Some Gulf hotels refuse booked guests

0 Comments | USA TODAY, October, 2005 | by Roger Yu

Waves of evacuees from Hurricane Katrina have been a financial windfall for hotels near the battered Gulf Coast, but now many business travelers are struggling to find rooms of their own.

More than 80% of hotel rooms in Houston were full in September, up from 58% a year ago, according to exclusive data by Smith Travel Research for USA TODAY. In Memphis, 75.3% of rooms were full, vs. 61% a year ago. Hotels in Atlanta, Dallas, Little Rock and San Antonio were likewise jammed.

In some areas, hotels for miles around are full of survivors. Ira Dale, a sales executive from North Dakota, tried to book a room in Jackson, Miss., on Oct. 3-4 to visit a client. He "found it impossible," he says. His travel agency called Hyatt and Hilton chains, but the only available room was...