Hurricane Katrina tragedy hits hotels

New Orleans's tourism industry faces ruin after the devastating floods which followed Hurricane Katrina destroyed the city and claimed up to 10,000 lives.

Hoteliers are reluctant to speculate on the extent of damage to their businesses.

A World Travel & Tourism Council spokesman said: "It's too early to be talking about forecasts and tourism while the great scale of human tragedy is still taking its toll and has to be dealt with first."

However, it's clear that the repercussions will be severe and far-reaching. Among those affected, 1,700 people were evacuated from 22 Marriott properties, which have been closed or are unable to take bookings in New Orleans, Alabama and elsewhere in Louisiana.

Marriott's chairman JW Marriott said: "We recognise that the weeks ahead will be difficult for all those impacted by Hurricane Katrina, including more than 2,800 associates in the greater New Orleans area."

InterContinental Hotels Group evacuated 12 properties, while 20 others in the wider area were also hit. "The affected area is getting larger daily as the number of hotels impacted grows and the repercussions of the devastation spread further," said a spokesman.

Starwood's three hotels in the region, the Sheraton, W New Orleans and W French Quarter, were all evacuated. It will be up to three months before the hotels can reopen. A Starwood spokesman said: "Our general managers Dan King and Marcus Reinders housed guests, locals and associates who were unable to leave before they were evacuated on Friday."

In all, 19 Hilton hotels have been evacuated and subsequently closed, including the 1,600-bedroom Riverside hotel next to the city's convention centre.

By Emily Manson