Don’t Write off Florida This Summer—Despite the Oil Spill
Don’t let the Gulf oil spill write off Florida for your summer vacation. But keep yourself flexible and don’t feel compelled to pony up big deposits or prepaid fees for hotel accommodations: you don’t need to. There will be plenty of vacancies to go around this summer and with those vacancies come reasonable rates.
Florida is a big state with two huge coastlines: the chances of oil sullying all or most of them is nil.
At present, the Florida coast most at risk is the Panhandle—from Pensacola through Fort Walton Beach to Panama City. But even there, oil has not yet reached the beaches in any significant amount. Further down the Gulf coast, from Clearwater, Sarasota, Naples, to Marco Island, hotel keepers are still hopeful they may eek out a good summer season although many are offering discounted rates and very flexible cancellation policies. You may find some excellent deals here and you don’t need to make large deposits to hold down your reservations.
Offer one or two night deposits, and then if you see there is a looming threat, you haven’t lost too much even if the hotel owners get un-cooperative—which is not very likely because they’ll want you back next year.
To date, hotels on the east coast have not shown any panic about the prospect of oil invading their beaches and they are staying less flexible about offering discounts beyond what they have already done. Many have said the bad economy has forced them to drop their prices this year and there is only so low they can go. They too have expenses, staff, and suppliers to satisfy. In any case, they have suffered few cancellations and they expect a reasonable summer. Still, that’s no reason for you to take the first offer that comes your way. Do a little bargaining and you may find some excellent rates available for properties all along the east coast.
One tip: If you’re flying to Florida, rent a car and stay flexible. Don’t allow yourself to remain hostage to one hotel if you find conditions change and you want to move on. If you’re driving to Florida, your flexibility is built in.
Trip cancellation insurance is always a good thing to have: but unless you have Cancel for any Reason, or Change of Mind clauses in your policy, don’t count of on them to do you much good in the present circumstances. They would only work if your hotel shut down, or some other catastrophe closed down the area you were planning to visit. And even Cancel for any Reason policies will only cover a portion of the prepaid, non-refundable portion of the fees you have already paid. They won’t cover the other expenses you have put into your trip—like gasoline money or overnight fees at hotels on your way to Florida or back home.
Stay loose. Stay flexible. Prepay as little as you can get away with. Don’t be shy about bargaining for better rates. Remember that TV camera crews love to show you the worst. Normalcy is of no interest to them and most beachside hotels are still running normally.
