1616-40 The Herald-Hotels reinvented itself post 9/11 •
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STORY BY DOUGLAS HANKS III
Lemon Danishes never mat- staff to lay out a morning spread
tered at the Cavalier Hotel. of orange juice, bread, coffee,
Then terrorists attacked the croissants and Danishes on the
World Trade Center and Penta- bar for the first time last week.
gon on Sept. 11, 2001, tourism Abravaya has converted much ``
dried up in South Florida, and of his lobby and outside patio into
hotels like the Cavalier found a nouvelle cuisine restaurant in an
their business plans upended. effort to attract some local dollars
The attacks and the economic to his bottom line,the kind of rev-
fallout that followed prompted a enue that supported other hotels
sharp drop-off in European visi- during the dark days following
tors,a key component of South 9/11.
Florida's $17 billion tourism The custom-built bar,painted
industry. red and black,dominates the far
The loss hit particularly hard end of his high-ceilinged lobby,
at the Cavalier,where European and Abravaya hopes the extra will
tour operators used to buy up help the Cavalier stand out on
about one of every four of the Expedia, Travelocity and the
South Beach hotel's 45 rooms. other websites that rose to promi-
Those tour operators still sell- nence during the downturn and
ing trips to South Florida after retain their hold on the industry.
9/ll found themselves flush with "Let me tell you,I have learned
options,and most opted for hotels so much,"the 54-year-old former
with free breakfasts.But the Cav- Air Force transport pilot said of
slier didn't even have a kitchen. his two years in South Florida's
"A continental breakfast. It hotel business. "It looked a lot
shouldn't be that big of a deal," easier and simpler from the out-
owner Ralph Abravaya said.He side."
pointed to weekends where his
competitors with free doughnuts A continental breakfast
were sold out and his hotel—fac-
ing the Atlantic on Ocean Drive It shouldn't be that big of
—was half empty."But it's gotten ,
very competitive,i guess." a deal.But it's gotten
STRONG YEAR very Competitive.'
This year South Florida hotels —RALPH ABRAVAYA,
have posted one of the strongest
performances in the country,but Cavalier Hotel owner
the Cavalier has yet to share in The boutique hotel's slog
the region's celebrated recovery through the nearly three years
as a travel destination. that have passed since Sept. ll,
Where other hotels are report- 2001, offers an examination in
ing record summer occupancies, miniature of how the terrorist
the Cavalier is filling only half its attacks reshaped the region's No.
rooms.And Abravaya said that's 1 industry. And the Cavalier's .,
mainly because until now the strategy for turning things around
Cavalier hasn't done much to —free Danishes and all—high-
change since Sept.ll,2001 lights key components of the
While hotels across the region industry's unfolding comeback,.
have repositioned themselves to and how much the economics of
chase other markets, squeezed travel have changed since Sept.11,
dollars out of new profit centers 2001
and generally enjoyed the fruits of Nearly all of the Cavalier's
a recently rebounded industry, changes lead back,one way or the
the Cavalier's recovery plan is other,to South Florida's loss of
just beginning. international tourists over the
The Cavalier recently com- past three years.Overnight visi-
pleted nearly$1.5 million in rend- tors to Broward and Miami-Dade _
vations to the 1936 Art Deco hotel. from Europe and Latin America
The upgrades include a new dropped 13 percent from 2000 to
kitchen that allowed the Cavalier 2003 as travel worries,post-9/11
visa hassles and a sharp economic
CHUCK FADELY/HERALD STAFF downturn in many Latin Ameri-
READY FOR BUSINESS:At left, can countries kept travelers away.
Flor Rivas,who will run the The shift was especially hard
Cavalier hotel restaurant with for the many South Florida hotels
her husband,Pablo,sets up
tables at the hotel. •TURN TOHOTELS,24