Rooms tight this weekend
Most hotels rented long-term
By TOM WILEMON
tewilemon@sunherald.com
BILOXI - Coast casinos are back to renting rooms to traditional tourists, but anybody who wants to celebrate New Year’s Eve here should book lodging ahead of time instead of driving down to find a room.
Most hotels are rented to long-term guests involved in relief efforts, and the number of rooms is significantly smaller because of Hurricane Katrina. This holiday weekend, three casinos - IP, Isle of Capri and the Palace - will be open for business.
“We are inching up toward 5,000 rooms,” said Linda Hornsby, executive director of the Mississippi Hotel & Lodging Association. The number is small when compared to the 17,300 rooms that were available on the Coast pre-Katrina.
Anyone wanting to stay on the Coast this weekend can check room availability by dialing Mississippi Hotel Reservations at 888-388-1006.
“All the small properties are locked up with long-term guests at least until the end of January, some until the end of next year,” Hornsby said. “Suburban Lodge for instance will be full until the end of next year. They are that type of property. I’m starting to see some of them say ‘I’ll let you know by the end of January’ how many rooms they’ll start renting to traditional tourists.”
Steve Richer, the executive director of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau, said the next step to recovering is having meeting space available. Of the three casinos that will be open by this weekend, only the IP has meeting space, he said. Beau Rivage will also have convention and meeting space when it reopens. The reopening goal is Aug. 29, the one-year anniversary of the hurricane.
Richer is keeping his eyes on longer-term goals.
“Having three casino properties and other ones that are not casinos open within four months after the hurricane is a real achievement for the Mississippi Coast,” Richer said. “I think the plans being announced and the condo-hotels being approved indicate a lot of confidence in the market, investment-wise. Are things going to be better in five years? I think yes. We’re well on our way to being a major destination.”
Source: Sun Herald