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Hurricane Katrina Update: Gulf Coast Hotels Still Struggling

According to the Mississippi Hotel, Motel and Lodging Association, 51 non-casino hotels on Gulfport and Biloxi's beach front have been either destroyed or too severely damaged to reopen.

Only eight beach front hotels are actually renting rooms and that's on a limited basis.

In Biloxi, rooms are down 3,252 to 388. In Gulfport the drop is from 2,468 to 1,099.

Due to the expensive cost of rebuilding the hotels with strict hurricane standards, many of the smaller hotels --typically of the Mom and Pop variety-- will most likely be taken over by "big condos, condo hotels, and big chain hotels that are corporate financed." Which is somewhat of a comfort since they can sell the property for a nice sum.

Related Stories:
·Small Hotels Face Big Challenges [WLOX-TV]