Iberostar Hotels & Resorts Open for Business After Hurricane Wilma

November 7, 2005 - Iberostar Hotels & Resorts is pleased to announce that the hotels located in Playa Del Carmen and Playa Paraiso are open and ready to welcome guests. Iberostar Hotels & Resorts executives have assessed the damages and are currently working with tour operators to restore business to normal. The hotels have been open and operating since the storm and are welcoming new guests as of Friday, November 4.

None of the six hotels in the Yucatan Peninsula suffered any severe damages and all repairs will be completed in time for the holidays. Quick and efficient clean-up, as well as an exceptional staff, leant a helping hand in recovery efforts for Iberostar Hotels & Resorts in Playa del Carmen and Playa Paraiso.

Iberostar Tucan and Iberostar Quetzal, both in Playa del Carmen, are fully operational. The four hotels that make up the Iberostar Playa Paraiso complex in the Riviera Maya (Iberostar Paraiso Beach, Iberostar Paraiso del Mar, Iberostar Paraiso Lindo and Iberostar Paraiso Maya) are operating with 80 percent of its guest rooms available and with a few changes in services. The theater shared by Iberostar Paraiso Beach and Iberostar Paraiso del Mar experienced some structural damage and is closed for repairs. In the meantime, guests may enjoy shows and nightly entertainment at the Iberostar Paraiso Lindo theater. The Italian and Oriental specialty restaurants, as well as the buffet, at Iberostar Paraiso Lindo are closed for repairs. In the interim, guests will have full access to all the restaurants at Iberostar Paraiso Maya. The entire Playa Paraiso complex including the Playa Paraiso Convention Center is expected to be fully operational by mid-December. The Iberostar Playa Paraiso Golf Club will open nine of its 18 holes this weekend and the rest by November 19th.

"The hotels located in Playa del Carmen and along the Riviera Maya weathered the storm with minimal damage and, as a result, were able to continue to host our valued guests throughout the recovery period," said John Long, Vice President of Sales and Marketing. "Tremendous efforts by our outstanding staff allowed the hotels to successfully operate during and after the storm. We are grateful to have such a caring and dedicated workforce and have received a tremendous outpouring of gratitude from guests that remained at the hotels."

"Iberostar Hotels & Resorts housed more than 4500 guests throughout the storm and we would like to acknowledge and commend their patience and cooperation that, in turn, helped ease the implementation of hurricane procedures for the hotels’ staff," stated Long.

For more information on current reservations, contact the travel agent, tour operator or wholesaler that booked your Iberostar Hotels & Resorts vacation. For more information on future reservations, contact your local travel professional and look for updates at www.iberostar.com.

SOURCE Iberostar Hotels & Resorts