-grade trips to Washington have become a rite of passage for middle-schoolers around the country, hotel staffers have learned to anticipate the needs of the drove of students who come through the hotel every spring, summer and fall — think Cracker Jacks and Dr. Pepper.
For many, it is their first time traveling without their families.
