For Los Angeles hotels, the announcement Thursday that the Porter Ranch-area gas leak had been officially sealed was a mixed blessing. On the one hand, it means lots of hotel rooms will be emptied out as gas-leak refugees return home. On the other, it will give hoteliers options to serve other guests – often at higher rates.

For example, Mark Davis, general manager at the Hilton Universal City, which housed 168 families at the crisis’ peak, said the hotel had to turn away some regular corporate customers who would be paying higher rates for the rooms to accommodate the families. He added that many of those clients were sympathetic toward the families in need.

“Although we were limited on the number of rooms we could provide, we still established a discount off our published rates because we can relate to what families were going through,” said Davis.

Jimmy Blackman, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Hotel Association, said that even with the Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board reporting a citywide 5,000 hotel room shortage, some of their member hotels were not only willing to find space for displaced families, but also accept a cut in rates during a relatively busy season, what with the awards season upon us.

According to Ty Brassie, director of sales and marketing at Warner Center Marriott, approximately 190 guest rooms were allocated to Porter Ranch residents every night during the crisis.

“Although the evacuation of Porter Ranch provided a substantial boost to hotel occupancies in the Valley, and our hotel was a natural choice given its proximity to Porter Ranch, we’re excited that families will soon return to their homes,” he said. “However… we will miss the sense of community that has formed over the last several months.”

Scott Mills, the general manager at the Garland Hotel in Universal City, said 20 to 40 families were housed at the property at different points during the crisis period. While the arrival of awards season put a strain on capacity, Mills, like the Hilton’s Davis, said it was important to make Porter Ranch guests feel welcome.

“We have enjoyed having residents here and hope we helped them make the best of these circumstances,” Mills said.

The leak, which began nearly four months ago, drove roughly 16,000 residents to flee. The Southern California Gas Co., with the assistance of 17 relocation firms, helped them find temporary housing.

With Thursday’s announcement that the leak had been sealed, they will have eight days to return home before SoCalGas stops reimbursements, although some temporary renters can stay through their leases as late as April 30.

“Every organization providing housing (involved) in the Porter Ranch crisis definitely saw an uptick in their business,” said Joan McCarthy Mack, vice president of Insurance Housing Solutions at Oakwood Worldwide, a Los Angeles firm known for its temporary executive housing. McCarthy Mack says that there were an estimated 1,000 families occupying Oakwood units.

“We had an unusually high number of claims between Christmas and New Year’s, when there’s not a lot of relocation business. In this case, we had the inventory of apartments we needed,” she said. “Just as we helped the families find a place to live, we are working with our landlords to make it as easy as possible for the residents to relocate back.”