Help for Hotels, Motels, Bed and Breakfasts, and their management,
Preparing and Filing Interim or Final Claims
After the BP Oil Spill

The tourist industry on the Gulf Coast was severely impacted by the BP spill, and although the BP Emergency Claim deadline passed on November 23, 2010, these businesses may still file interim claims and final claims for damages with the Gulf Coast Claims Facility ["GCCF"].

In particular, any of the following housing relating operations suffered net income and occupancy losses from the BP Oil Spill:

• Hotels
• Motels
• Bed and Breakfasts
• Condominiums and Condominium Associations
• Lodges or Inns
• Operators, leasing agents and management companies

In addition, the GCCF has established for hotels and motels a quick claim option, with eligibility restrictions.

Filing and settling interim claims and final claims by hotels with the GCCF should be undertaken with a diligent analysis and review of specific operations and books over an extended period, as Gross Income for most motels, and their Net, are periodic over weekly and annual cycles. This is also true with other tourist related businesses on the Gulf of Mexico, including fishing charters or restaurants .

Though motels and hotels generally have common structures and operations, each location has unique elements that distinguish it. While there are common tools for projecting income and analyzing losses, each review is unique, and should depend on the specifics of the operation.

For example, some depend heavily on longer term rentals during the high season, others are associated with, or lease space to, restaurants, and still others may rely on referrals from other competitors. Some operations include condominiums affiliated with a hotel; in some cases, separately owned management companies suffered losses.

After the spill, many hotel operations cut room rates to boost occupancy, and otherwise mitigated damages by longer term and low cost leases to cleanup crews. Despite this mitigation, most still encountered reduced net income, and have deferred maintenance and improvements, leading to a long-term impact on profitability.

For these and many other reasons, demonstrating and projecting sales but-for the BP spill, and income losses and damages due-to the BP spill, should be undertaken with the assistance of both legal counsel, and competent insurance loss professionals.

As with any fire, flood or other loss event, "how to" is founded on preparation and the advice you get. Here are some initial steps:

• Assemble financial data for an extended period before the loss, in aid of estimating the loss of business income after the loss
• Assemble financial data for the period following the oil spill
• Take steps to resolve claims related to property damage, if any -- some general pointers are here
• Continue to mitigate damages
• Consider some steps common to all business claims
• Consult with a competent insurance loss professional, and seek legal counsel