Bookings plummet after storm
Bookings for hotels in New York were hit by more than 60% following Hurricane Sandy and remained 25% down days after the storm made landfall.
According to the latest figures from Pegasus Solutions, cancellations increased by triple-digit percentages over 2011 for stays from October 28 until November 1.
Booking declines levelled off after, aided by crews and residents seeking hotels for temporary housing.
Meanwhile Atlantic City, with a higher mix of leisure visitors, saw reservations plummet by almost 70% from last year, with decreases as high as 60% until November 3.
The dramatic cancellations for this area reached as high as 2800% over last year on November 3, registering in the triple digits on several other days.
However, taking the storm out of the equation, the third quarter was generally positive for business and leisure travel hotel bookings and rates.
"We were prepared to issue a positive statement about global travel performance for the third quarter," said David Millili, chief executive officer of Pegasus Solutions. "However, the tragedy of Hurricane Sandy in the states I both live and work in changed that narrative last week.
"A mix of cancellations and drops in reservations reminds us not just of the impact this is having on businesses in the areas affected, but also of so many individuals who have been displaced."
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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