Just a week after an 8.8-magnitude earthquake slammed the Maule region of Chile, industry sources said most hotels in the country are operating with only minor interruptions to service. Hoteleros de Chile, an association of more than 320 hotels, is surveying its members to learn what damage they suffered; the association did not have official results as of press time. Several hotel companies contacted for this article said engineers have analyzed the status of their properties and found them to be structurally sound. Patricio Ihnen, public relations director for Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide in Santiago, said five of their six hotels in Chile are operating, but with “limited services”—no room service or no access to steam baths, for example. The Sheraton Los Angeles in Bio Bio, however, is closed. Read the rest of this entry »