Earthquake: The Long Road Back : Refugees From Temblors Throng Region’s Hotels : Escape: Managers report a second wave of guests who are fearful of aftershocks and desperate for basic comforts. Some inns offer special rates.

Hotels in western Ventura County are doing a brisk business as residents in hard-hit areas of the San Fernando Valley and elsewhere seek refuge from the hassles of post-quake life.

The first wave of earthquake victims began piling into hotels along the Ventura Freeway within hours of Monday’s quake. They drove north to escape battered homes left in shambles of broken glass and overturned furniture.

Now, hotel managers say they are seeing a second wave of people fearful of the aftershocks and desperate for basic comforts: a hot shower, a cooked meal, a soft bed, a light switch that works.

“When they call, they say, ‘Do you have electricity? Do you have water? OK, we’re coming,’said Rod Houck, general manager of the Pierpont Inn, where about 60 quake refugees were fed a free dinner of spaghetti and salad Monday night.

“They walk in and see no pictures are off the wall, that everything is intact. They have a big sense of relief,” he said.

Houck said the Ventura hotel still has about 50 guests from the San Fernando Valley who leave the hotel early each morning to work on their homes, then straggle back after dark.

Other hotels in Ventura, Oxnard and Camarillo are also running at or near capacity; some are offering special earthquake rates. Business travelers and tourists who have canceled their reservations are quickly being replaced by quake victims.

“Unfortunately, natural disasters tend to be good for hotels,” said Steve Troyer, general manager for the Country Inn in Ventura, which is about 80% full.

Carol Lavender of the Ventura Visitors & Convention Bureau, which monitors occupancy rates, said: “Each hotel I spoke with said they’re taking reservations all day. The phones have not stopped ringing.

“I imagine we’ll be seeing more of the San Fernando Valley people as the days go on,” she said.

At the Financial Plaza Hilton in Oxnard, rooms have been booked full all week, although some will be available starting today. The hotel has been offering a special earthquake rate of $59, down from $89 per room.

“We’re trying to make people feel comfortable,” said Kay Morter, the hotel’s general manager.

What with conventioneers, a movie company filming in Fillmore and residents from the San Fernando Valley, the Holiday Inn in Ventura is nearly full with weekend reservations

The Courtyard by Marriott in Camarillo also has been full since Monday and was expected to be at capacity again Wednesday tonight. Rooms that the hotel typically rents for $64 are being offered for $49.

Daniel Valette, administrator of the 130-room hotel, said more than 50 people were referred to other hotels after calling the Marriott Wednesday looking for lodging.

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Anne Leff, 50, said she checked into the Marriott on Monday with her four dogs and rabbit after the chimney collapsed, large cracks appeared in the stucco and the gas line ruptured in her two-story Northridge home.

“I’ve got bagels, I’ve got Cheerios, I’ve got egg bread, cookies and soda--whatever I could take out of the house,” she said. “All you really need is a place to put your head down and hot water and a place to brush your teeth.”

Also staying at the Marriott were Northridge residents Caroline Gomez, 17, and her 86-year-old grandmother, Gertrude Gomez.

“The aftershocks are scaring me, plus we don’t have any water or electricity,” Caroline said. “There’s electricity and water here.”

Looking relaxed in the lobby of the Holiday Inn, Simi Valley resident Melanie Seiflein said she checked into the hotel Tuesday morning after spending the night in her car because she was afraid to re-enter her townhome on Birch Glen Avenue. Before leaving Ventura to return home Wednesday, she planned to stock up on water, fuel and cans of food.

“I needed to get away from the insanity,” she said. “I just needed some peace.”