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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Hotels on Big Island returning to normal

By Lynda Arakawa
Advertiser Staff Writer

Big Island hotels near the epicenter of Sunday's earthquake are quickly repairing and reopening rooms closed by the temblor.

The Mauna Lani Bay Hotel and Bungalows has reopened its top three floors to customers after an assessment of the area Monday.

The hotel closed the floors as a precaution following Sunday's 6.7- and 6.0-magnitude earthquakes centered off the Kohala Coast. Hotel general manager Kurt Matsumoto yesterday said there were no injuries, and the building didn't sustain any structural damage.

The Mauna Lani has some "light cosmetic issues" such as chipped paint and damaged ceiling tiles, and the hotel is also replacing some televisions that fell during the earthquake, "but overall everything is fine," Matsumoto said. "If you didn't see the news on Sunday and you walked into the hotel today, you wouldn't know that an episode happened," he said.

The Mauna Lani was one of a handful of hotels in West Hawai'i that closed part of their properties as a result of the earthquake.

The ResortQuest Kona by the Sea, which sustained water damage to about a dozen units from a water pipe break, is reopening those rooms within the next few days in time for this weekend's Ford Ironman World Championship triathlon, said ResortQuest Hawaii president Kelvin Bloom. He said the damage was "relatively minor," in the $5,000 to $10,000 range.

The Mauna Kea Beach Hotel closed its eighth floor and part of its Beachfront wing, where three lanais collapsed. The Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel also sustained some water damage and relocated some guests to other rooms. Both hotels are open, a spokeswoman said Monday.

Both Bloom and Matsumoto said there hasn't been an increase in cancellations.

Matsumoto said: "We've been getting a lot of calls, but once we assure everybody that the condition of the hotel is fine and their vacation experience will be the same as it would have been prior to the earthquake, they seem to be OK with that information and they're still coming."

Reach Lynda Arakawa at larakawa@honoluluadvertiser.com.