Gulf Coast hotel update

This just in on Gulf Coast hotels post-Katrina: From Smith Travel Research, Hurricane Katrina's Impact on the Gulf Coast and New Orleans Hotel Industry.

As of October 10th there were 465 hotels with 43,915 rooms open to the public and emergency personnel in the affected areas. The open rooms account for roughly 54% of the hotel inventory available prior to Katrina. Mark Lomanno, president of STR, commented: "While it is encouraging to see that almost 44,000 rooms in the area weathered the storm, the impact of Katrina on the greater New Orleans hotel market and throughout the region will be felt for years to come."

I can't imagine how it could be otherwise.