Skip to content

Search

Latest Stories

Hurricane Ida leaves New Orleans hoteliers without power

The powerful storm brought back memories of Hurricane Katrina from 16 years before

Hurricane Ida leaves New Orleans hoteliers without power

ON SUNDAY, HURRICANE Ida swept over New Orleans as a Category 4 storm, leaving The Big Easy in tatters and without power. It struck on the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s deadly landfall on the city, bringing back bad memories for New Orleans area hotelier Vimal Patel.

“This is a very strong, very strong reminder of Katrina,” said Patel, who is president of QHotels Management in LaPlace, Louisiana. “During Katrina, we were about to celebrate my daughter's fifth birthday. But, we ended up taking a shelter at the Hampton Inn in LaPlace and we lost our water and we were stranded there for days.”


For Ida, Patel’s daughter celebrated her 21st birthday, and he decided to close all of his hotels, evacuate his guests and leave for safer ground.

“It was a stark, dark reminder of the Katrina, but luckily we had no guests in the hotel and we closed everything down,” he said.

‘As dangerous as we anticipated’

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards asked for and was granted a federal state of emergency on Friday before the storm struck. On Sunday, Edwards said Hurricane Ida came ashore near in Port Fourchon with winds of 155 mph, moving slowly with inundating rain.

“[The federal state of emergency] will be critical to our response to the recovery from Hurricane Ida, which has proven to be as dangerous as we anticipated,” the governor said. “Thousands of our people are without power and there is untold damage to property across the impacted parishes. FEMA has been with us since before the storm to help coordinate our state and federal efforts, which has been incredibly helpful. I know that it will take some time to address all of the challenges of this storm, but I am confident in the resilience of our people and the commitment of all of our partners to pull through this, which we will do together.”

ENEWS 09 01 21 Hurricane Ida tilted poles Utility poles lean over a street following Hurricane Ida on Aug. 31, in Houma, Louisiana. Ida made landfall August 29 as a Category 4 storm southwest of New Orleans, causing widespread power outages, flooding and massive damage. Photo by Scott Olson with Getty Images

By Wednesday, as the remnants of Ida was causing massive flooding in New York, Vimal Patel said his properties were all still out of power. All nine of his hotels had sustained damage.

“Now we have a challenge with the transportation of gas. Obviously, Laplace doesn't have electricity and no running water,” he said. “We are scouting in different places, traveling 75, 100 miles around trying to fill up gas.”

Patel left town before the storm hit.

“I traveled to Slidell, but a couple of my partners stayed in LaPlace,” he said. “They saw the brunt of the bad weather; broken windows, water leaks all sorts of things. Now I am on my way to Slidell again to assess the situation.”

AAHOA members faring well

Hotel properties owned by AAHOA members fared differently depending on their location in the city, said Vimal “Ricky” Patel, AAHOA Gulf Region director and no relation to Vimal Patel of QHotels. Hotels in the Thibodaux and Houma areas sustained very minimum damage to the members hotel.

“Kenner and south of New Orleans, there are quite a few properties that are damaged,” Ricky said. “The hardest hit was Grand Isle. As far as I know, we don't have any members there, but there are properties in a Boutte, Kenner and Metairie [owned by AAHOA members] and some of those properties are damaged.”

Other hotels are receiving evacuees from the storm, Ricky said, but most of the hotels are pre booked up with the utility workers at this time. He said precautions are being taken in light of the resurging COVID-19 pandemic.

“Everyone's just following the protocol from the states and the brand guidelines,” said Ricky, who is based in Lafayette, Louisiana.

After Hurricane Laura last year, hotels in Texas and Louisiana saw a surge in demand for weeks after, according to STR data at that time.

ENEWS 09 01 21 Hurricane Ida chainsaw Copy Workers remove a tree that fell on a home during the storm in Houma. Photo by Scott Olson with Getty Images

Ricky said he plans to reach out to Louisiana Lt. Gov. William Nungesser about putting together aid packages for hotels in the area. Vimal Patel said he has heard from his fellow hoteliers already who are willing to lend a hand.

“There have been so many text messages, emails, phone calls. Obviously we can’t receive a lot of phone calls because of the cell cellular service outages,” Vimal said. “But, we have people that had called, so many people providing support, so many people offering help, it's been overwhelming for the support that I have received.”

More for you

U.S. government shutdown 2025 news
Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Trump, Congress face shutdown deadline

Summary:

  • President Donald Trump will meet Congress as a shutdown looms.
  • Democrats say they are ready to negotiate a bipartisan deal.
  • Thousands of federal jobs and the U.S. travel economy are at risk if a shutdown occurs.

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP will meet Congressional leaders on Monday after Senate Democrats rejected a Republican stopgap spending bill to fund the government until Nov. 21. The U.S. Travel Association recently warned a government shutdown could cost the travel economy $1 billion a week.

Keep ReadingShow less
U.S. Travel Association shutdown warning
Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

USTA: $1B a week at risk in shutdown

Summary:

  • USTA said the U.S. travel economy could lose $1 billion a week in a government shutdown.
  • White House reportedly ordered agencies to plan layoffs of nonessential staff.
  • Around 88 percent of Americans want Congress to prevent a shutdown.

A LOOMING U.S. government shutdown could cost America’s travel economy $1 billion a week, the U.S. Travel Association said. Federal funding runs through Sept. 30 and without a stopgap budget, many operations would halt on Oct. 1.

Keep ReadingShow less
Lawsuit Abuse Reduction Act 2025

House bill aims to curb frivolous lawsuits

Summary:

  • The House introduced the Lawsuit Abuse Reduction Act of 2025 to reform tort law.
  • AAHOA said the bill would restore accountability in the legal system.
  • In 2023, the Supreme Court vacated a case on “tester lawsuits” under the ADA.

THE HOUSE OF Representatives recently introduced the Lawsuit Abuse Reduction Act of 2025 to reform tort law and mandate sanctions for frivolous lawsuits. AAHOA supported the bill, saying it would restore accountability to the legal system, an issue for small-business owners such as hoteliers.

Keep ReadingShow less
H-2B visa hospitality impact

Study: H-2B visas boost U.S. jobs and wages

Summary:

  • The H-2B visa program protects U.S. jobs and wages, according to AHLA citing a study.
  • It allows hotels and resorts to meet travelers’ needs while supporting the economy.
  • It provides foreign workers for seasonal jobs when domestic workers are unavailable.

THE H-2B VISA program does not harm U.S. jobs or wages but increases pay and supports the labor force, according to an Edgeworth Economics study. Citing that study, the American Hotel & Lodging Association said the program enables hotels and resorts to meet travelers’ needs while supporting the workforce and economy.

Keep ReadingShow less
AAHOA advocacy focuses on SBA loans, visa reform
Photo credit: AAHOA

AAHOA advocacy focuses on SBA loans, visa reform

Summary:

  • AAHOA’s FNAC focused on SBA loans, visa fees and Brand USA funding.
  • The association hosted a reception for members who donated $1,001 or more to its PAC, which supports advocacy on Capitol Hill and in state capitals.
  • The event featured SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler of Georgia.

AAHOA’s FALL NATIONAL Advocacy Conference in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 16 to 17 focused on expanding Small Business Administration loan access, repealing the Visa Integrity Fee and restoring Brand USA funding. The biannual conferences bring hotel owners together each spring and fall to meet lawmakers and advance their priorities in federal policymaking.

Keep ReadingShow less