soon.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars of business was lost this week after vacationers cancelled their trips in fear of possible disruption from the storm.

Large hotels and cottage colonies reported hundreds of bed nights lost in the days surrounding Tuesday's passing of Gert -- turning what was anticipated to be a good September into an average month.

And if the guests do not re-book, then the revenue would be lost.

There are policies, called "business interruption insurance'', which can provide cover for lost bookings -- but only in the event of a total hotel shutdown.

And as no Island accommodations were forced to close, management are hoping customers will re-schedule their vacations in the near future.

Bermuda Hotel Association chief executive John Harvey said: "Normally we encourage people not to cancel, but to postpone. The general policy is that if the airlines are flying, they do not get refunds.

"I think most people who have decided to come to Bermuda, for whatever reason, will say `I will go next week'.'' Some larger properties, such as Sonesta and Southampton Princess, suffered more than most, losing valuable group bookings.

Sonesta resident manager John Murtha expected a $250,000 loss from cancellations that started as early as last Friday.

And Elbow Beach suffered a 50 percent drop in bookings as occupancy plummeted to 30 percent -- 75 guests -- over Monday and Tuesday.

A hotel spokesman said guests left early and cancelled their trips as news of Gert filtered across the US.

The Southampton Princess lost some groups, but were pleased to report yesterday that all had re-booked.