Of 50 hotels surveyed across the Gulf Coast, 42 percent of respondents have experienced group booking cancellations due to the oil spill, according to the Knowland Group. Sixty-four percent have said the impact is minimal at the moment, with 8 percent and 14 percent reporting moderate and significant impacts, respectively. More than half (56 percent) of respondents attribute decreased bookings to media hype.
"Right now the spill seems to be impacting bookings between the present and the next 6 months, which gives hoteliers time to plan ahead to ensure they maintain business," says Knowland Group CEO Mike McKean in a statement. "If things do get worse, hoteliers should consider new ways to proactively increase their sales and needed revenue."
In fact, many Gulf hotels are seeing an uptick in immediate bookings, with members of the media, oil industry executives, and environmental groups occupying rooms. The Knowland Group’s survey also reveals that 56 percent of hotels say they have a specific plan in place to deal with the spill.
