With the last of the guests at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel having been transferred from the property by end of day on Saturday, Prince Resorts Hawaii executives have shifted their attention to accommodating forward bookings at the iconic Big Island property. All travelers holding future reservations at the hotel have been contacted and given the option of a refund, lodging at one of Prince's other three Hawaii properties-it has one each on the Big Island, Oahu and Maui-or a stay at another Hawaii hotel. The situation is tight for holiday travel, says a Prince spokesman, and the company is working through each reservation. As for the hotel, a number of rooms were closed as a precaution following initial engineering inspections after the earthquake of Oct. 15; additional damage was discovered last week and the decision was made to close the hotel. Prince is planning repair and restoration work that may take up to a year. In the meantime, it's business as usual at the other elements of the Mauna Kea Resort, including the neighboring Hapuna Beach Prince and the resort's two golf courses.
