Cancun's damage is Los Cabos' gain

Mexico

Cancun's damage is Los Cabos' gain

The most frazzled people in Los Cabos these days may be the wedding planners: Thousands of vacationers are flocking to Cabo and other western Mexican resorts to relax and say their "I do's."

They headed to the resort area after Hurricane Wilma thrashed Cancun — the country's premier resort — in late October. Most hotels and many businesses along Cancun's 10-mile waterfront strip still are closed, and much of the beach has been stripped of its white sand.

Destination weddings have become increasingly popular among Americans. Veronica Miranda, a wedding planner at the 642-room Riu hotel, Cabo's largest resort, had six weddings in three days in late November. "People spend a year planning and then have to redo everything ... so the pressure is on," she said.

"It has been a crazy few months," said Vari Avila, of Baja Weddings. "First we were working with couples whose weddings in New Orleans were canceled. And now, we are being bombarded with inquiries from Cancun and Cozumel," she said.

Los Cabos — which includes Cabo San Lucas and the 20-mile stretch of Baja coastline leading to the town of San Jose del Cabo — has about 10,000 hotel and time-share rooms. Cancun has 27,000 rooms, and the nearby Riviera Maya, which had less hurricane damage, has 24,000. Half of Cancun's rooms will be habitable by Christmas, the Cancun Hotel Association said.

Air travel

Wheelchair users complain of bad service

Bad service for passengers using wheelchairs drew more attention than any other problem on the government's first tally of disability-related complaints to airlines.

In all, according to the recent report from the U.S. Department of Transportation, passengers filed 10,193 complaints with U.S. airlines in 2004, and about two-thirds involved wheelchairs.

In addition to inadequate assistance, passengers complained of damaged chairs, poor seating arrangements, inaccessible aircraft and excessive waits for stored chairs upon landing. About 17 million disabled passengers fly each year, according to the government's most recent estimate.

The complaints about poor assistance don't surprise Bob Herman, senior attorney with Paralyzed Veterans of America. "That's where they fail the most often," he said of airlines. Wheelchair users might wait an hour for help, and the person who arrives might not know proper lifting techniques or speak English, he said.

Congress ordered the report to draw attention to travel challenges of the disabled. The government will use the data to identify trends and bolster enforcement of laws meant to protect the disabled, said DOT lawyer Sam Podberesky.

Four big carriers — American, Delta, United and Northwest — accounted for nearly 60 percent of the complaints in 2004. Some are upgrading their programs, including Delta which has increased training for staff. (For tips on flying with disabilities, see the Q&A in related stories.)

France

Luxury hotels in Paris fined for colluding on room rates

France has fined six top Paris hotels, including the Ritz and the Crillon, for operating an illegal cartel. After a four-year investigation, a government agency slapped fines totaling $831,000 on the six hotels — which also included the George V, the Meurice, the Plaza Athenee and the Bristol. The Competition Council's report said executives at the six hotels "regularly exchanged confidential information on their respective commercial activities" by e-mail and at face-to-face meetings. The information they shared included future pricing plans, it said.

With average rates of over $800 per night, the six hotels dominate the luxury market in central Paris.

Business travel

Prices keep climbing for corporate travelers

Anyone who believes that inflation has been whipped probably isn't paying for business travel. On every front — air travel, hotels, rental cars — costs are up and going higher.

A recent report from American Express Business Travel projects annual increases in 2006 of up to 8 percent for airfares and car-rental rates. High-end hotel rooms will increase by up to 5 percent, the report says. Meanwhile, general inflation is expected to be up just 2.3 percent, according to the latest consensus of the National Association for Business Economics.

Business travel has been rebounding for the past 18 months after a steep slide brought on by recession, the stock-market slowdown and Sept. 11 terrorism.

Strong travel demand, which is expected to continue, is a major factor in pushing prices up. "Most of the economic indicators are pretty good," says Duane Vinson, director of sales and marketing at lodging industry tracker Smith Travel Research in Henderson, Tenn.

Seattle Times staff and news services