With the Sunbelt Expo on the horizon, expected to bring many visitors to Colquitt County, finding a place to stay in town can be challenging.

“As it stands now, we are booked,” said Divyesh Thakor, manager of the EconoLodge in Moultrie, even though the three-day farm show doesn’t start until Oct. 19.

Moultrie Inn owner Mansukh Parmar said he was also booked and his Expo guests will book their rooms for the next year’s show before leaving.

“We are glad that it happens here,” he said.

Cheryl Harrell, in reservations at the EconoLodge, said she always tells people to check back for cancellations. She will also refer them to hotels in other area cities, she said.

Sherry Weeks, front desk supervisor of Hampton Inn, said that most of the groups attending the Expo book in advance.

“They usually book them way, way ahead. We are full and ready to go,” she said.

Harrell said some of her Expo guests book as early as two years in advance and she has had people call from as far away as Jamaica.

“It helps bring people here from other states and even other countries,” said Weeks of the Expo.

She said she found it to be a fun time of year for them because hotel employees get to meet people from different areas and cultures.

“It’s like traveling without leaving Moultrie,” she said.

She also commented on how, in speaking with her guests, she had learned that growing crops wasn’t done the same way from state-to-state.

“I’ve learned that farming is different everywhere,” she added.

Weeks said that they give a reception for their guests during Expo week.

“It’s our way of saying thank you,” she said.

“I think it impacts our whole city. It’s good for the restaurants and good for the clothing stores,” said Harrell.